Uniracers

"Stupid as it may sound, this is a really good game"

Uniracers is a game where you race around on a platformer-type track with a unicycle. No one's on the unicycle - it's just the unicycle. There are a few tricks you can pull off to boost your speed. The bigger trick you can execute, the greater speed boost you'll get. It's really an excellent balance that makes the game fun. The intelligence level of the game isn't exactly Metal Gear Solid 2, but who cares: YOU'RE RACING AROUND ON A UNICYCLE! Sounds stupid? Yes, you're right. Is it? Heck no.

Gameplay - Very straightforward. The stunts that you can do are easy to perform if you take it slow...pulling off a huge trick right away will crash you, fast. The only thing I found a nuisance was that sometimes it was TOO tricky to pull off a trick and thus, I would crash my unicycle. There's nothing more frustrating then crashing, trying to trick to get more speed, and then crashing again, which would wind up getting me more frustrated. That being said, it's tough to decide where and when to pull off a trick, but that's half the fun, isn't it?

Graphics - Due to the sheer simplicity of this game, there's nothing interesting or different about the graphics. Again, very straightforward. Which isn't a bad thing, because you have no real distractions except occasionally the neon track pattern, which is irritating to the eye. They're a bright, checkered pattern most times, and they might make you want to shut your eyes tight or look away for a few seconds...or they'll just hypnotize the hell out of you, until your mom walks in and sees you like a zombie, staring at the TV screen, with drool running down your chin, you filthy slob.
But I would say that yes, the graphics do their job in this type of game.

Sound - The music is great...excellent music for a race. However, there really aren't any sound effects at all, that I can remember. Maybe the odd one when you crash or pull off a trick successfully, though...the strongpoint here obviously lies in the music.

Replayability - I had a great time playing and replaying Uniracers, because it's heaps of fun, basically. It's even better with a friend, where you can get down to some real gritty competition.

Rental/purchase? - If you can find it in a store for $20 or less, pick it up, it'd be an excellent addition to your Super Nintendo game library. Considering I don't think you can even rent SNES games anymore, except maybe in an small, old, out-dated town in the midwest, this may be your only option.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/27/02, Updated 06/27/02