"Different... Just Different"

In the world of racing videogames you're usually competing either against the clock or against other racers in an attempt to finish in 1st place. Lethal Crash Race, from here on abbreviated to LCR, takes the latter and modifies it so that instead of competing against a group, you're competing 1 on 1 against another racer. It isn't something you usually see in an arcade racer and something LCR pulls off quite successfully for a racer of its time.

Graphics 5/10

Quite average for its time, although due to the game's off-road theme the colors used are mostly earth tones so you might get tired looking at brown dirt colored terrain after a while although I didn't mind. Sometimes, like in the 1st stage you'll see huts and other structures along the track which is a nice touch.

Sound 7/10

During the race you'll hear no music at all, just the hum of you and your opponent's engines roaring along at high speed and the screech of the brake as you dodge obstacles in your path. The music that plays during the attract mode and select car screens is nothing that you'll be humming anytime soon.

Control 9/10

Very responsive indeed, the controls do just what they're designed to the very instant they're used. As soon as your foot hits the gas pedal your car will speed off in a burst of speed with no delays whatsoever. I don't have a lot to say about the controls and that's a good thing because that means they're good.

Gameplay 8/10

You're looking at you and your opponent's car from a vertical top down perspective meaning your car goes toward the top of the screen. No map is included, but the arrows indicating when and what direction you need to turn are, so when you're driving along the track you have no idea when a turn is coming (the arrow doesn't always appear immediately before the turn) so a lot of the time you'll end up miscalculating and crashing into the side of the track allowing your opponent to catch up, gain more ground, or worse having him/her inch ahead of you at the finish line. You do get a little straight line on the left of the screen that tells you how far behind or ahead you are however. Also before and after each race you and your opponent will briefly taunt each other (before) and gloat about your (or their) victory after, so it's kind of like a fighting game in that respect. You get a choice of 10 cars to choose from each with a unique driver.

Quarter Consumption: 9/10

With all the mistakes you're bound to have, you'll probably suffer a great many defeats before you finally advance to the next stage which means you'll be inserting more coins into the machine to continue. You'll probably get frustrated after a while of losing but if you do stick with it and manage to beat the game, you'll feel mighty proud (unless the machine is set to very easy or something) considering you have 10 stages to complete. Your quarters will disappear very fast if you're not a skilled racing player.

Overall 8/10

LCR is a game that tried something different, 1 on 1 racing I can't say it was the very 1st game to try it but I do know this type of racer is a rarity in arcade racing history and IMO LCR pulls it off just great. If you see this machine in your local arcade, give it a try.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/22/07