REVIEW : Moto Roader MC (PS5)
The Moto Roader MC was initially introduced in 1992. Forward thirty years, and this beloved classic is now poised at the console starting line. In many types of futuristic race challenges, compete against the computer or locally with a buddy. Choose from a wide range of stylish automobiles and drivers, as well as a number of different game types. Moto Roader MC is a time-honoured first place finisher when it comes to legendary video game enjoyment.
Moto Roader is the latest in a long line of strange vintage console games being converted to new platforms, and this one is surely obscure. The original Moto Roader was a top-down futuristic racer that debuted in 1989 for the PC Engine and, aside from the fact that it was a top-down futuristic racer, it was also a top-down futuristic racer.
The game itself is a classic example of the racing genre of the time. In the 1980s, you had two options: the usual behind-the-wheel perspective from games like Pole Position and Out Run, which we still have today, or the less common now top-down viewpoint popularised by Super Sprint, which inherits some gameplay ideas from Badlands as well.
The game’s structure isn’t extremely difficult. You select one of five track types (Circuit, City, Nature, Marchen, and Special) and then compete in a grand prix format against a mix of human and AI opponents. Humans (up to four of you) may share the screen without using split-screen because each track takes up the entire screen.
Here, the controls are a little out of date. The triggers and shoulders are the only additional controls, which fire missiles and dump mines. You also get some new enhancements, such as a brand new rewind tool and two on-the-fly choices for altering the design of your car and, even stranger, changing the steering from a rotation-based approach to one that maps directions to the left stick directions. It’s strange, but it’s good to have the option of selecting the controls that best fit your needs.
So, basically, you all race, but with some combat thrown in for good measure. Missiles and mines can be utilised to cause havoc with other racers, but they do not kill foes.
. Instead, it will just impact their steering to the point that they, or you, will veer off course. The game is lenient enough so that skill and chance may both play a role in the outcome of a race, but it all seems like a level playing field without any of the inconsistencies that power-up games sometimes have.
Apart from that, there isn’t much else to say about the gameplay. The main stumbling blocks are the courses themselves, which start to become more complicated when they add speed boost arrows, slower places (such as grass), frictionless zones, and crossroads. Thankfully, all of the tracks are still playable and generally enjoyable to race on.
Some of the tracks were quite inventive, like the one that took a short cut across live train lines.
Where games like this may go wrong is when they become too challenging, but that isn’t an issue here because there are no repercussions for winning or losing. All of the tracks will be visible to even the lowest players, and successful players will not be rewarded in any manner. In actuality, the trophies are really participation awards in the sense that you only obtain them by playing each of the 25 circuits; there are no prizes for winning grand prixs or even single races. As a result, the new rewind option is also rather unnecessary.
It would have greatly improved the game if the awards had a skill component to them.
So, other from the fact that it’s all quite playable and that nothing is shut out by progression, there’s not much to say. Aside from that, you can mix and combine different circuits to create your own grand prix events, and there’s also a mode called ‘Omake,’ which is similar to football/hockey but with automobiles. Two players compete with a ball to score goals. This is a PvP-only game with no AI. In any case, it’s a fun little additional mode.
Given that it was released in 1989, the game is well-presented. The PC Engine was a fun system with some amazing games.
The visuals are crisp, and the circuits have some wonderful elements, as well as a good amount of variety as you race through the five main categories. Everything goes swiftly and quickly, giving the race a fun, frantic atmosphere. There’s also a good chiptune music that’s quite reminiscent of the time era. This version also includes the standard CRT scanline filters, which may be surprisingly customised.
Despite the fact that Moto Roader is going to be nothing more than a fast double Platinum for trophy hunters (the game has distinct PS4 and PS5 versions, but with no changes), it’s been fun to resurrect a long-forgotten classic game that would have had its fair number of admirers. This is a high-quality console racer that has been given a decent port. However, in a perfect world, this would be best played with three friends, with no internet play, which may not be realistic in these Covid-y times. Also, if you have three gaming friends, they might be perplexed as to why you’re forcing them to play a 33-year-old racing game.
REVIEW : Edge of Eternity (XBOX Series X)
