Indy Racing 2000
Score: 80% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Infogrames Developer: Paradigm Entertainment Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Racing
Graphics & Sound: Indy racing is back for Nintendo with Indy Racing 2000. And from the wave of the green flag, all the way to the checkered, this game kicks some major asphalt (sorry, it had to be said). The graphics in this are pretty good. Infogrames did a good job of detailing each track while being able to keep up with the race itself. Plus, each track is designed a little bit differently, whether it was the width of the track, or if it has sharper angles. Also, the sound in this game is definitely a plus. Every once in a while, the pit crew chimes in with some encouragement, and the announcer doesn't get too annoying with stupid remarks. Plus, the engines are always revving to go, and the music is very catchy.
Gameplay: There are four different modes to work with in Indy Racing 2000. You can race for the best lap time for any of the many tracks in the single player. You can also enter a season and race as your favorite driver to win the IRL season championship in the Championship Mode. Plus, there is a two-player mode where you can enter in a gold cup series, or race for the best track time. Finally, the gold cup series allows you to rise up through the ranks of a fantasy league with different types of cars such as Midgets, Sprints and Formula 2000 cars, where you can also upgrade your car as you go. The two slight problems I found in Indy Racing 2000 were that it has a little too much "speed sensitive steering." Even if you just graze the joystick the slightest bit, there is a good chance you'll get thrown off your course. Also, getting into crashes can be pretty easy. The problem I have is that if you rear-end somebody else, it is almost like a boost for the other drivers. You will never recover after that, which sucks. But once you get the hang of both of these little dilemmas, there is plenty of fun to be had.
Difficulty: The difficulty in Indy Racing 2000 is always there. Of course, you can change the levels between Easy, Normal, and Hard. But sometimes it goes beyond the level of difficulty selected. At times throughout the seasons or single races, you might start in the last position, and that makes it very difficult to win the race. The best hint I can give you would be that position placement is key.
Game Mechanics: Like I said earlier, speed sensitive steering takes a little getting used to when you first start playing, but the other controls like acceleration and braking are easy to handle. Indy Racing 2000 doesn't take that long to load, in fact at all. Finally, a nice little feature is that you are not in need of a memory card because you can save on the game.
-Red Dawg, GameVortex Communications AKA Alex Redmann
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