California Speed

"A below average port of a below average arcade game"

Let me say at first that I was not really impressed at California Speed at the arcade. Sure it was fun at first, but it got old very quickly. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard there was going to be a Nintendo 64 version (heavy sarcasm). If you really liked the arcade version, you might like this but I really can't reccommend it to anyone else. Let's take a look inside the numbers.

Graphics - 6
The arcade version sported decent graphics, but below average when compared to something like a Sega arcade game. The same goes here. Cool looking at first, the luster quickly wears off. Not so good framerates don't help the matter much either. Lackluster job.

Sound - 6
The sound is also medicore at best. There are a few catchy tunes in the game, but alot of it seems uninspired. They get annoying and cheesy too fast. Also the engine effects and announcer are not done well either. Medicore job done here as well.

Control - 5
The control should be tight and responsive like you would think since all you have to do is acclerate and turn (you hardly ever brake). But the control is way too loose. You screech around the track like butter on an ice rink. Not that great.

Gameplay - 5
Yoy probably get the drift that I'm not impressed by the game. Such words I think about this game are lifeless, bland, medicore, sub-par, etc. You get the drift. If they worked on the game a little more they might of had something good. Too bad.

Overall, this is not a good game to invest 50 dollars in. However if you loved the original, please rent the game before you spend your money. You might just be glad you did.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99