{"id":4622,"date":"2013-08-30T20:47:53","date_gmt":"2013-08-31T02:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/?p=4622"},"modified":"2014-01-07T20:05:47","modified_gmt":"2014-01-08T03:05:47","slug":"video-carnage-18-turbografx-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/?p=4622","title":{"rendered":"Video Carnage 18 \u2014 TurboGrafx-16"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s time to revisit everybody&#8217;s favourite 8-bit system!\u00a0 I mean, the 16-bit system with the 8-bit system feel!<\/p>\n<p>(EDIT: The TG-16 actually has an 8-bit CPU.\u00a0 The graphics processors are 16-bit.)<\/p>\n<p>I ragged long and hard on the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/TurboGrafx-16\" target=\"_blank\">TurboGrafx-16<\/a> when I <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/?p=2772\" target=\"_blank\">reviewed some golf games for it<\/a>.\u00a0 A lot of TG16 games really don&#8217;t hold my interest, but the console does have its fans.\u00a0 It handles shooters very well, and its sound capabilities are much better than the Sega Genesis.\u00a0 I&#8217;m no fan of shooters, and a lot of in-game music drives me up the wall, so sometimes these advantages are lost on me.<\/p>\n<p>But a fair amount of racing games came out for the TG16, so I&#8217;ll have a look at three that I found to be a cut above the rest.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Racing Spirits (1991)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-case.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4623\" alt=\"Racing Spirits case\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-case-300x297.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-case-300x297.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-case-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-case.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now that we&#8217;ve shifted from <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/8-bit\" target=\"_blank\">8-bit<\/a> to <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/16-bit\" target=\"_blank\">16-bit<\/a> computing, we&#8217;re going to see some improvements not only in graphics and sound, but also in features and gameplay.\u00a0 The number of bits a console has wasn&#8217;t just a marketing gimmick, there are very real limitations to what you can do on an 8-bit system.\u00a0 The same goes for the limitations of 16-bit systems, but now I&#8217;m getting ahead of myself.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-01.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4625\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 01\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-01-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-01-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-01-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-01.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Racing Spirits&#8221; came out only in Japan from what I can tell.\u00a0 A lot of the on-screen text is in Japanese, but navigating the menus is pretty straightforward.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-02.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4626\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 02\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-02-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-02-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-02-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-02.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There are three styles of gameplay offered, and each of those can be single player or two player.\u00a0 The &#8220;GP JAPAN&#8221; option, I think, is a circuit race through all four of the game&#8217;s tracks.\u00a0 &#8220;ENDURANCE&#8221; is a timed race with the duration of your choice from 5 to 30 minutes in real time.\u00a0 &#8220;TEST RUN&#8221; is practice racing on the track of your choice.\u00a0 I&#8217;ll demonstrate that one first because that&#8217;s always my first selection in games like this when I try them out.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-03.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4627\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 03\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-03-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-03-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-03-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-03.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>These are the tracks available.\u00a0 They all have some challenging sections, though two of them certainly are harder than the others.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-04.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4628\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 04\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-04-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-04-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-04-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-04.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When you make your selection you get to read some detail about the course.\u00a0 Those who can actually read Japanese will appreciate this.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-05.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4629\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 05\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-05-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-05-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-05-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-05.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can then choose the number of laps you want to race.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-06.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4653\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 06\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-06-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-06-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-06-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-06.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Next comes selection of what I think is your racing team.\u00a0 Again, I have no idea what the words say, but choosing one of the four available options changes the faces of the team and the colour of your bike.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-07.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4631\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 07\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-07-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-07-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-07-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-07.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Look, I sort of wrote &#8220;hELLO&#8221;.\u00a0 (\u00ef\u00bd\u00a1\u00e2\u2014\u2022&#8221;\u00bf&#8221;\u00bf\u00e2\u2014\u2022\u00ef\u00bd\u00a1)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-08.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4632\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 08\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-08-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-08-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-08-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-08.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After name input, you are shown the track conditions.\u00a0 So far, I&#8217;ve only seen sunny weather in this game.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-09.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4633\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 09\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-09-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-09-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-09-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-09.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The weather is crucial because you can change your tires accordingly.\u00a0 I&#8217;m racing with &#8220;slick&#8221; tires because they&#8217;re best for dry conditions.\u00a0 You can change your brake and engine type here too, and after playing a while I found the choices that suit my driving\/playing style.\u00a0 I assume these can also be influenced by the weather, though like I said, I&#8217;ve only seen sunny and clear weather in this game so far.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-10.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4634\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 10\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-10-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-10-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-10-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-10.