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| Official Homepage : http://www.uds.se/ | ||||||
Game Introduction:
You're about to enter a world of No-Holds-Barred Auto Racing - life in the really fast lane. Across exotic countries and around some of the most punishing race tracks ever devised you'll have to conquer a variety of other vehicles in a nitrous sprint for the finishing line.
But if you think that racing lines, pit stops and aerodynamic car design is the way to win one of these races, then you're in for a serious surprise.
Out on these race tracks you must use all means at your disposal to win - if that means ramming someone off a 200ft cliff then so be it - they shouldn't have got in your way. The brave survive and the weak well, they end up as jam on the Tarmac. Which is kind of poetic if you think about it.
How you approach each of the races in Ignition is entirely up to you, but remember - if you decide to play fair you're sure to get nudged into the nearest river.
Learn the tracks, pick your vehicle wisely and drive in the most devious manner you can and you might, just might, win.
The Manual:
Nothing special to say about this manual. It is written in English and you might wonder in what country you actually live and what your mother-langauge now really is. It seems to me that some companies don't care about multilanguage manuals.
A few pages concerning Directx 3.0a (we are already on v5.0) has been included for solving eventual DirectX problems. I didn't noticed problems at all.
This game is for Dos & Windows 95 and every step for installing it is well explained in here. Even gamers that install their very first game in Win95 and/or Dos will have absolutely no problems at all when reading this manual.
A short description about the several racing cars & several tracks is quite nice.
After all , the things that you can choose from the options menu in the game are well described.
A Nice simple manual that is just suitable for the gamers that understand English. So Foreigners, watch out! ;-)
The Game:
When I got my hands onto this game, I wondered if it would be again a Death-Rally game like I have seen much coming and going. Some good, some bad but never superb.
Well, wait till you have played this new game from Unique Development Studios called Ignition!!
There was no Real Smooth 3d Textured Racing Game until I played this new game. The truth, I couldn't believe my eyes that it was just superb!
When you have Moto Racer, the best pc moto-game ever, you will have Ignition that will be one of the best, correction, THE Best Race Game in its genre!
Beware Ignition is not a racing game like Formula 1 or GP2, nope, it has more the looks like Death Rally but then a 1000 times better, smoother, nicer and more amusing.
The Real Animation used in this game is absolutely fabulous! Highly detailed and almost everything is animated.
What do you really have to do in Ignition? Well, your goal is to reach the finish line as Number 1 while you try to avoid lawines, falling rocks, moving vehicles (like camions, trains and more). But it is tricky, oh yes, tricky it is because your opponents will do everything they can to get you off the road or nudge you into a cliff wall. So beware, the moral of the game is that it's only when you play 'dirty' that you might have a chance to win the race.
Ofcourse, Ignition does have Multiplayer features and that's also the reason why this game is so fun to play. Okay, we won't say that it sucks when you enter the single player mode but as you might know racing against other humans is much, much funnier. Nor is it very addicted but you will get your frustrations out of your body when you shout to one of your friends to move his ass or die! ;)
In multiplayer mode there is an option to play on a Network where you can race with 6 other pals. A good time to show them how underhanded you can really be. Network play is really nice here. No unexpected troubles while loading or while connecting, it all runs so smooth.
The other thing that you can do when you are just with 2, enter the Single Spilt Screen Mode. The screen is vertically split in half. I didn't even noticed some slowmotions during this mode on my system.
When you play in spm (single player mode) you will face advanced computer-controlled cars but they make also mistakes like spinning and crashing. You will even think that you are playing on a Network then instead in the spm because those cars does't look computer controlled anymore and you will be thinking that humans are controlling them. Neat!
There are about 7 incredible well designed tracks in this game. Featuring avalanches, waterfalls, canyons, roads, huge steeps and more. In fact, to be 100% correct, you only have 5 different tracks but when you have completed the Pro League you will have 2 extra tracks.
Play in Moosejaw Falls where canyons gushing with water and farm machinery are just 2 of the hazards on this verdant track! Oh yeah, watch the lightning too. Or play in the fantastic Lost Ruins where you rush through the Aztec Temples where you will encounter big boulders that wants to get you off the road as quickly as possible! The more tracks you gain , the harder they become.
