A Review: Automobili Lamborghini, N64 1997
Automobili Lamborghini is a 1997 racing game developed and released by Titus France for the N64 exclusively. Play consists of choosing one of a variety of cars and racing through several different championship configurations. Allowing the player to eventually unlock cars that resemble the Porsche 959, Ferrari F50, Ferrari Testarossa, Dodge Viper, Mclaren F1, and Bugatti EB110. In 1998, an improved version of this game was released in Japan only and was titled Super Speed Race 64.
This is one of those games that I found to be rather disappointing overall. I had hopes that it was going to be something like a Need for Speed title, but instead it was an arcade racer with no real depth. I had this game completed and done with in under six hours, and that was with messing around and trying the time trials and such. There was just no meat to this game, and I found that the only real redeeming feature was the multiplayer. If you could get some friends over and bumble around a track together, it was pretty fun, but against the computer, it was just boring and dull. I feel that this game should have never made it to home consoles, as I could honestly see it doing pretty well as a sit-in arcade game. The way in which the game played just screamed arcade title to me. It was just that there was simply not enough of this game to make it a decent home option, in my opinion. It lacked any true depth, variety, or content and relied on the player just going around in gameplay circles with themselves. I found the controls to be far too sensitive, to the point that even the smallest of nudges would have your car sliding across the track and into a wall. I did like that there were some cars that could be unlocked, but I found that wasn't enough to keep me fully engaged or interested for long. The AI seemed to run on rails, was impossibly quick on some stages, and required some dirty driving to beat. There were no features in-game to add any variety to the races, like pit stops or collection objectives; it was all just about circuit racing against the CPU and timer. That was it.
The graphics for this game were actually quite impressive in my mind. The cars looked really nice, and I liked the different paint jobs that were on offer. I felt that the roads and driving surfaces were a little too basic, but they were clear enough, I guess. I didn't mind the various environments and locations and thought that they looked okay. I would have perhaps liked a little more in the way of detailing and visual depth, though. The lighting and visual effects of driving into the sun were pretty good, and I liked the clear and easy-to-understand HUD. Otherwise, the graphics were a lot like gameplay—basic but functional.
Overall, I don't rate this game very well as a single player, but it can be fun with friends.
3/10 – Played With A Grumpy Face!
Signed Off – Leonardo – PSJ
This is one of those games that I found to be rather disappointing overall. I had hopes that it was going to be something like a Need for Speed title, but instead it was an arcade racer with no real depth. I had this game completed and done with in under six hours, and that was with messing around and trying the time trials and such. There was just no meat to this game, and I found that the only real redeeming feature was the multiplayer. If you could get some friends over and bumble around a track together, it was pretty fun, but against the computer, it was just boring and dull. I feel that this game should have never made it to home consoles, as I could honestly see it doing pretty well as a sit-in arcade game. The way in which the game played just screamed arcade title to me. It was just that there was simply not enough of this game to make it a decent home option, in my opinion. It lacked any true depth, variety, or content and relied on the player just going around in gameplay circles with themselves. I found the controls to be far too sensitive, to the point that even the smallest of nudges would have your car sliding across the track and into a wall. I did like that there were some cars that could be unlocked, but I found that wasn't enough to keep me fully engaged or interested for long. The AI seemed to run on rails, was impossibly quick on some stages, and required some dirty driving to beat. There were no features in-game to add any variety to the races, like pit stops or collection objectives; it was all just about circuit racing against the CPU and timer. That was it.
The graphics for this game were actually quite impressive in my mind. The cars looked really nice, and I liked the different paint jobs that were on offer. I felt that the roads and driving surfaces were a little too basic, but they were clear enough, I guess. I didn't mind the various environments and locations and thought that they looked okay. I would have perhaps liked a little more in the way of detailing and visual depth, though. The lighting and visual effects of driving into the sun were pretty good, and I liked the clear and easy-to-understand HUD. Otherwise, the graphics were a lot like gameplay—basic but functional.
Overall, I don't rate this game very well as a single player, but it can be fun with friends.
3/10 – Played With A Grumpy Face!
Signed Off – Leonardo – PSJ
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