KMGR of "Stunt Car Racing: 99 Tracks"

Image via Wikipedia"Stunt Car Racing: 99 Tracks" is somewhat misnamed, and somewhat overblown, but it does offer quite a bit of challenge to those who want a non-violent game and race against the clock.

Basically, you drive a 4-wheeler on this 2D course, in a similar perspective and gameplay to Stuntman or even ATV Offroad Fury. The idea is simple: complete the course without destroying the car, and get as much points as you can. There are several ways to score points: you can beat the clock... At 90 seconds you get no bonus. The more time you can shave off the more points you'll get. Also, there are periodic bonus coins you can run into. Those give 100, 500, or 1000 points. Finally, stunts such as wheelie, jump, and perfect landing yields points as well. At the end of the run you are rated by your performance out of 5 stars. Speed isn't always the key!

Controls are very simple... Down to brake, OK to nitro, and left/right to raise/lower your car's nose. For example, to do a wheelie (nose in air and front-wheels off ground) you'd press and hold Q / Left until front wheels leave the ground. Then you try to hold it as long as you can. Jump is simple... Go off a ramp at speed. however, a far jump doesn't always get the "coins", and a short jump may land you in the badlands (which may instantly destroy your car). If you land with both sets of wheels (i.e. perfectly) you get a perfect landing, which is never that easy to pull off.

The "99 tracks" are actually 99 stages, divided into three seasons: spring (muddy), summer (sandy), and winter (snowy), each with multiple "routes" which are composed of the different stages/tracks. You simply race yourself, no other cars are on the course. You can crash, but restart is easy. If you don't crash, you may unlock additional vehicles after 5 races in a row without crashing (which, again, isn't as simple as it sounds). Different vehicles have different characteristics, and initially two vehicles are available... The default is fast and nimble, but not very roadworthy, while the alternate is tough but a little slower and less nimble.

On the course you'll find coins, repair icons (restores some of car's "health"), and of course, nitro refills. The idea, again, is to gather as much coins as possible, and perform as many stunts as possible, to score as many points as possible

The problem with this game is the controls are a bit lacking. The regular car is responsive, but it is still hard to land the perfect landing. I've yet to unlock the 3rd car, probably because I do crash too much.

All in all, Stunt Car Racing is not a bad title, as it does provide some challenges.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: simple to learn, hard to master
Cons: everything they've done, it's been done before, simple 2D title