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here is the racing view.\u00a0 It&#8217;s third-person and it&#8217;s always split-screen.\u00a0 The top is Player 1&#8217;s view and the bottom is for Player 2.\u00a0 That&#8217;s my bike in both sections.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-11.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4635\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 11\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-11-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-11-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-11-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-11.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And off I race.\u00a0 You&#8217;ll note that the bottom half of the screen hasn&#8217;t changed since it&#8217;s only me racing.\u00a0 The <strong>I<\/strong> button accelerates and the <strong>II<\/strong> button brakes.\u00a0 Holding down the <strong>SELECT<\/strong> button while you accelerate will give you a turbo boost, but doing so makes it harder to steer around corners.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-12.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4636\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 12\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-12-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-12-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-12-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-12.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hitting obstacles along the edge of the track results in you getting thrown off your bike and losing time.\u00a0 One good thing about the more advanced computing power of this console is that we don&#8217;t have to see &#8220;explosion&#8221; animations for each crash in a race.\u00a0 Those are plenty easy to draw and animate, but they&#8217;re kind of unrealistic in a race.\u00a0 When was the last time you saw a race car or a racing bike burst into a fireball and completely disintegrate when it collided with something on the track?\u00a0 It&#8217;s far more realistic to animate the bike skidding out from under the rider as the rider falls off, which is what happens in this game.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-13.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4637\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 13\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-13-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-13-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-13-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-13.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And here&#8217;s me raising my arms in celebration as I cross the finish line.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-14.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4651\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 14\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-14-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-14-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-14-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-14.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That was practice, let&#8217;s play an actual race.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-15.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4639\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 15\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-15-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-15-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-15-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-15.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m going to switch up my team now.\u00a0 I wish I knew if doing so influenced the way my bike handled, or if there were any other effects on the gameplay.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-16.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4640\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 16\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-16-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-16-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-16-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-16.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the starting track in the circuit.\u00a0 It&#8217;s not available as a practice track, but it does look fairly simple.\u00a0 It also looks like a stiletto heel shoe.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-17.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4641\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 17\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-17-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-17-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-17-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-17.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A little pre-race animation of the racers lining up is shown&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-18.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4642\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 18\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-18-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-18-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-18-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-18.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Then the racers are counted in.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-19.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4643\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 19\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-19-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-19-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-19-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-19.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I sure love crashing into stuff.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-20.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4644\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 20\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-20-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-20-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-20-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-20.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Needless to say, you should avoid crashing into shit as much as I did when I raced.\u00a0 By the time I took this screenshot, the computer player had crossed the finish line, and he was probably already doused in champagne.\u00a0 He was probably already getting blown by the time I finally crossed the finish line.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-21.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4645\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 21\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-21-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-21-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-21-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-21.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Fuck&#8230; I dun bad.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-22.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4646\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 22\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-22-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-22-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-22-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-22.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the &#8220;ENDURANCE&#8221; part of the game.It&#8217;s a lot like the &#8220;TEST RUN&#8221;, but you determine the racing time and you race an opponent.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-24.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4649\" alt=\"Racing Spirits 24\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-24-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-24-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-24-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Racing-Spirits-24.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The backgrounds and graphics in this game are very good.\u00a0 The action is fast and you really get the feeling of high-speed racing when you play this.\u00a0 The sounds are also very good, but I would have preferred an option to disable the background music.\u00a0 There is music playing throughout the game and as you race, but at least it changes up frequently.\u00a0 It&#8217;s not bad or anything, I just prefer to race without music.<\/p>\n<p>This one is definitely worth getting into.