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No
Fear Downhill Mountain Bike Racing
PLAYSTATION
Produced by: Codemasters
Reviewed by: Abby
2/22/2000
Article
Discussion Forum
First Impressions:
As
an avid mountain biker, I was absolutely excited to get
a chance to review Codemasters’ No Fear Downhill Mountain
Bike Racing game for the PlayStation. My overall impression
of this game was that it was a typical racing game. The
difference is that the graphic was a bicycle, rather than
a motorcycle or car. If you’re tired of the same old car
racing game and want something with a twist, this game is
for you. I would personally rather be outdoors riding on
a real bike than playing on one on TV.
Gameplay:
There
are 5 ways to play: Single Race, Championship, Time Trial,
Duel, and Tournament.
- The
Single Race is for 1 or 2 players on any trail. Race either
another player or the computer player. This mode gets
rather routine after a while, but a good mode to start
with to play around with the braking, cornering, other
tricks.
- The
Championship mode is the same as the Single Race mode,
but the winners get upgrades for their bike components
to give them the advantages they’ll need to go further
along in competition. The upgrades include tires, brakes,
suspension, gear ratio, and frame material. In order to
get the upgrades, a player has to race 3 consecutive times
on each trail against progressively more challenging opponents.
Seeing and racing the same course trails over and over
again; however, can create a monotonous play experience.
- The
Time Trial is a race against the clock. The fastest times
in the world are eligible for "Hall of Fame"
consideration. Codemasters’ website even offers special
codes to enhance the play experience for players who want
their scores to compete against others around the world.
- Duel
mode is for 3 or 4 players racing 2 at a time on split
screen, with the winners advancing to the next round.
- Tournament
mode is for 2, 3, or 4 players with home and away trails.
Winners are awarded points.
To start
out, players choose one of the 6 characters they want to
race, based on power, stamina, recovery, and balance. There
are 3 male characters, and 3 female characters with different
attributes. After playing for quite a while, I didn’t get
a chance to notice any differences between the characters.
I found
the Championship mode to have the most varying array of
gameplay options. There are a selection of 24 trails featuring
varying terrain and scenery from 11 locations in the world.
The ability to acquire bike upgrades enables quicker race
times. There are 3 difficulty settings players can qualify
for only after mastering their current level. Only after
mastering the Amateur level, can a player access the Pro
level, which then must be mastered to access the Elite level.
With each series of wins, more bike upgrades are accessible.
Even at the amateur level, it is difficult beating the computer
racer.
The
controls are easy to get the hang of, and Codemasters does
a good job in trying to make the experience seem realistic.
The use of pedaling, separate front and rear braking, and
physical racing leverage such as leaning forward and tucking
into aerodynamic position for downhill speed are unique
to bicycle racing. The pedaling action combined with the
breathing sounds of the racers give that added dimension
of the tiresome and strenuous task of pedaling hard and
fast towards the finish line.
Multiplayer:
The
multiplayer games were done with split screens. Split screens
give less visual periphery, but allow for individual experiences.
Marketing Efforts Towards Women:
The
jewel case insert clearly shows a hard-core downhill racer,
decked out in full mountain bike racing body armor and gear.
What you get on-screen to choose from are female racers
in sports bras, and male racers in full gear.
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