You have about 7 rocking cars which are all different in speed, acceleration, grip, ... and perhaps you might gain the other 4 extra cars too but then you will have to complete the several leagues. So, this means 11 (eleven!) neat cars.You can choose between several vehicles like a school bus, diesel truck, jungle jeep, 4x4 monster truck, the police car with sirene ... Beware though, it doesn't mean that when a vehicle is the fastest one that it will have the best grip as well! Speed isn't everything is this game, it does require to take the turns with caution and not with the acceleration at 100%. Use the brakes as well.
In the section race options, you can choose from championship, single race, time trail or the pursue mode. Everyone know what the first 3 races mean but what is exactly the Pursue Mode? Well in this mode the priority is not becoming first after 3 laps but more not to be the last car on the track. When you are the last one, there is Real Fire coming out of the back of your car. Now you will have to drive so good that you pass a other car and put the fire on him. Eventually, you will need to win the race in order to keep the fire away from your car. In this mode, it doesn't matter how much laps there are because the game only ends when there is just 1 car alive. As soon as you are the last one and the fire is getting near, you are ready to explode and lose the race.
Ignition features several leagues. Beginner (for the wussies), novice, pro and mirror. Keep in mind that some cars and tracks can only be selected when you have completed a different league.
So, how are the Graphics? Like I already said, this game is stunning. Meaning that the graphics are stunning as well! ;) Transparent skidmarks, smoke, sparks puts a new level to the game realism. The water and weather effects like fog, rain and snow does absolutely add a new look at the realism.
However, you do need a fast computer (p166+) with much ram (32 minimum) if you want to 'feel' the game and putting it in high resolution. Still on a p133 with 32 ram it's also neat in a lower resolution.
While playing, you will have an overhead viewpoint which is rare in these kind of games. An overhead viewpoint makes it more easy for you to see better the action that is coming and the forthcoming hazards.
And for the lucky ones, like myself, that have a 3DFX Voodoo Graphics card the fun can't be stopped. Indeed, Ignition is 3DFX optimised when you get the last 3DFX patch from their site. Check their official homepage at the top of this review. Install it and see what the real difference is. We all know that 3DFX is the best way if you want to play your games smooth and nice. The more textures, the more we love it but is it really necessary you would ask me? Yes it is. Sorry to say but sometimes the game developers makes their games so complicated in engines and in textures that it would be impossible to have a smooth framerate if you still would use plain svga. Evolution is necessary in game-country. Who in the world want to play Doom I in vga? Only people with 386 and 486 computers (around 10% of the computer owners) but otherwise No-One. Upgrade is the magical but pricey word.
Concerning the Music & Sfx. Again the music is somehow rocking your brains out and that is the way we love it. After a while you even start to sing along. Addictive like drinking beer. There aren't a lot of different Sound Effects but there are all of very high quality and to tell the truth it isn't really needed to have plenty of effects. It would just become irritating after a while. Too much of something ain't good either.
Conclusion:
Unique Development Studios really showed the world with this game for what they stand for. You can see it and you can feel it. The Graphics are Stunning, the Gameplay is Excellent and the Multiplayer options are Tempting.
There aren't alot of these 3d-racing-games on the market and that's a real shame. Perhaps some other developers will see this and will produce something like this or we could also dream that UDS will make a sequel to this one. Lets hope so. My conclusion is that his is THE game you have all been waiting for, now log off and go buy it!!
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This Entire PC Game Review is © & ® of Bjorn D.B. Productions 199-8 and belongs to the PlayDevil's PC Game Review Site.
Nothing of this Review, animation & logo's included, may be reproduced, stored, saved, transmitted, in any form (electronic, written or otherwise) without the prior permission of the PlayDevil's PC Game Review Creator.
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Nothing of this Review, animation & logo's included, may be reproduced, stored, saved, transmitted, in any form (electronic, written or otherwise) without the prior permission of the PlayDevil's PC Game Review Creator.
Other Logos & Names are Copyrighted Material of its respectful owners.