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Victory Run (1987)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-case.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4656\" alt=\"Victory Run case\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-case-294x300.jpg\" width=\"294\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-case-294x300.jpg 294w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-case.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 294px) 100vw, 294px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This one was made early in the console&#8217;s life by Hudson Soft.\u00a0 When I saw the name Hudson Soft I clenched my jaw and started to shake.\u00a0 &#8220;No.&#8221; I thought.\u00a0 &#8220;Not another terrible cutesy game with shitty controls and cloyingly sparkly happy music!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But then I played it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-01.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4658\" alt=\"Victory Run 01\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-01-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-01-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-01-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-01.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Okay, the happy sappy music is all over this one and it can&#8217;t be turned off, so that&#8217;s a strike against it in my book.\u00a0 But other than that, this is an impressive game.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-02.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4659\" alt=\"Victory Run 02\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-02-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-02-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-02-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-02.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s an endurance race across parts of Europe and Africa.\u00a0 Before you begin, you are given 20 &#8220;points&#8221; with which to choose extra parts to take with you on your journey.\u00a0 I have no idea how to properly apportion these, so I just chose four each of the five items offered.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-03.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4660\" alt=\"Victory Run 03\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-03-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-03-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-03-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-03.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You start in Paris and are counted in&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-04.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4661\" alt=\"Victory Run 04\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-04-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-04-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-04-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-04.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And you&#8217;re off.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-05.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4662\" alt=\"Victory Run 05\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-05-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-05-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-05-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-05.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The controls for this game are kind of awkward, and I just couldn&#8217;t seem to master them.\u00a0 Left and right on the direction pad steer, <strong>I<\/strong> accelerates and <strong>II<\/strong> brakes.\u00a0 You must also shift gears in this game, and this is where things get difficult.<\/p>\n<p>The stick shift is at the top of the screen, along with your speedometer and your other information.\u00a0 You must start in the lowest gear and shift higher as you accelerate.\u00a0 This involves moving the direction pad down, then making a counterclockwise motion from down to up in just the right way, then down again.\u00a0 You have to do this while watching your stick shift and making sure that you are also still watching the road, of course.<\/p>\n<p>I really wish that there was some other way that Hudson Soft could have handled this.\u00a0 I actually wish they would have made the transmission automatic.\u00a0 Barring that, couldn&#8217;t they have instead controlled the stick shift with the select button?\u00a0 That button does nothing at all in this game, and I think it would have been a better idea to just use D-Pad Up + SELECT to raise gears and D-Pad Down + SELECT to lower gears.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-06.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4663\" alt=\"Victory Run 06\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-06-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-06-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-06-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-06.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And I do have to give lots of praise about the way this game looks.\u00a0 The road and surroundings look great, and everything moves by very fast.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-07.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4664\" alt=\"Victory Run 07\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-07-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-07-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-07-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-07.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There are lots of rolling hills and turns and this is one hell of a challenging course to drive.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-08.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4665\" alt=\"Victory Run 08\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-08-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-08-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-08-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-08.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is especially impressive considering that this game came out in 1987 when the console was new.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-09.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4666\" alt=\"Victory Run 09\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-09-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-09-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-09-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-09.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The other traffic on the road is a hazard to you and so are the trees and rocks that line the sides.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-10.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4667\" alt=\"Victory Run 10\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-10-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-10-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-10-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-10.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You must be careful not to hit any of these or your vehicle will be thrown off the road and you will lose valuable time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-11.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4668\" alt=\"Victory Run 11\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-11-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-11-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-11-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-11.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here I am in mid-crash after hitting something.\u00a0 You will also notice that the sky darkens as the sun sets.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-12.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4669\" alt=\"Victory Run 12\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-12-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-12-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-12-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-12.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is a spot where the stick shift controls frustrate the hell out of me.\u00a0 I can never seem to get the stick shift out of this gear and back down to first gear so I can start accelerating again in time.\u00a0 The constant happy music that can&#8217;t be turned off doesn&#8217;t fit the race at all, and it doesn&#8217;t help with my frustration when this happens.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-13.