Retro Game Friday: Burnout

Hey all I’m back with a pretty classic game for this week’s Retro Game Friday. It’s Burnout!

Gameplay: The game plays unlike most racing games in that it features traffic. It also has a pretty sweet crash camera system, although that can get old pretty quickly. However driving recklessly, i.e. in ways NO ONE should ever try to replicate in reality, allows one to build up a Burn meter to speed up and pass their competition. But seriously DO NOT drive like this game encourages. Please.

Art: The art has aged pretty badly since the game was first released in 2001, but it was pretty freaking epic at the time. And the crash camera was pretty fun if you could pull off a particularly spectacular crash.

Music: The music is okay, but really not worth mentioning.

Overall: A fun racing game, though it can’t compete with games like Diddy Kong Racing or Mario Kart.

For those who like: Racing, Crash Cameras, Reckless Driving.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

 

Retro Game Friday: Cruis’n USA

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a rather old classic game. It’s Cruis’n USA!

Gameplay: This is a fairly typical racing game, the only real attraction of the game was the ability to play in various locales around the US. The gameplay itself is pretty boring and not all that great. Sure you could play with others, but it was still not that great a game even with a friend playing by your side in the arcade. Don’t even get me started on the N64 version….

Art: The art has aged incredibly poorly. That is completely expected however though given that it was during the start of the 3D Era of games in the early 90’s.

Music: The music was okay, not that you could really hear it in an Arcade.

Overall: Skip this game, it’s completely boring compared to any good racing game, and doesn’t even come close to something like Mario Kart.

For those who like: Arcade Games, Racing.

Not for those who don’t like: Either of the above.

Movie Monday: Talladega Nights

This week for Movie Monday I’m back with a comedic movie. It’s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby!

Plot: The movie is ridiculous, the entire thing is a parody of NASCAR and it’s pretty funny. Now being a person who sees little value in NASCAR personally, I can’t speak to the “accuracy” portrayed in the film, but overall this is just an oddball movie made mostly for laughs.

Casting: Though you could probably already tell that if the fact that Will Ferrell is the lead actor along with John C. Reilly and Sacha Baron Cohen of Borat fame as our main three characters weren’t a big enough clue. They do a good job of it too. The entire cast is pretty funny actually.

Cinematography: The cinematography isn’t amazing by any stretch of the word, but it wasn’t terrible either. Than again when you race on a ovoid track repeatedly it doesn’t seem very conducive to excellent special effects.

Music: I honestly don’t remember much of it, but that it fit the movie pretty well.

Overall: A funny movie, and while not a must watch, it is a good movie to watch for laughs.

For those who like: Will Ferrell, NASCAR, Racing.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Movie Monday: Rat Race

This week for Movie Monday I’m back with a movie that isn’t necessarily a must watch. It’s Rat Race!

Plot Synopsis: Donald Sinclair, the eccentric owner of The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, devises a new game to entertain the high rollers who visit his hotel. Six special tokens are placed in the casino’s slot machines, and the winners are told that $2 million in cash is hidden in a duffel bag in a train station locker in Silver City, New Mexico, 563 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Each team is given a key to the locker and told to race to the train station to claim the money. Unbeknownst to the competitors, Sinclair’s wealthy patrons are placing bets on who will win.

Plot: The plot isn’t that amazing, but it does have some amusing moments. However mostly it’s due to the fact that the cast is full of comedy greats including John Cleese.

Casting: The cast is pretty great, including John Cleese as Donald Sinclair. Honestly he’s probably my favorite character just because of how ridiculous the character is. But there are some other big names you’ll probably recognize, Seth Green, Whoopi Goldberg, Wayne Knight (who played Newman on Seinfeld).

Cinematography: Not that amazing, honestly it’s pretty bad.

Music: I don’t remember much of it, but it did fit the movie that much I do remember.

Overall: A funny movie, but not that amazing. Not a must watch.

For those who like: Comedy, Races, Gambling.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Retro Game Friday: F-Zero GX

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m back with the last entry in a series that is long overdue for another game. It’s F-Zero GX!

Plot: This had a story mode, but I honestly don’t remember it at all, which isn’t a good sign.

Gameplay: The gameplay of GX is okay, but it honestly felt more like Wipeout than F-Zero did with it’s past entry F-Zero X, which is a pity as that game was all about tight curves and high speed. This game felt more linear, and the times it wasn’t were awkward or downright frustrating for anyone with less than stellar reflexes. That said it was still a fun game, but if you didn’t have those reflexes playing this game is more an exercise in frustration than anything else.

Art: The art is okay, but it’s aged poorly, not as bad as an N64 game, but still poorly.

Music: I don’t remember a whit of it, sorry.

Overall: An okay sequel, but not a perfect sequel.