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Tuesday, December 02, 2008 |
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Pyroblazer
By JoeBob @ 12:10 AM :: 216 Views ::
0 Comments ::  :: PC
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My childhood was characterized by certain racing titles, arcade style kart racers to be specific, games like Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing and Crash Team Racing. I enjoyed the mix of simplistic controls and complex, colorful courses that these titles were defined by.
The other type of racing game that I enjoy is the futuristic racer (eg. Pyroblazer), as they almost always combine smooth, simplistic controls and a cool futuristic atmosphere. In the case of Pyroblazer the title also contains power ups and allows the player to destroy the other racers, two arcade traits which help to increase the game’s entertainment value in my opinion.
The problem with Pyroblazer is that the controls are not smooth at all, in fact they are rather clunky, and this can be the downfall for any futuristic racer. Since the courses are very sleek, streamlined and most of all narrow, the player should get used to hitting the walls often. To add to the frustration, the difficulties are not balanced correctly. Easy is way too easy, while Hard is way too hard. Normal is the only difficulty that I could stand playing, and even it felt unbalanced. Lastly the races go on for far too long. Some races go on for 15 laps or more! This abundance of laps causes the races to get really boring, really fast. Racing through a track filled with bland environments 15 times is not exactly my idea of a good time.
While the title provides a lot of content (40 levels, 15 vehicles, 20 weapons etc.), none of this matters when the gameplay is not fun. This game suffers from a common flaw in many other titles, repetition. Due to the bleakness of the tracks, there really is no sense of diversity in the game, meaning there is no excitement in unlocking new tournaments.
Pyroblazer is set in the distant future. The player fulfills the role of a driver (known as a pyroblazer) who finally gains the opportunity to fulfill his childhood dream of piloting a blazer. That really is the entire story; it’s as simple as that.
One positive aspect of the title is the graphics. They express the futuristic setting perfectly. Clean textures are expertly utilized in order to increase the game’s futuristic atmosphere. The music is also fairly well done, although like the tracks the tunes also lack variety. Techno is good in short bursts, but the amount of it contained in this game is overkill.
Pyroblazer is not a horrible game, it’s just terribly bland. Racing games are like World War II shooters in a way, there are just too many of them. The game seems interesting enough, but upon closer examination, it really does not bring anything new to the table. While it is a decent futuristic racing title, there are much better options available (Wipeout, F-Zero, Jet Moto etc.). At least the game is cheap, only $30. I would recommend this title only to fans of futuristic racing who need a fix. Otherwise skip this one unless you enjoy clunky controls and repetition.
5/10
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