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4670\" alt=\"Victory Run 13\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-13-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-13-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-13-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-13.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Night eventually falls over Paris, but as you see, my remaining time is flashing in red.\u00a0 I&#8217;m not going to make it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-14.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4671\" alt=\"Victory Run 14\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-14-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-14-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-14-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-14.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I crashed again.\u00a0 It&#8217;s even harder to see other vehicles and obstacles in the dartk.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-15.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4672\" alt=\"Victory Run 15\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-15-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-15-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-15-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-15.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And once more, It&#8217;s damn near infuriating how hard it is to control gear shifting\u00a0 downward in this game.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-16.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4673\" alt=\"Victory Run 16\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-16-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-16-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-16-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-16.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As soon as your time starts flashing in red, you also get to hear a very annoying warning beep that cuts into the music, which makes it even more annoying.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-17.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4676\" alt=\"Victory Run 17\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-17-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-17-300x253.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-17-1024x864.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-17.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And that is definitely not the time to crash again.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-18.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" alt=\"Victory Run 18\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Victory-Run-18-300x253.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"253\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Well, I tried about a dozen times and I couldn&#8217;t make it out of Paris.\u00a0 &#8220;Victory Run&#8221; impressed me in many ways, but it also frustrated and annoyed me.\u00a0 I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll be coming back to it, and it&#8217;s kind of sad that the music and the gear shifting are stopping me from getting anywhere with this one.\u00a0 The speed of the race is great, and the graphics are truly well done for a 1987 TG16 game, so if you think you can get past the music and the gear shifting issues, check it out.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">F1 Triple Battle (1989)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-case1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4680\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle case\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-case1-300x300.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-case1-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-case1-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-case1.jpg 532w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking for the finest racing game you can play on a TurboGrafx-16, look no further than &#8220;F1 Triple Battle&#8221;.\u00a0 This is a serious racing simulation with some excellent features.\u00a0 Remember those 16-bit features I was talking about?\u00a0 If you want em, you got em.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-01.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4682\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 01\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-01-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The name of this game might come from the three modes of game play available.\u00a0 Or it might come from the awesome 3-player mode, which is the first I&#8217;ve seen in these reviews.\u00a0 Either way, the developers of this great game <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mhYUma7U__c\" target=\"_blank\">fucked around and got a Triple Battle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-02.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4682\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 02\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-02-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-02-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-02-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-02.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s check out &#8220;TEST RUN&#8221; first.\u00a0 You get some pretty cool music in these setup screens, and I actually like this part about racing games.\u00a0 There&#8217;s no music during the race itself, so if you miss that, you can always fire up your favourite <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CT8t_1JXWn8\" target=\"_blank\">8-bit soundtrack on YouTube<\/a> or something.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-03.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4683\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 03\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-03-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-03-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-03-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-03.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There are only two courses available in this game.\u00a0 Kind of a pity, but I understand why.\u00a0 This game was released on the TG16&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HuCard\" target=\"_blank\">HuCard<\/a> format, and there wasn&#8217;t a lot of room on those.\u00a0 It would have been great to see this game released for the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/TurboGrafx-16#TurboGrafx-CD\" target=\"_blank\">TurboGrafx-CD<\/a> addon so that a lot more tracks and even background music (for those who like that sort of thing) could have been added.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-04.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4684\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 04\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-04-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-04-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-04-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-04.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can fully customize your formula one race car in this game.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-05.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4685\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 05\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-05-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-05-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-05-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-05.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The default &#8220;I.A.S.&#8221; steering was my favourite out of the available choices.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-06.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4686\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 06\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-06-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-06-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-06-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-06.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Tires must be chosen depending on the weather conditions and duration of the race.\u00a0 Soft tires will wear out quickly, but they are very responsive during sharp turns.\u00a0 Rain tires are, of course, best for wet conditions.\u00a0 I don&#8217;t know what the &#8220;Q&#8221; and &#8220;RQ&#8221; options are, but I suspect the R in the latter stands for rain.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-07.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4687\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 07\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-07-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-07-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-07-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-07.