RAPID RACER (PS)
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a.k.a Turbo Prop Racing
Publisher: Sony. Developer: SCE London. Released: November 1997 (Europe). Genre: Racing. Posted 26th August 2013. By Chris Weatherley © 2013 |
Powerboat racing games? They’re a rare breed, principally because they usually look dreadful, control appallingly or lack basic quality, but they do tend to raise an eyebrow now and then. One such title during the PlayStation’s heydays was Rapid Racer, or it’s unassumingly-titled US twin Turbo Prop Racing. Graced with an audio collection entirely written by electro-rock band Apollo440 (UK only), we are taken to the surfer-dude cool, on-the-edge world of lightening-fast powerboat competition. Contested across only six rough and swirling courses, Rapid Racer literally has its ups and downs in many areas but it does boast a few firsts for the PSone, as well as its rather bitchin’ soundtrack, which in truth it is probably more famous for. Like Nintendo’s Wave Race 64, the properties of racing on pixelized H²O is in stark contrast from the usual tarmac and mud physics of typical car racing. The look and feel is more akin to WipEout, but nowhere near as high quality. So slip that wet suit on and rev-up, choppy waters may lie ahead…
Opening up with the title theme ‘Carrera Rapida’ and a rather neat FMV, Rapid Racer certainly gets the racing juices flowing from the outset, but from then on in it’s rather a varied collection of design issues and graphical misdemeanours. Selection screens are pretty colourful and functional if a tad basic, presented nicely without anything dazzling. The upshot of this is you can get straight into the action and get given a baptism of fire from this game’s usual physics. Initially the game screen looks quite bland; with simply a power meter and a bonus item box displayed. This leaves a lot of screen space for the course itself, giving a generous wide view which has the side effect of a sparse look to the detailing. This improves over the different courses and routes, but it’s apparent the definition of the environment is below par for the PlayStation. Flat, weakly-textured buildings and largely uninteresting rock faces are in abundance, the course obstacles fare better, and some of the surroundings and boundaries such as the tunnel sections can look superb in places. A real mixed bag.
Jim maintained that sixteen pints had no bearing on traffic light awareness
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Fanta's sponsorship went a little too far at some of their themed races
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However, from the console that brought us the likes of Gran Turismo, Ridge Racer Type 4 and the gorgeous Wip3out, it’s a bit of a wet fish. The boats themselves are the best depicted. Good, solid models with nice individual detailing and sharp designs. The biggest aspect of visuals is of course the water; it’s just, well… strange. For starters there is zero transparency, no splash effects and barely any jet spray. Its movement is linear and constant with little realism or variance. Worse still, the boats can never submerge or create wake, bouncing off the surface like rubber glass. In fairness, some of the waterfall corners and narrow waterways look pretty nifty; the Lava stage looks much better for example and stands out above the rest, but it’s few and far between the mass of featureless, unchanging and distracting non-water.
Establishing it’s not the greatest looking game, there is an explanation if a rather tenuous one. The frame-rate is set high, so the scrolling and universal movement is very smooth, and it’s also fast and rapid as the title would suggest. This gets annulled in the split-screen two player mode unfortunately, as the frame-rate is noticeably halved and the speed reduced. Single player mode has no such problems and despite the weak graphics this game does have high points and getting into the powerboat melee is actually quite fun, helped massively by not only the exceptional high-octane soundtrack and DualShock vibration (one of the first titles to do this), but by the way this game handles. It takes a while to get used too for sure, a bit like the first time you play a WipEout title, but once you get a grasp of the behaviours, responses and positioning, it can become somewhat enthralling.
Establishing it’s not the greatest looking game, there is an explanation if a rather tenuous one. The frame-rate is set high, so the scrolling and universal movement is very smooth, and it’s also fast and rapid as the title would suggest. This gets annulled in the split-screen two player mode unfortunately, as the frame-rate is noticeably halved and the speed reduced. Single player mode has no such problems and despite the weak graphics this game does have high points and getting into the powerboat melee is actually quite fun, helped massively by not only the exceptional high-octane soundtrack and DualShock vibration (one of the first titles to do this), but by the way this game handles. It takes a while to get used too for sure, a bit like the first time you play a WipEout title, but once you get a grasp of the behaviours, responses and positioning, it can become somewhat enthralling.
Racing boats? At night?! Health and Safety would have a field day
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Despite aiming for Brighton, Bob found Tennessee a fine substitute
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Unlike the aforementioned WipEout, this is not racing through air, so the waves, crests, breaks and slopes alter the trajectory and pace of your boat throughout each race. This is the fun bit, as judging this proves an enjoyable challenge in achieving success. To acutely control the rudder, use the turbo at the right times and leap over a waterfall with precise panache. If done right, this is more than gratifying. The boats do all have different attributes which is welcome and can be upgraded to a limited degree. Chuck in the other 15 competitors who like to be ϋber aggressive, and the sometimes impossible parts of the courses (uphill water, really?!), and there is a good few hours of zipping around on the water to be had. With bonus targets to achieve through collecting icons, six boats to unlock, 18 courses to race on (six layouts only, but mirrored or in darkness), and strict time limits in the later stages, this all adds a bit of joy to the proceedings. This jet-boat fascination is tempered soon however thanks to the static water and glitchy visuals; the faults in the graphical sturdiness do play a big hand in affecting the gameplay, so it’s not uncommon to find yourself flipped around in a manic fashion, blend into a wall and emerge behind the pack or see the beautiful seascape of Miami flickering in and out of existence. If only the water had a soul to it, a flowing movement that would add a touch of randomness and excitement to the boat control, things would have been more enjoyable if a little more exasperating. Finally, the bonus level is featureless tack and way too easy, the cries of ‘Yoooo!!’ and ‘Whoa Ho!’ get quickly irritating, and there are far too few options to customise your boat.
This is the problem with Rapid Racer, it could and maybe should have been a great game; the challenge is certainly present, the mechanics unique, the courses are well laid out and the music is excellent, but like the Pacific Ocean it’s littered with flotsam and jetsam which spoils the game in the long term, namely because of the mediocre and sometimes idiotic visuals. The base concept of this game is a fine one, and if a little more care had been taken, the combination of the atypical handling, tough difficulty and the unique subject matter underpinned by some barnstorming tunes could have seen Rapid Racer placed handsomely in the top league of PS speedsters, but sadly I fear it’s destined to be left floundering in the shallows.
This is the problem with Rapid Racer, it could and maybe should have been a great game; the challenge is certainly present, the mechanics unique, the courses are well laid out and the music is excellent, but like the Pacific Ocean it’s littered with flotsam and jetsam which spoils the game in the long term, namely because of the mediocre and sometimes idiotic visuals. The base concept of this game is a fine one, and if a little more care had been taken, the combination of the atypical handling, tough difficulty and the unique subject matter underpinned by some barnstorming tunes could have seen Rapid Racer placed handsomely in the top league of PS speedsters, but sadly I fear it’s destined to be left floundering in the shallows.
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VERDICT
Visual: 5/10
Audio: 8/10 Gameplay: 6/10 Longevity: 6/10 OVERALL: 6/10 |