NA Rumble - PlayStation

• 1 or 2 Players.
• Analog Control.
• Vibration Function.
• 6 Racing Locales with 18 Wide Open Tracks.
• Over 30 Na Drivers plus Na Truck Drivers.

Product description ------------------- NA Power + Arcade Action = RUMBLE Extreme NA Racing NA cars and stars with hotrod mods plus big air, amazing ces, and incredible speed 6 Racing Locales 18 wide open tracks from Daytona Beach to the Gold Country plus hidden courses and shortcuts Multiple Power-ups Nitro, Storm Cloud, Freeze, Twister, Sonic Boom, and more Cars and Trucks Over 30 NA Cup Drivers plus NA Truck Drivers, 7 NA Legends, and Hidden Vehicles 5 Game Modes Team mode, Locale Championships, Legend Championships, 1-on-1 Showdown, and Time Trial Great Graphics Rich environments, rendered cars, and Highlight Replays Head-to-Head Competition Race with or against a friend .com ---- NA Rumble, simply put, is an insane racing experience like no other. Its only similarities to the actual sport of NA are the cars and drivers, but that's where comparisons end. NA Rumble lets you race 18 different courses in 6 locations from Daytona Beach to the Gold Country as you tear your way to the finish line. Even if you manage to find yourself in first place during the race, there is no guarantee that you're going to maintain your lead when you hit the finish line. Drivers can pick up crazy power-ups such as twisters and sonic booms, which send cars in front of them flipping off the track at the most inrtune times. Graphics are stunning, from the water, trees, and ains to the eye-popping detail of more than 30 NA Cup cars and trucks. There are even seven NA Legends, hidden rides, hidden tracks, and shortcuts, as well as a head-to-head two-player mode. Purists may prefer NA 2000, also from EA Sports, but in terms of action, NA Rumble makes for a great trip. --Robb Guido Pros: * Wild, crazy, insane racing action, especially when you play in Mayhem mode * Gorgeous graphics considering the speed of this game Cons:* Not as deep or realistic as NA 2000 P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review ------ Continuing EA Sports' ongoing attempts to do to other sports genres what Midway's NFL Blitz did to football, NA Rumble is an over-the-top racing game more akin to San Francisco Rush and Beetle Adventure Racing than to NA 2000. Like SF Rush and BA Racing, NA Rumble leaves the raceway for the real world and features power-ups, shortcuts, and a broad general view of physics. The environments span town and country, day and night, but all seem to favor the South, both in location and theme. Power-ups include the standard turbo and invulnerability, and the not-so-standard storm, twister, and freeze, which obscure enemies' vision, throw them about, and lock them up, respectively. They can also be used against you too, and are often, but their effects can be avoided by simply slowing down enough. Where NA Rumble really shines is in its replay value, as there's a lot to do in the game. You begin as a rookie, and you must win six championships - each made up of four laps of three courses each - before progressing to the pro ranking, and then do it again to gain the elite title. That's a lot of racing, almost too much as a rookie, since the difficulty is set a little too low to be challenging. But once you beat each championship, a local racing legend is for you to race against, and they're not called legends for nothing. If you take one on in a championship in the legend mode and manage to beat him, you can race as him from then on, or team up with him in the cyber-team setting. There's also a mystery cup composed of three random courses and the EA Cup, which spans six tracks. And you always have the option to increase or decrease the number of power-ups per championship. NA Rumble also succeeds in providing a consistently fast frame rate while having little or no problems with clipping or pop-up. However, the environments, while varied, are muddy and plain, and the level design has absolutely nothing on Beetle Adventure Racing. But while the graphics can be something of a mixed bag, the sound is perpetually bad. The music in the game is by and large made up of repetitive guitar rock, and the "color commentary" comes off like the outtakes from the RC Stunt Copter session. Few are funny, and ones such as "He's got savoy-faire," and "Like a rabbit on a dog track" grate immediately. The multiplayer modes more than make up for that major detraction, because they offer quite a lot. Not only are two-player competitive championships available, but two-player cooperative tournaments and legend team-ups are as well. Sure, the frame rate takes a dip, and pop-up is evident, but neither obnoxiously so. Hopefully, this level of depth will become standard for all racing games. Playing NA Rumble, you get the impression that the developers set out to make a fast and simple racing game with a lot of replay value, and they've very much succeeded. Thing is, it ends up a little too simple to deliver the maniacally addictive experience provided by similar "unrealistic racers." It's good enough to hope for a sequel filled with even more shortcuts and power-ups though, and if you're a PlayStation owner who's suffered from N64 envy because of SF Rush and BA Racing, you at least have something similar to help tide you over.--Joe Fielder--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. 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