In the tradition of F-Zero and Wipeout, AeroGauge is a sci-fi racer that pits you and a friend in a fast paced race to the finish through futuristic tracks and among detailed craft, acting more like planes than racers as they skim many metres above the ground. Play solo through the grand prix and compete against the AI enemy, or beat down your best time in the time trial mode. Each track features a number of twists and turns, whether it be racing upside down or vertically, with a number of obstacles in your path. There's no weapons, though, it's just you and the open road ahead.
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A futuristic racing game, on the same lines of Wipeout, F-Zero and Extreme-G. N64 gave AeroGauge an abysmal score of 10% so I was expecting something especially dreadful from it, but I kind of enjoy it. There are some ways where it’s near enough broken and, like many N64 racers, is light on content, but this is close to being a good game.
AeroGauge does have some extreme problems. The AI players are the biggest one due to how they’re essentially “perfect”, from all of them pulling off the boost start to just all doing the perfect route throughout the level. One slight mistake and you’ll spend the whole race in last place.
The boost start itself is needlessly complicated (hold A+B before the race starts, let go of B when “go” is said) as well as the in-race boosts (hold Z+A, drift turn, then let go of Z+A and press A), both feeling like cheat codes more than part of the game. These issues fundamentally break playing against the computer.
However, the racing itself is just a lot of fun. You don’t drive or hover, you fly through the levels. This separates it from the other sci-fi racing games, and the game managed to be quite exhilarating, even in the fairly pointless time trial qualifying rounds before each race.
Oh, and one of the unlockable vehicles is a Nintendo 64 controller, which is a really neat touch – especially as the analogue stick moves as you tilt it.
AeroGauge definitely has major issues, but there are some neat ideas here and it really needed a bit more development time.However, the racing itself is just a lot of fun. You don’t drive or hover, you fly through the levels. This separates it from the other sci-fi racing games, and the game managed to be quite exhilarating, even in the fairly pointless time trial qualifying rounds before each race.
Oh, and one of the unlockable vehicles is a Nintendo 64 controller, which is a really neat touch – especially as the analogue stick moves as you tilt it.
AeroGauge definitely has major issues, but there are some neat ideas here and it really needed a bit more development time.
AeroGauge does have some extreme problems. The AI players are the biggest one due to how they’re essentially “perfect”, from all of them pulling off the boost start to just all doing the perfect route throughout the level. One slight mistake and you’ll spend the whole race in last place.
The boost start itself is needlessly complicated (hold A+B before the race starts, let go of B when “go” is said) as well as the in-race boosts (hold Z+A, drift turn, then let go of Z+A and press A), both feeling like cheat codes more than part of the game. These issues fundamentally break playing against the computer.
However, the racing itself is just a lot of fun. You don’t drive or hover, you fly through the levels. This separates it from the other sci-fi racing games, and the game managed to be quite exhilarating, even in the fairly pointless time trial qualifying rounds before each race.
Oh, and one of the unlockable vehicles is a Nintendo 64 controller, which is a really neat touch – especially as the analogue stick moves as you tilt it.
AeroGauge definitely has major issues, but there are some neat ideas here and it really needed a bit more development time.However, the racing itself is just a lot of fun. You don’t drive or hover, you fly through the levels. This separates it from the other sci-fi racing games, and the game managed to be quite exhilarating, even in the fairly pointless time trial qualifying rounds before each race.
Oh, and one of the unlockable vehicles is a Nintendo 64 controller, which is a really neat touch – especially as the analogue stick moves as you tilt it.
AeroGauge definitely has major issues, but there are some neat ideas here and it really needed a bit more development time.
This has to be up there with one of the most annoying cheat codes I've had to input, I'm gonna personally track down the guy who thought it was really funny to require two controllers and make me watch the entire preview video every time I wanted an attempt at the specific input timing required for me to see all the tracks and play as the whole car roster without having to get annoyed at woeful CPU opponents who never ever fuck up. No confirmation chime, and "Up" could've been either the dpad or the stick. So that was even more smelly outdated mayo to put on my "does this crap even work" sandwich.
All that to race as a green N64 controller whose analog stick moves with your turn. Cute.
All that to race as a green N64 controller whose analog stick moves with your turn. Cute.
I really like this game's style but the driving filtered the shit out me
Another pretty standard entry in Cool Shit That Goes Fast
Good music