Path: dms!motcsd!apple!fernwood!portal!cup.portal.com!spage
From: [email protected] (S spage Page)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Hard Drivin' sequel! (arcade)
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 8 Sep 90 10:38:14 GMT
References: <[email protected]>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 85

I hadn't been to the local arcade for a few weeks... from afar the excitement
mounted as I saw a yellow cabinet next to Hard Drivin'... sure enough,
"Race Drivin'" is out.  This is a sequel to Hard Drivin', the ultimate road
racing simulator from Atari Games.

You can choose the original classic course, a rallycross course, or a Super
stunt course.  The rallycross course is very short, and seems kinda dull.
You drive around on a flat course with marker cones (which I think make a
"squop" sound if you hit them).  There are some barricades, but I couldn't
smash through them.

The Super stunt course is wild.  It starts with a banked turn, then you 
cruise up into a vast bleak green mountain, which the road winds around.
Fortunately there are no other cars on this track.  There are some very
sharp (40 mph) corners, but unlike on the flat where running wide just
slows you down, on the mountain you drift outta line and . . . . your
clothes would be out of fashion before you hit the bottom [[I stole this
quote from a "car" magazine article about rallying with Stig Blomqvist]].
And if you nose into the mountain, the car does a Euclid-defying instant
flip and you're falling. . . . .  There are two cows by the road you can
crush, some more turns, then it's a steep descent off the mountain.  You
can really build up speed.  Next up is a split jump.  There's one take-off
ramp, but two landing ramps, one for 90mph, the other for 115 or so.  It's
really hard to land on the fast ramp.... more spectacular crashes.

Then a really steeply banked turn.  The transitions coming into and out of
this are so abrupt that they usually pitch your car right over. . . . but
as in the original, the car often bobs to the ground unhurt.

You've been on the track for 2 1/2 minutes, but there's more to come.
Zoom past SAM'S Bar, and into a huge loop with an inverted jump in the
middle (i.e. the top of the loop is missing).  This is spectacular to see
in the distance, but not very exciting for the driver.  You just don't
feel like you're flying upside down.  Time to license the Sega spinning
ride technology...

There's more.  You blast into a double loop which corkscrews off to the left,
just like a roller coaster ride.  It's one lane with no guard rails, so one
false move and you are flying. . .  The feeling of the suspension and steering
going through this is glorious.

Continuing the roller coaster theme, there's a near vertical climb to a flat
area, and then an immediate sheer drop.  The drop is so steep you lose contact
with the ground.  If you ever wondered what it's like to drive a Ferrari F40
off a cliff, check it out.  I stalled the car and restarted it as I hurtled
to earth.

Then there's a tunnel.  But I have no idea what happens in the tunnel.  I
think it's the last thing on the course, according to the map.  No one got
that far all evening.


You get to pick your car from an auto sportster, a manual sportster, a manual
roadster (no top) and a manual speedster.  I think the sportster is the 
car from Hard Drivin'.  I *think* the roadster is lighter, more nervous
handling, but I might be imagining it.

As well as the three courses, there were some other courses for "duels"
which were crossed out on the unit I tried.  I think that if an arcade
has two of these, you can race a friend.  This should be great for setting
up incredible crashes, like two cars smashing in mid air, or one landing on
top of another.


As you can tell, I think this is a sensational game, well worth a $.  I have
some questions about the world it presents.  Is there anything interesting
to do on the rallycross track?  What's the best car for the Super stunt track?
What's the multicolored building added to the original track from Hard 
Drivin?  Are there any secret sounds to be made?  Can you drive into any of
the buildings in this game (e.g. the bar, the service station, etc.).  If
anyone has some spectacular crashes, let me know.  If anyone has tips for
getting onto the fast jump ramp, or for making it through the second banked
turn without flipping, please let me know.  What happens in the tunnel?

I know some people from Atari Games read this group.  First, congratulations
on a stunning, sensational, fabulous game.  Did you drive cars through loops
and across ramps at 115 mph to get the game right?
I wish there was a way to make the instant replay show more time.  Many of
the crashes take 10 or more seconds before impact, so the replay just shows
a car spinning out of control in space.

Bicycle in real life, Race Drivin' at 7 miles per gallon in fantasy life --
take that Saddam!

=S Page