Mean Machines Sega
1st January 1996
Hi-Octane
Daytona USA, Indy 500, Sega Rally. All very nice as far as they go, but they each suffer from a common problem - wheels are no longer fashionable in racing games. Car fashions come and go, and the accepted automobile norms, nay, luxuries of yesteryear - like tined windscreen strips and headlight wipers - provoke sniggers today.
And so it is with next generation machines. Wheels are officially uncool, whereas hover-thingies are most definitely 'in'. The fact that no one has ever managed to get a hover-thingy to work properly in the real world - apart from that sad Magalev train in Birmingham. Unfortunately, it goes about three miles an hour and mutates all the passengers with its strong magnetic fields.
Unlike the six sexy speeders found in Bullfrog's Hi-Octane, a veritable (must be said) wheel-less wonder. Not content with converting the incredibly speedy graphics of the PC as they appear on a high-end machine, Bullfrog's resident hero Andy Beale (he did Theme Park on Megadrive) has added more courses, a death-race and an intriguing hot-seat option that involves passing sweaty joysticks between eight people. If Hi-Octane isn't set to form intimate friendships between gamesplayers, then nothing is.
Marcus
Of all the racers available, this has the greatest longevity - matching Virtua Racing in scope, whilst being visually dynamic and basically 'cool' - a quality that eludes Daytona and even Sega Rally. The sexiest Saturn game so far.
Gus
Getting Bullfrog on-side when you launch a new console is a very good thing. Quality, ingenuity and playability have become almost routine expectations from their games. Hi-Octane is an exceptionally cool racing game, and while it doesn't have the same visual appeal of the forthcoming Sega Rally it offers gameplay of a radically different sort.
Something like Psygnosis' Wipeout, which has been the one big triumph for the 'other path'. Even more impressive is the fact that Bullfrog have created Pentium PC performance on the 300 quid Saturn. Hi-Octane demonstrates best just how capable the Saturn is. The one-player mode is strong, and bolstered by some clever variations, options and features - like the race breakdowns and Hot Seat. Hi-Octane is a serious contender for your money.Verdict
Graphics 85%
P. Moody, metallic, hostile, cool images of a futuristic racing Armageddon.
N. Not so good close-up.
Animation 83%
P. Excellent speed and update create a convincing 3D. Player movement is superb.
P. The Techno slots in with the action pumpingly.
N. Only three tracks.
Effects 90%
P. Thundersome explosions and ace 'whoosh' of boosters.
Playability 89%
P. The controls are very well balanced, the racing excellent, the killing satisfying.
N. Racing is sometimes a bit 'lonely'.
Lastability 92%
P. Bullfrog's copious options ensure more longevity than any other racer.
Overall 90%
High-powered, high-drama, Hi-Octane. Highly recommended.
