When Rockstar Games was originally formed it seemed that a lot of the games they would be publishing would be conversions of PC titles. One of Rockstar Games’ first projects was Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness for the Nintendo 64. They decided to utilize the Nintendo 64’s powerful hardware to bring it to console users. Since Rockstar had yet to attempt something like this before, I had high hopes for what might come of it, as Monster Truck Madness is one of my favorite PC multi-player games. Unfortunately, these hopes were dashed before I had even finished once race.
Let me start off with the interface; it’s almost tragic. I’m not one to say that just because a game doesn’t have a slick looking menu navigation that it won’t be good, but first impressions were not favorable. All of the Monster Truck Madness 64 menus consist of big bold lettering in the center with a monster truck running in deep, think, black fog in the background. Ugly, to say the least. However, I pressed on to see if the rest of the game would be any better. Needless to say, I didn’t like what I found.
The main point of Monster Truck Madness 64 are the actual trucks themselves. MTM64 features the always recognizable ‘Big Foot’, as well as WCW wrestler endorsed trucks, like Hollywood Hogan, Sting, and more. Then there are an abundance of developer created cars that look, and are named, uniquely. The cars don’t seem to have any characteristic or statistic differences between them, which means no car is unlike the other, they are all the same.
Almost as disastrous as the frustrating physics (which we’ll get to soon) are the graphics. On the up side, the frame rate is fairly constant, but this is only because there is an obscene amount of fog placed all over. There is an option to choose different weather effects (fog being one of them), but no matter what you choose, regular, normal, clear weather included, there is fog there to hide the fact that a poor engine powers the game.
Mentioned previously were the atrocious physics that worked alongside the monster trucks that the player is supposedly able to ‘control’. While I realize that trying to nail down the correct movements of a monster truck in relation to going off mountains might be difficult, this is just ridiculous. It’s a bit hard to describe, but all the trucks seem a bit ‘floaty’. Take, for example, attempting to maneuver around a left turn. As you hold the analog pad to the left the car will slightly tilt to the left, but instead of making a full shift to the truck will glide off to the side and bounce into the outskirts of the track. To counteract this I had to come to a complete stop with the brake button and then kick in the gas again. This is not the only problem, though. Go ahead and try running off one of the ramps in the game and you’ll find yourself spinning way out of control.
How this problem was not discovered sometime during the development process is beyond me.
Reading through the review this far would give you the impression that this game is absolute crap. For single player fans it is, but if you can round up a few friends and get them to sit down and play, it is possible to have a great time with Monster Truck Madness 64. Rockstar and Edge of Reality struck a good cord with the multi-player modes that include soccer, hockey, tag, and a few others. Specifically, soccer and hockey are a blast. And, as strange as it may be, the wacky control physics actually add to the mayhem and fun that stems from the those two modes.
It has some good, it has some bad, and it has some ugly. Monster Truck Madness 64 is another average Nintendo 64 title on the market that deserves nothing more than a rental. Unless of course, you find the multi-player modes to be extremely fun, just as I did.
-- Patrick Klepek
