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Pilot Wings 64 (N64)
by claurentzius
I bought this in the sales ages ago when nintendo 64 was the best thing you could get. It looked interesting but when I first started it, I was very dissapointed. I turned it off and thought at least it was cheap and I hadnīt wasted to much money. A couple of days later I decided to give it another go and then I ended up playing it for ... almost an hour.
Despite the crap graphics, the annoying music and the sometimes stupid missions - itīs very more-ish. You want to clear the next level, you want to get good marks and you want to find out what the next challenge is - why I have no idea, as itīs not a particulary brilliant game.
The different characters you can play are quite funny and the sounds the make sometimes makes me laough out loud.
You can paraglide, drive a gyrokopter, be a human cannonball and a few other things.
Like I said, I really donīt know why I like it, as there are so many things not to like - yet you sit there hour after hour trying to make the perfect landing with your paraglide.
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Cruis'n USA (N64)
by scream4bruce
The N64 limitations meant Midway were never going to come close to producing a perfect port of the arcade checkpoint racer, Cruis'n USA, but to rub asphalt into the wounds, the title would be censored by Nintendo (at the least animals were removed), whilst bloody fighting games Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Killer Instinct Gold avoided being ... butchered...
Speaking of which, the frame rate gets rather choppy when driving through detailed surroundings, such as downtown San Francisco - this is also the section where the external views can be blocked, albeit partially and briefly, by cars behind. There are direction signs in Cruis'n USA but nothing to tell how tight an upcoming turn is - there is a radar for CPU presence, but no map present so you never know until too late, and traffic is sure to come blind as well.
The analog stick works well for when weaving in and out of the traffic, but the collisions in Cruis'n USA are crazy - traffic does indeed jam, and the CPU are capable of taking each other out, and when vehicles (cars, buses, trucks) come together there's no knowing whom'll be sent spinning. There are collisions where the game just jerks. And, from the traffic cones to the trees, you can send these tumbling - timber! Though there are police cars present on patrol, none are prepared to pull you over.
See, some of the stuff that happens in Cruis'n USA is silly. There's how the bikini babes (and topless dudes) are stood right behind the finishing line - thankfully for them the racing freezes just as the player passes the finishing line. And also, the initials for a record time to be put up on the Hot Times board should be mirrored for stamping onto the license plate.
There are only four themes to cycle through for listening to in a race, but the MIDI instrumentation is weak. 'The House Special', with the naughty "ooh ahh", is the best of a bad bunch, but the strongest song is the starting theme.
It can take about two hours to complete Cruis'n USA for the end credits - this cannot be skipped, yet unlocking goodies requires replaying the game. The game has five difficulty levels, but regardless, despite being a checkpoint racer, players never really run the risk of running out of time. Still, that's not to say it will indeed be cruisin' USA as players need to finish first to progress - though the difficulty of the game depends on the vehicles available. Cool as it was to be sight seeing and landmark spotting in the USA, the game does become a drag, what with the infinite continues.
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Star Wars - Shadows of the Empire (N64)
by virtua007
Surely I can't be the only one who thinks that this title is better than a 3 Star rating? Released in the late 90s on PC and N64, this game was mass promoted by Lucasarts as though it were a movie title. The game puts you in the shoes of smuggler Dash Rendar as he helps the Star Wars cast stop Black Sun head Prince Xizor from having ... Skywalker killed.
The graphics are a rather mixed bag which can be blamed somewhat on the reduced pallet of the N64. While the levels are well designed for the most part and there are some intriguing puzzles, the 'fog' that often plagues N64 titles does affect the gameplay somewhat in the later levels, almost to the point of hindering. Having said that, some of the levels are actually well constructed. The opening level fighting AT-ATs, the Junkyard and the Gall Spaceport all deserve mentions here. The cut scenes some odd reason aren't FMV like the PC version but seem like they are drawn. There's no excuse for this, the N64 could handle FMV no problem!
The music here is very Star Wars, big orchestral tracks with the obligatory Star Wars theme being present. For some reason the voice acting that the PC version has is not present here. Once again there is no excuse for this and does dampen the gameplay somewhat. The blasters make a satisfying sound however when you hit an enemy.
The gameplay here is mostly in the 3rd person, except for when you're using vehicles in four of the missions. This makes the levels reasonably varied, although the effectiveness of each is depends on the level's structure. The plotline is rather intriguing though is better explained in the tie-in novel of the same name which expands a lot on what the game tell you. The controls are reasonably easy to get a grasp of although turning Dash around can be a bit of a chore due to the clunky system used. Controlling the vehicles are relatively easy although the Speeder can sometimes go too fast for its own good and you'll end up smashed into a wall! There's a diverse range of ammo available for your blaster which have different effects on your enemies. My personal favourite is the Rockets, best saved for the Bosses!
Actually you know what? This version is only worth 3 stars. It's far inferior to the PC version, has clunky controls and could be better graphically. There is a solid game here however so try and get over these faults as there's fun to be had here for those who persevere.
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