| Powerdrome review |
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Long before Sony thrust WipeOut into the mainstream consciousness, futuristic racing games were few and far between. One of the rare exceptions appeared in 1989 in the form of Powerdrome. Originally published by Electronic Arts for 16-bit home computers, the game became an instant cult classic, paving the way for the slew of sci-fi racers that we know today. Not bad for the work of just one man - Michael Powell. Now, over a decade later with a team of designers by his side, he has delivered a sequel to the original next-gen racer to the current-generation of consoles.
Forget about weapons and power-ups, or brightly lit arrows that catapult your craft down the straights - Powerdrome is about speed and control; racing at its purest. You pilot a supersonic, rocket-powered hovercraft, otherwise known as a Blade. These contraptions are blisteringly fast - your first time sat in the pilot seat will no doubt involve a lot of bouncing off walls and a liberal amount of cussing. It is an unforgiving beast, with little margin for error - but this is the charm of the Blade. With handling based around real-world physics, it can take a little getting used to, especially after playing other games of this type. But when you start taming the controls and hooking-up those corners, the feeling of euphoria is unrivalled.
Initially there are only two selectable characters, each with their own unique Blade, with more characters to unlock as you progress through the championship mode. These machines can vary quite a bit in terms of speed and handling: some are light and more suited to purely track conditions, whilst others are fairly robust and handle better on the off-road terrains, water and all. As they reach supersonic speeds energy is built up and stored in one of three slots, which can then be used at any time for a speed boost. Handy for quickly overtaking opponents and pulling out of those slower corners.
You also need to keep an eye on the health of your Blade - sustain too much damage and your craft will eventually blow up. Thankfully it can be repaired on the move at the cost of one boost and a severe loss of speed, which could cost you valuable places and possibly even the race. You can minimise the loss by repairing at one of the slower corners, but then the next prang might be the one that sends your ride to scrap heap, and with opponents on all sides jostling for position it can be a bit of a risky gamble. It's certainly a lot to manage whilst hurtling down a stretch of track at ludicrous speeds, but it all contributes to the buzz.
There are six race venues in total, each comprising of around three circuits, some raced in reverse. Most of the tracks do tend to follow the standard themes for sci-fi racers - snow, desert, jungle, neon lit mega city - they're all here. There are a couple of more imaginative locales; such as the giant ring world - Acer Naim, where you get the opportunity to race on the outside edge looking out into space, and Matawai - a gigantic ocean dam with beautifully picturesque beaches and vast expanses of open water. Regardless of their unoriginal themes, all the locations have been beautifully realised and feature some jaw dropping scenery. The actual layout of the circuits might have benefited from a little more attention from the designers. Whilst they are all superbly designed, some of the corners are difficult to judge - especially when racing the reversed tracks - and with trackside markers in short supply it can be a bit frustrating at first.
All the usual gameplay modes are present - quick race, time trial etc., with the main core of the game focusing on the championship mode. Here you will find a mix of straight races, rival challenges, eliminators and time trialing events - place first and subsequent events will be unlocked. A fairly simple approach, but one that ultimately lets the side down. Without any kind of point scoring system you don't get any sense of involvement, it just feels like a collection of loosely-connected races. If it wasn't for the prospect of unlocking extra tracks and characters it could be construed as being a fairly pointless exercise. With smart AI that will fight you tooth and nail to the finishing line, however, it does offer some fairly intense racing action that you would be hard pushed to find anywhere else.
Those wanting to participate in a little friendly competition have been well catered for, with support for Xbox Live, system link and good old split screen. Racing online has been plagued with problems since day one, with gamers experiencing framerate issues on top of excess amounts of lag. Argonaut has announced that it is currently working on an update to address these problems, but as of yet there is no sign of it, and with the future of the company currently up in the air these issues may never be resolved. However, the online scoreboards seem to have remained unscathed, which should keep those who like to hotlap entertained.
Thanks to the superb use of lighting and excellent design Powerdrome conveys a sense of realism that games of this type don't usually possess. You really do get the feeling it's a functional world, that every bit of scenery and every set piece has a purpose. Once you unlock the bonus pre production art you realise just how much effort Argonaut put into this game - even the most insignificant track side objects have been meticulously designed. Then there are the subtle visual effects, such as when a rival crosses your path the heat haze from their Blade momentarily blurs your vision, and the way the screen shudders violently the faster you travel, as if balanced on the very edge of control.
The sound design has also been well conceived, with great use of surround sound and audio tricks to immerse the player even further into an already believable world. The Blades sound not too dissimilar to that of a plane preparing for take off - a climactic roar of a jet engine giving an overwhelming impression of power. Add that to the 'whooshing' Doppler Effect as you rocket past the scenery and you get a fantastic sensation of speed. The music is your standard techno fare, as you would expect in a game of this type, but unfortunately those who enjoy racing to their own sounds will be disappointed to learn there's no support for custom soundtracks.
Despite all its imperfections, of which it has many, Powerdrome still remains an enjoyable racer, which is quite unique amongst its peers due to its more realistic standpoint. Its initially brutal learning curve might deter a lot of people, but those who invest time to master it will find it to be a very satisfying and rewarding game. An entertaining title that could have been a classic. |
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System: Microsoft Xbox
Genre: Racing
Developer: Argonaut
Publisher: Mud Duck
Players: 1-8
Version: United States
Reviewed: Nov 2004
Writer: Dave Ward
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Pros:
- Looks great
- Sounds great
- Unrivalled immersion
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Cons:
- Broken XBox Live
- No custom soundtrack support
- Badly designed championship mode
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Powerdrome Video: 12.5MB
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