Death Race

"Possibly the best unlicensed NES game I've ever played."

One day I walk into the local game store and wander over to the NES section to see what they have. Lo and behold, I see a cart I've never seen before. It was grey, and shaped like a licensed NES cart, but was completely smooth! Intrigued by this crude mock-up of a real cart, I looked closer. Death Race. Never heard of it! I guess this means I gotta buy it! I never have high expectations when I'm getting an unlicensed game, so this one wildly surpassed them.

Graphics - 8/10

The graphics are pretty good. A top-down view with bright colors and easily distinguishable humans running around to slaughter. Shoot them or run them over and they'll explode in 8 bit blood (ok it's not that gory, but for 8-bits it's pretty satisfying). It would have been nice if your car had looked a little different when you upgraded the chassis, but oh well.

Sound - 7/10

All the sounds are standard stock. Machine guns, bystanders exploding in blood, missiles, the clink of bullets-on-metal. Good stuff; there's nothing more satisfying that listening to six guys in a row get run over. The music doesn't exactly fit the atmosphere, but hey, that just adds to the charm!

Control - 8/10

At first the controls seemed horrible. The car would slowly accelerate to nearly uncontrollable speeds, and the turn radius was absolutely terrible. I soon discovered, however, that this was due more to my own ignorance than problems with the game. Hold down forward to accelerate, then let it go once you reach the speed you desire; so don't just keep the thing held down the whole time like you'd expect. Holding back slows you down. It takes some getting used to, but it when you master it, it gives you a lot of control over your car. The turning radius can be quickly solved by buying upgrades that improve it.

This game also has a two-player simultaneous mode. Unfortunately it's not split screen, you both have to stay on the screen the whole time, which can be kind of awkward; especially when you split up and one of you gets trapped in a dead-end with all sorts of missiles flying at him. This would have a higher score except for the fact that multiplayer isn't split screen, but it's not that big of a deal. Learn to work together and you'll have so much fun you'll soon forget this is even a problem!

Gameplay - 9/10

So it's called Death Race, but there's actually no traditional racing in it. The goal is simple - your car is released in an arena filled with guys with guns, radar dishes directing missiles, and helicopters gunning for you. You have to explore the area, grab all the red flags, and then escape in the time limit, causing as much destruction and death as you can in the meantime. As your car takes damage, your turning radius and acceleration will go down; damage is repaired at the end of the level, so don't take a beating too quickly or you'll never make it out. Bring a friend, and both of you can go out, either working together to try to clear the levels, or compete for points and flags! The faster you get out, and the more people you kill, the more money you'll earn at the end of the race.

And speaking of money, repairs aren't the only thing to spend it on. You can (and must, if you want to live) buy all kinds of upgrades for your car as well. These include improved turning radius (quickly fixing the aforementioned turning problem), better tires to reduce skidding, faster, longer range guns, missiles, better armor, faster acceleration and higher top speed... do you want a fast car that handles like a dream, or do you go with a highly armored car that's armed to the teeth with machine guns and heat-seeking missiles? The choice is yours, and it's very easy to customize your own type of vehicle.

This game is also VERY difficult. There are a few difficulty settings, which affect how much money you start the game with. They range from a bunch (lets you get your car off to a good start with some nice upgrades) to absolutely nothing (good luck, you're on your own, kid). I never play in anything but the two easiest settings, and I've still never gotten past level 7.

Overall - 9/10

Anyone who's played a lot of unlicensed games knows that they're a real crap-shoot. More often than not there's a good reason they didn't get the Seal of Quality. This one definitely shines as a diamond in the rough, however. Once you get used to the controls, you'll be speeding through arena after arena, dodging missiles and taking out anyone foolish enough to stand out in the open. If you see this game, definitely pick it up! You won't regret it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/30/04