The Fury |
Copyright/Publisher: Martech/Software Communications Ltd,
Written By: Jas Austin, Graphics By: Dave Dew, Game Design By:
Creative Reality, Game Converted By: Johnny Hill-Climber,
Sound By: Stephen Legg, Release Year: 1988, Genre: Weird Sports, Number Of Players: 1
Rim Racing is a major sport in the 21st Century, attracting fans and television
coverage from all over the solar-system. Held on a banked circular track 20
kilometres in diameter with a circumference of more then 60 kilometres, this
futuristic motorsport is big, big business.
Your attempts to compete in a Rim race are observed from a television spectator's
point of view. As you steer your car along the horizontally scrolling track
opponents should be overtaken or barged out of the way - but preferably destroyed.
A nsic bounty (in Galactic Groats) is put on your head and increases as the
opposition is eliminated.
Your car can only take a certain amount of punishment and will explode if the
damager meter falls to zero. Other indicators show your speed, position, fuel level and
laps remaining. A qualifying time has to be beaten to stay in the competition.
The destruction of as many opposition vehicles as possible is secondary only
to qualification for the Killing Races where railguns, missiles and flame throwers
can be purchased using money eraned from previous races.
In special Tag Races, a car is tracked by a cross hair cursor, marking that
vehicle as 'IT'. If it is destroyed (probable), another 'IT' is chosen at
random. The curse can be passed on to another car by bumping into it but can
also be gained in the same way.
You may be transported to a mysterious dimension called the Fury. Many drivers
have disappeared from Rim tracks to this place but, on return, have never told
of what they experienced there.
|
Gordon Houghton |
I've never thought that two dimensional racing games were the best video games
ever and The Fury isn't really the kind of product to make me change my mind. The
horizontal scrolling is about as standard as scrolling gets on the 64 and the
sprites are bland, to say the least.
The game itself just consists of whizzing from right to left dodging or blasting
everything on the track. Very inspiring, I'm sure (he says sarcastically).
The Fury does have a few redeeming qualities though.
The presentation is very atmospheric and the music tops off the futuristic feel
very nicely. But presentation alone does not a great game make and this game in
particular is a mile away from being great.
|
P.G. |
At least there won't be any uproar over the packaging for Martech's latest
release (remember the bikini-clad Corinne Russell?) - unless someone reads
alien prejudice into the illustration!
The Fury is as derivative a game style as Vixen was; this time, instead of
a jazzed up Green Beret variant, we have weapons added to a horizontally scrolling
science fiction Pole Position. Control of your car is boringly easy, with your
erratic opponents providing the only strain on the joystick, but add-on weapons
are fun to use, especially the ego-boosting missiles. The 'IT' races
add little to what is basically a repetitive game but, had I been transported there,
the Fury dimension may have provided some extra incentive. The depressing title
music appeals to my nature, but the simple racing fodder doesn't.
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