Review by: the Dark Falcon

Oh, boy, yet another Acclaim game enters my Falcon lair (aka my crummy apartment that still has a leaky roof), this one bearing a strange resemblance to Wipeout, being a futuristic racer and all that. Of course, that kind of made me cringe, like any Acclaim-produced game would. But, hey, what a shock- I actually dug the impact Impact Racing left on me. Who knew?

It's pretty much your basic standard (i.e. more generic than the generic beer in your local supermarket) driver/shooter, as you drive through each stage and take out enemies with your varied weapons (mostly, you can spray 'em down with constant gunfire, but then come the moments when a rocket feels just so right to use!!!). However, Acclaim and Fun Com, the Ireland development team that put the Impact together, took a different route, and, instead of making you gun for first place, changed the goal- reach a certain carnage level in each stage or miss out on the bonus goodies. A fun idea? You bet. This way, if you do even bump into something and lose your place, you only have to find the nearest suckers and blast them into oblivion.

The graphics are actually not half bad this go-around, considering that Acclaim's usual graphic standard doesn't go past 16-bit level these days. The 3D moves along pretty fast, and the little things in each stage, such as small details left and right and the overall track layout, totally kick. Now, of course, it ain't Sega Rally quality, but that's like judging a Hamburger Stand (do any even exist anymore?) to Wendy's...one's obviously better, but they still offer something.

The sound is basic, as a whole. There's a few cool techno tracks but nothing grabbing, nothing to jar me away from the random selections I roll off of Prodigy's latest CD as I play. The gunning effects grow stale after a while, and the only thing left to enjoy is a sparse European announcer. Oh, well, can't win 'em all...after all, this IS Acclaim. Did you expect perfection?

The cars handle great, each with their own little attributes and negatives to test out. Some cars handle like a dream but don't accelerate too quickly, while others are fast little demons that demand precision, especially after a mid-air launch. Nothing new or revolutionary, as before, but still on the right track and definitely a step up from Highway 2000, a recent terd I ran across in my rental trek (I'm debating right now whether I even want to go to the trouble of reviewing it- I'm pretty sure you all think it sucks already).

Impact Racing is fun, although still not as enjoyable as the likes of Wipeout or Sega Rally (they remain my all-time fave racers, personally). The tracks tend to repeat themselves, and, after while, it feels sort of monotonous. But, if you're looking for a high-paced rental (and a good Acclaim game for a change), Impact Racing will certainly leave a...well, isn't it obvious by the title? I give it a 6 out of 10, and leave it up to Dave Z. whether or not he wishes to disgrace his page with the likes of Highway 2000. Personally, I could care less- it used to be a date game in Japan, existing only to make young boys look at FMV of women. Problem is, it's gone. Like I'm really gonna show interest now...