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can also choose your paint colour.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-08.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4688\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 08\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-08-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-08-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-08-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-08.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This game also allows you to drive with an automatic or manual transmission.\u00a0 I drove with the automatic transmission, but gear shifting is as simple as moving the joystick up or down.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-09.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4689\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 09\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-09-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-09-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-09-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-09.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Another customization that can be made is to the car&#8217;s engine.\u00a0 There are four levels of difficulty, and each level is associated with different choices of engines.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-10.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4690\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 10\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-10-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-10-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-10-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-10.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m going to start off on &#8220;LEVEL 1&#8221; with the engine highlighted above.\u00a0 One very cool feature is that each engine actually sounds different.\u00a0 The engine sounds are quite realistic too.\u00a0 And some of the engines come equipped with a turbo boost feature that can briefly increase your speed a few times by holding down SELECT.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-11.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 11\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-11-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-11-300x262.png 300w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-11-1024x896.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-11.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve tricked out your ride you can specify the number of laps you want to race.\u00a0 In this practice mode it&#8217;s 1 through 10.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-12.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 12\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-12-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can also set the weather.\u00a0 Technically, this isn&#8217;t the first game to simulate driving in different weather conditions.\u00a0 We saw that way back in 1977 with &#8220;Indy 500&#8221; on the Atari 2600.\u00a0 The icy tracks in that game had different steering controls that simulated driving on a race course covered with ice.\u00a0 But &#8220;F1 Triple Battle&#8221; is the first console game I&#8217;m reviewing that really makes the weather an active and integral part of the game.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-13.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 13\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-13-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here we see the racing view.\u00a0 It is quite small for single player mode.\u00a0 But it&#8217;s not much of an impediment to enjoying the game.\u00a0 Remember, this game can offer 3-player head-to-head-to-head action, so that&#8217;s why the view is so narrow.<\/p>\n<p>Besides, I played this on a 27&#8243; CRT, and it was plenty big enough for me to see and enjoy.<\/p>\n<p>Press the <strong>I<\/strong> button to rev your engine.\u00a0 When you&#8217;re counted in, pull down on the joystick to shift out of neutral gear.\u00a0 The <strong>II<\/strong> button is the brake.\u00a0 Learning how to use the brake as you race is vitally important in this game.\u00a0 Driving off the track will slow you down, and hitting the signs along the edges will bring you to a complete halt.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-14.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 14\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-14-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Over on the left you see a red meter marked &#8220;OT&#8221;.\u00a0 This measures the wear to your tires.\u00a0 There are pitstops just before each lap marker, and you can change your tires there.\u00a0 Right next to that meter is the gear indicator.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-15.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 15\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-15-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Over on the right of your view is an area that shows the time elapsed, your current lap, total laps, your current place, speedometer and RPM.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-16.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 16\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-16-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Direction arrow indicators also pop up just a little before each turn.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-17.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 17\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-17-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This direction arrow shows that there&#8217;s a hairpin turn ahead.\u00a0 And you can also see the pitstop lane has opened up.\u00a0 I don&#8217;t need to change my tires, but I&#8217;m going to just to get a demonstration in screenshots.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-18.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 18\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-18-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve pulled into the pitstop lane for a while, the computer takes over driving for a while, and the letter &#8220;P&#8221; flashes in yellow and red above the track.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-19.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 19\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-19-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Then you are surrounded by your pit crew.\u00a0 The menu to the right of your car is selectable by tire type.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-20.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 20\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-20-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Choose which tires you want on your car and the crew will go to work.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-21.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 21\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-21-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You must make some more presses of the <strong>I<\/strong> button to prompt the crew into action, and once they stand clear of your car, you can rev your engine and take off again.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-22.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 22\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-22-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And that&#8217;s the end of a practice race.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-23.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 23\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-23-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can compare your own times per lap afterward.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-24.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 24\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-24-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a practice run in &#8220;wet&#8221; conditions.\u00a0 The rain effect looks much more impressive when it&#8217;s fully animated&#8230; the raindrops look like they&#8217;re actually falling out of the sky and they&#8217;re all over the screen.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-25.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 25\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-25-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Driving conditions are different, and the engine even takes a little longer to reach top speed when it&#8217;s wet.