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A.P.I Review:	VR SPORTS: POWERBOAT RACING
Developer:	PROMETHIUS	OPTIONS:	SCREENSHOTS: No.1   No.2   No.3
Distributor:	INTERPLAY	1-2 Player
Game Type:	Racing	Memory Card
Review Date:	May 1998	Analog Joypad

Setting the Scene

CAUTION: If you suffer from sea-sickness - don't eat before playing. 

An apt warning on the packaging for VR Sports latest effort, Powerboat
Racing - It's true too! The races take you to 9 different courses 
in locations all around the world.

Grab your helmet, take charge of your mono-hull or Catamaran powerboat
and race up to 5 other competitors in some of the roughest water based
racing ever seen. Unfortunately this isn't really saying much
since the competition in this genre is pretty thin; however, if you're
looking for some fast, furious and wet action on the PlayStation this
may just be your game.

Genre

Take away the water and outboard motors, add tires and a 
paved road and you have a pretty standard Racing game.

Graphics

Some time ago, I remember myself watching a demo of "Powerboat
Racing". I was mesmerized as I watched the smooth, fast graphics fly
past the beautifully rendered boats. The water reflected the scenery as
it ebbed and flowed, the wake of the boats splashed against the edges of
the course - I was amazed. Imagine my disappointment when I learned that
what I was watching was the PC version of Powerboat Racing running on a
Pentium 200 with a 3DFX card... Bummer!

Don't get me wrong, if you take the PlayStation versions graphics on
their own they are quite adequate, it's just the comparison and the
feeling that the PlayStation version was an afterthought, that hurts so
much.

I'll start with the good points. As would be expected from a boat racing 
game, the boats travel at tremendous speeds along the water. The graphics 
are fast, helping to convey the impression of speed as you zip past the 
track side scenery, which is well drawn and changes depending on the 
race location. 

Unfortunately this speed comes at a price, the amount of popup and
clipping is really unacceptable for a modern PlayStation title and
emphasises my feeling that this version of the game was really just 
a quick "Cash-in" rather than a serious attempt to match the P.C 
version.

Sounds and Effects

The only nice thing to say about the sounds in this game, is
that at least they could be turned off! The best element of the sound 
in this game is the background music. While it's nothing really 
stunning, It beats the hell out of listening to the monotonous tone of
the engine and the seriously lame commentary.

Playability

When I was much younger I had a radio controlled boat, it was 
so much fun racing that thing around dams and lakes. It was  noisy, 
fast and wet - all the things that really impress kids. So Powerboat 
Racing was initially a bit of a blast for me, having the chance to 
get control of a boat and race around a variety of tracks, in a bunch 
of great locations against some of the nastiest drivers around. 

Fans of racing games will also get a kick out of the gameplay, if only 
for the alternative it provides to the traditional road racing games 
available on the PlayStation.

The racing modes available in the game are as follows: 

The single player modes are:

* Arcade - You get to race 3, 5 or 9 races on different tracks. In the
harder modes you have to win each race to progress to the next level.

* Shoot-out - You and 5 other racers take off on 3-6 laps of a track, the
last racer at the end of each lap is knocked out and you keep racing
until you're knocked out or you win.

* Time Trial - Race 2 laps as fast as you can then race another two
against your own ghost in an attempt to beat your time.

* Challenge - you get to race the current champion, if you win your time
is recorded in the memory card so you can pass it around and let your
friends attempt to beat your time.

* Practice - just as the name suggests, practice any track to familiarise
yourself with the courses.

The multi-player modes are a little disappointing in that there are no
computer controller racers, it's just you and a friend:

* Head to Head - race 3, 4 or 5 laps against a friend, winner takes all.
There are no other opponents on the course.

* Shoot-out - Race 1 lap against a friend, again, no other racers are on
the track.

In single player mode, as you race through the courses in Arcade and
Challenge mode your success is rewarded with the championship unlock
password. The password allows you to race in either:

Championship Mode - Where you race a full season, earning points for 
winning as you go.

Slalom Mode  - Where you race the normal course but have to steer to the
left or right of markers in the water.

Getting to grips with the racing dynamics of a boat amy take you some time. 
Boats have no traction, they tend to slide sideways a lot and it's 
generally very hard to drive in a straight line. You will no doubt
get worse before you get better, but with a bit of perseverance
you will soon be racing like a pro.

You can race using one of two available views, either behind the
boat or on the bow - frankly though only one of them is usable. Due to
the mostly erratic behaviour of your boat, the bow view makes the warning
on the packaging particularly apt, sitting on the nose of your boat will
make you sick as the boat lurches and bounces around on the water. Which
brings me to another negative point, the screenshots on the back of the
packaging clearly show a cockpit view, this view has obviously been
taken from the PC version, since it isn't mentioned anywhere in the
documentation or during the game.

Overall, this game is pretty enjoyable. Unfortunately a few major
graphical problems exist that spoil the fun a little.

Value for Money

With 9 tracks that constantly change as you race, 2 types of boats and 3
classes to race them in, the options available for racing your little
boat around in the water are reasonably varied. Add the two-player mode,
even as restricted as it is, and you've got a pretty average racer.