"Super Sprint in a Post-apocolyptic world."

Atari keeps them coming in the racing game spirit of Super Sprint by giving a variation on an ancient game. Putting you in control of a racing vehicle in a post-apocalyptic world, you must race against the computer on several pre-designed tracks, all of which you’ve visited before. The challenge of the game is determined by what track you happen to be on, and though the game is something new visually, the game play is still what it was in the previous incarnations!

-The Game Play-

Through several different angled tracks, you'll race your small car around in a three lap fuel fest to beat out the computer opposition and advance to the next track. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Well it is! Anyone with Pole Position experience will find this game strangely familiar, but instead of a behind the car view, you have a complete and total overhead view of the action and the entire track is placed before you so you won't be smashing into the walls at high speed and costing yourself time.

You won’t find any differences in the game here though, in which the racing is just the way that it has been in other Sprint games. While the theme of the game is interesting to play through, the introductions of weapons, or something would have been nice to have. You’ll find that in order to give your car upgrades, you have to collect wrenches that are littered throughout the game tracks. Now, once you’ve finished the race, you can build up your car to match the speed and accuracy of the other racers. However, the computer seems to always have an advantage on you, regardless of what you do or how you go about doing it!

The steering wheel is a great idea, and should be implimented in any good racing game. However, where it does fail with Badlands is that the tight corners take a while to get used to, and the steering isn't always that responsive! There is nothing more aggrivating than dominating the race, and then losing it in the last lap because the steering wheel doesn't turn properly. The acceleration is controlled with a gas pedal located next to your right foot, and although there is no brake, you'll find yourself learning to master the controls the first couple of laps.

-The Audio-

While it was loud in the arcade, the music that I did hear was pulse pounding, or rather attempting to be that way. At best, it's like most early Atari games in which the music is tinny and doesn't quite match the mood of the race! Sound effects include favorites such as squealing tires, the hum of the car engine, and last but not least, the sound of your car exploding because you smashed into the wall. Aside from that, you won’t find anything here that is new or impressive in the game, with the music being just like it was in other incarnations of the game and that could possibly be a downfall if you’re looking for something new and impressive.

-The Visuals-

You've got a complete overhead view, and you're looking at four cars and several differently designed race tracks that increase in detail as you get further into the game. While this may seem stimulating, the tracks start to look the same after about race seven or so and they begin to loop without much pause! Be aware that there are no special effects, and even the small explosions of the cars running into things gets old after the first couple of times around. The only feature here is that you’ll see the ruined landscape from the overhead view, an interesting twist on the original theme. However, the ruined background only lasts for so long before you’re left with the feeling of having been there and seeing it before.

-The Verdict-

Badlands isn’t a bad game, but it isn’t anything that I haven’t played before. For those of you who like the Sprint series, you may find this little theme variation to be something a little more interesting than the previous games. However, with the lack of tracks and the challenge of the computer being a little too high in some cases, there is little here that will impress veteran gamers. Worth a couple of quarters to check out, this should be one of your playing experiences when you’re on your way out of the arcade, not on your way into one!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/04/02, Updated 08/04/02