I remember going to a computer show and they were showing off Lotus 2 on the Amiga. I thought it looked quite incredible, so I grabbed a copy for £20 from one of the sellers. It was easily my favourite home racing game at the time -- and I still enjoy back to it. It's just a shame that there isn't music playing in the races.
I never really got on with the Lotus games. The visuals always looked so drab to me, and I was a frame rate snob even back then so the 16fps update just didn't cut it. It wasn't long after Lotus 2 that I saw F-Zero on an SFC and well, things changed. The bar was raised.
The visuals always looked so drab to me, and I was a frame rate snob even back then so the 16fps update just didn't cut it.
I really liked the Amiga version. There's a much more down to earth look to the visuals than what you get in most arcade racers of the time, but I've never seen that as a bad thing. It has its own distinct look and charm. I also think it plays smoothly.
F-Zero was certainly an incredible looking game at the time. It still impresses me how Nintendo got everything right with a futuristic racer that's still a joy to play. Easily one of my all-time favourite games.
I didn't like any of them, really, they felt too sterile and the levels felt bland and over-alike.
Best thing about it is the smoothness and feeling of movement, I only played the MD and Amiga versions and they were very robust, solid games. It's just that they both were a bit simplistic and repetitious...no atmos at all. Pity.
I've always liked the atmosphere in the Amiga version. You start off in the countryside, then there's a fog level, desert, motorway etc... It's not flash in any way, but there's a nice old school British vibe about the design. The atmosphere resonates with me, even I also like more flashy retro racers like OutRun and Super Hang-On.
^I'll agree with you about the fog, it looked brilliant on Amiga and actually felt very atmospheric.
But it was still a bit of a beige - if nicely-made - 16-bit racer.
On MD, there were much better, more impressive racers like OUTRUN 2019. My personal fave was always F1 CIRCUS because of the incredible speed and modifications. But it was 2D vert.
OutRun 2019 has some proper slick tricks up its wizard's sleeve.
^I'll agree with you about the fog, it looked brilliant on Amiga and actually felt very atmospheric.
But it was still a bit of a beige - if nicely-made - 16-bit racer.
On MD, there were much better, more impressive racers like OUTRUN 2019. My personal fave was always F1 CIRCUS because of the incredible speed and modifications. But it was 2D vert.
OutRun 2019 has some proper slick tricks up its wizard's sleeve.
Outrun 2019 or Junkers High as I call it is a fantastic game. Moves really well and has some awesome bridge effects.
^I'll agree with you about the fog, it looked brilliant on Amiga and actually felt very atmospheric.
But it was still a bit of a beige - if nicely-made - 16-bit racer.
I can see why the graphics might be considered to be a bit bland, but I've always thought each stage looks pretty attractive. You have the bright clouds in the countryside stage, the tunnels on the motorway, dense fog that makes things difficult, snow falling on the winter stage, and tumbleweed on the desert stage. The developer delivered a decent amount of variety, so each stage feels memorable. I also like the ambient sound effects on the Amiga version that boosts the atmosphere.
But it's not close to being as visually exciting as OutRun, so that will turn some people off. Lotus 2 has a far more down to earth, old school British vibe about it that's a world away from the exuberant visuals often seen in Japanese racers of the period.
OutRun 2019 has some proper slick tricks up its wizard's sleeve.
Yeah, it offers super fast, slick action. Definitely a gem amongst the Mega Drive's racing catalogue.
They made a futuristic version of the Top Gear games for the SNES called Top Gear 3000, which is pretty good. It uses a special chip to boost the performance, so you get really fast action. It sort of looks like the original Top Racer/Gear but in full-screen and even faster.
^I'll agree with you about the fog, it looked brilliant on Amiga and actually felt very atmospheric.
But it was still a bit of a beige - if nicely-made - 16-bit racer.
On MD, there were much better, more impressive racers like OUTRUN 2019. My personal fave was always F1 CIRCUS because of the incredible speed and modifications. But it was 2D vert.
OutRun 2019 has some proper slick tricks up its wizard's sleeve.
I can't agree with OutRun 2019 that looked so basic and some of its backgrounds almost Master System levels of quality. Lotus II on the Amiga was so much more Impressive and a better game, even OutRun on the MD wasn't that great. Super Hang-On was a great Mega Drive racer as was that amazing Donmark F1 racer
Thankfully the Mega Drive had the Mega CD and then you had the likes of Jaguar XJ2020 and Batman Returns
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