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When the Nintendo 64 goes away, one thing will be certain. They sure had a lot of racing games! Which brings me to my review of South Peak's latest game, Rally Challenge 2000. Rally games have come and gone, and frankly folks, this one shouldn't have been born. Rally Challenge 2000 offers many options, but adds nothing new to the genre. Weather effects, 4 player mode, collision damage, and more fill the game's cart with plenty to do, but with the way it looks and sounds, will you really be digging that deep into it?
Graphically this game is a disaster. The "blur factor" once again plagues the N64, giving the player the joy of looking at lifeless textures, drab backdrops, and flat coloring. The one big graphical feature is the addition of "motion blur" during replays. Each car model correctly represents its real-life brother, and is one of the few glimpses that not everyone in the graphics department fell asleep. While motion blurring the replays is a cool addition, it can't hide the fact that the cars look like they're floating in mid air. All in all, this one hurts to look at. I can't believe I was playing a 64-bit title! Sounds don't get much better either. The music appears as if to have been done on a Casio keyboard. Lame "Euro-Trash" rave music was attempted, but the music is mainly overloaded with organs and drum kits. The sound effects are worse. Oh, and don't let me forget the stunning voice of the announcer, who provided a nice, horse, raspy sound to the "action". The engine sounds were on par, but they were still overshadowed by the other major flaws in the sound department. I still couldn't believe I was playing a 64-bit title! Control on the other hand is the ONLY bright spot in this game. Tight handling, even with my Mad Catz wheel, gave a very solid arcade feeling to this title. Far more forgiving than other Rally car games. The atmospheric effects play a part also. You can power slide your way to victory on dry land, or furiously spin, slosh, and slide in the mud and snow. Which makes me wonder why this much effort wasn't shown all throughout this game, and not just in game play? When all the dust clears, this game reminds me of the original Sega Rally. (Which wouldn't be bad if the game wasn't released oh, so many years ago!) Bad graphics, dreadful sounds, and lack of originality, leaves a very nasty taste in one's mouth after playing a few rounds. Did I happen to question the fact of this game being a 64-bit title?
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