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-26.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 26\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-26-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you don&#8217;t have rain tires, it becomes very difficult to control your car, and you will hear your tires squeal constantly as you spin out of control while turning.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-27.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 27\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-27-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Even with the rain tires, driving and turning has a different &#8220;feel&#8221; in these wet conditions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-28.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 28\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-28-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is &#8220;WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP&#8221; mode.\u00a0 I don&#8217;t really know what this mode is all about, but let&#8217;s take a look at how far I was able to get.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-29.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 29\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-29-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>At least I can enter my name in this mode.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-30.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 30\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-30-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And I start at the bottom of the pecking order.\u00a0 It seems I have to work my way up.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-31.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 31\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-31-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The race starts in Brazil, and conditions are dry for this particular run-through.\u00a0 One thing I had noticed as I played earlier is that when conditions were wet, rain tires were not available to me.\u00a0 That really makes me wonder if this part of the game is even working right for me.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-32.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 32\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-32-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I have 5 laps to race&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-33.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 33\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-33-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But every time I play, I only get 5 laps of free practice mode.\u00a0 Even after completing 5 laps, it starts back again with 5 more laps of free practice mode on the same course.\u00a0 That&#8217;s why I think this part of the game isn&#8217;t working right for me.<\/p>\n<p>No big deal, I enjoyed the fuck out of the &#8220;TEST RUN&#8221; as it is, and the main attraction of this game is its multiplayer mode.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-34.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 34\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-34-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nThis is what makes &#8220;F1 Triple Battle&#8221; truly standout.\u00a0 If you play single-player vs the computer, you can choose from 1 to 3 computer opponents.\u00a0 If you play 2-player, you can also add up to 2 computer opponents.\u00a0 And you can also play a 3-player game, which splits the screen three ways like this:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-44.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 44\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-44-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now <strong>that<\/strong> is some serious racing fun.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-35.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 35\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-35-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When you choose to race with computer opponents, you get a list of drivers to choose from.\u00a0 You can also select from 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 or 19 lap races.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-36.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 36\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-36-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This gameplay mode has an &#8220;ENGINE TROUBLE&#8221; option that isn&#8217;t present in the practice mode.\u00a0 I haven&#8217;t seen it in action, but I assume one of the lights in your display will flash when you do have engine trouble.\u00a0 I also assume you need to make a pitstop to fix it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-37.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 37\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-37-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You get a final check to review everything before you start.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-38.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 38\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-38-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Then you&#8217;re counted in.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-39.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 39\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-39-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Racing with an opponent, be it another person or the computer, is by far the best way to play this game.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-40.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 40\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-40-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Even though the computer is kicking my ass into next week, I&#8217;m still having a blast.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-41.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 41\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-41-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Well, A. Coffee&#8217;s all done.\u00a0 Maybe I shouldn&#8217;t have picked an opponent with a name like that.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-42.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 42\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-42-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And finally I roll across.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-43.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4691\" alt=\"F1 Triple Battle 43\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/F1-Triple-Battle-43-300x262.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After the race, a summary is shown.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;F1 Triple Battle&#8221; is just my kind of racing game.\u00a0 Third-person view with great controls, great graphics and great sound.\u00a0 It&#8217;s only limitations are that it only has two tracks, and that the driving view is so small.\u00a0 But that latter point is a trade-off so that 3-player races can be had, and I bet this was a pretty unique feature for a console game at the time.\u00a0 If you&#8217;re looking for a 3-player racer, give this one a shot.\u00a0 If you want to try a quality racing game for the TurboGrafx-16 anyway, this is definitely the one to get, so pick it up if you see it.\u00a0 Or download the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.magicengine.com\/uk_index.php?sessid=XQ86iv2Pt0VD8hvZ0paVUQ6HzkxA\" target=\"_blank\">Magic Engine emulator<\/a> and try it out on your PC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s time to revisit everybody&#8217;s favourite 8-bit system!\u00a0 I mean, the 16-bit system with the 8-bit system feel! (EDIT: The TG-16 actually has an 8-bit CPU.\u00a0 The graphics processors are 16-bit.) I ragged long and hard on the TurboGrafx-16 when I reviewed some golf games for it.\u00a0 A lot of TG16 games really don&#8217;t hold [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[510,474,38],"tags":[495],"class_list":["post-4622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","category-video-game-consoles","category-video-games","tag-turbografx-16"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4622"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6434,"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4622\/revisions\/6434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gratuitousscience.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}