Automobile Lamborghini (N64)
Automobile Lamborghini, by Titus, is another racing game for the Nintendo 64. There are 8 different cars to choose from, featuring such exotics as a Lamborghini Diablo and Countach, a McLaren F1, a Dodge Viper GTS, a Bugatti EB110, a Ferrari F50 and Testarossa, and a Porsche 959. Every car comes in 3 different colors and designs. You can race on 6 different tracks, and after you beat the game, you can race them in reverse. There are several different modes of play, including Arcade, where you race a set of three timed tracks against 6 other opponents, Championship, where you can change almost everything about the race, such as laps, pit stops, direction, and number of races, but in order to earn any cars, you have to leave the stings on default. There is also a Time Trial Mode and Circuit, where you race on only one track. You can set the difficulty to standard or expert, where expert has the most realistic play control and AI.
Graphics 7.5 out of 10
I think that the Graphics in Automobile Lamborghini are what set it apart from other racing games. The cars look wonderful, smooth and gleaming in the sun, you can see through the windshields, and as you turn, the shadow from your car shifts. The coarses are equally beautiful. The lush forests around a few of the races really set the tone, as do the backgrounds. The roads and streets look pretty realistic, and the rocks and cliffs next to a few of the tracks are very realists. Perhaps the only bad things about the graphics are the clouds of smoke the come from your tires and the excessive fog in the city. Everything else is juuuuust peachy.
Music and Sound 3.0 out of 10
I don't think that music and sounds a very fair category for most N64 games. There just isn't any thing to rate, as is the case with Lamborghini. The music is dull and lifeless, quietly whispering in the background, in hopes that you don't notice it. The sound effects are just as boring. Every time you hit a car or a wall you get the exact same sound. I don't think that's very realistic, and you probably don't either. However, you don't buy this game for the sound alone, so why harp on just one bad thing?
Game Challenge 3.5 out of 10
Challenge?!?! Where? I don't remember seeing any challenge.... hold on, I'm going to look again...no, still nothing. I beat this entire game in 3 days, and I promise that I'm not exaggerating. There was nothing to it. At all. The only thing that caught me for awhile was running out of time, and I simply got around that by beating the other mode to get a faster car. If you want a challenge, play San Francisco Rush. If you want some pretty graphics, get this game.
Game Play-Fun 5 out of 10
While you're trying to beat the game, it can be pretty fun. Earning the cars is a nice touch, and the play control is good enough that you can just amuse yourself by making donuts with the hand brake. It would have been a little more fun if you could at least pull off a couple of crashes, but you can only spin out, and that isn't fun at all. A game needs a little more than a couple of cheap thrills to make it fun.
Rumble Pak 1.5 out of 10
I give it a 1.5 only because it occasionally rumbles more than if you play the game without it. Sometimes you can hit things and it doesn't even move. They just didn't care.
Frustration
Hmmm, here's something frustrating: paying $65 for a game that you beat in three days, and then realizing you threw away the receipt. I think that sums it all up. Oh wait, how about the slow frame rate, for a racing game? Aren't those supposed to be fast? That was my impression, but I guess not according to Titus.
Replayability 1 out of 10
Once you beat the game before your 3-day weekend is over, there isn't much to do but look at how nice it looks on your shelf. The four player mode is fun, except that the framerate drops to about 3fps, and most people don't know 3 people who would want to play Nintendo all the time. And lets face it, sure, you could play the game forever, beating your fastest laps, but this game just isn't fun enough to draw you back. You will probably never play it again.
Game Value -2 out of 10
Ha Ha! Worth the price?? $10 would be asking too much for this game. Maybe you could rent it, but $3 is awfully expensive. Just borrow it from a friend, and you'll be glad you did.
Overall 3.5 out of 10
