Nitro Longplay (Amiga) [50 FPS]
107Developed and published by Psygnosis in 1990
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If there’s one thing that science-fiction has to tell us about the future, it’s that we’ll be living in a dystopian world where, with society on the brink of collapse, the only viable form of entertainment involves high-octane, near-suicidal races throughout a series of derelict vistas in a bid for cash, glory and outright bragging rights. Such is the setting for Nitro, a top-down racing game from former Liverpool-based studio, Psygnosis.
In this particular instance, the competition is the Nitro Championship, a no-holds barred, high stakes competition with cool £1,000,000 prize fund; that is, of course, as long as someone stays alive long enough to pocket the cash.
One of the things that sets this game apart from other racers is the fact it supports up to 3-player cooperative play, with 2 players using joysticks and 1 on keyboard; any non-human players will be replaced with CPU-controlled drivers. Perhaps one of the most memorable features about the game is the selection of player avatars that depict cyborg versions of curiously familiar film characters; if you wondered what a cybernetic version of Roger Moore as James Bond would like, this might just be the game for you!
Once players have entered their initials, they must then choose from 1 of 3 different vehicle classes. Each car type has different attributes and handling, as well as different levels of fuel consumption. Speed freaks who want to be quick off the mark and don’t care about gas mileage should pick the F1 car, whereas those who prefer improved handling and suspension should pick the turbo buggy; the sports car, somewhat unrealistically, provides a balance of all attributes.
With 32 tracks set across 4 different types of terrain, there’s no shortage of racing action to be had. The game starts out with street races in a typically urban environment before moving to off-road, desert and post-apocalyptic environments. The tracks become progressively more difficult over the course of the championship, with pot-holes, oil slicks and fissures in the road designed to slow you down; none of the obstacles will actually destroy your car, but the time penalty involved in driving through one means that you should always try avoid them where possible. Perhaps the toughest tracks in the game are those held during the dead of night, where the player is reliant on cat’s eyes and their headlamps to try and make it through in one piece.
The objective of each race, unsurprisingly, is to be first past the finishing post. The higher you place, the more points you earn and the higher your ranking on the Nitro championship leader board. Not only do you earn more points for coming first, you also earn bonus gas to top up your car’s fuel tank; this might be the future, but scientists have yet to come up with vehicles that run on fresh air!
Whilst speed is of the essence, seasoned drivers should always be on the lookout for bonus tokens littering the race-way; from bonus gas to extra cash, the best drivers should always be looking for a way to get an edge over their opponents. Money can be spent in the shop between each race, repairing damage and upgrading components of your car to improve performance.
One of the things I like the most about Nitro is that, whilst it provides a stiff challenge, you never feel that it’s insurmountable. The CPU cars put up a decent challenge, but they routinely make the same mistakes as any human drivers, crashing into obstacles and getting hung up on tough corners, thus giving us squishy humans a chance at victory.
As far as graphics are concerned, things are decent enough. Top-down racers generally aren’t known for flashy visuals, but Nitro’s tracks and associated environments are nicely drawn, with plenty of attention detail in track-side furniture and buildings.
The game features some really good music (Tony Williams) and, along with the distinctive avatars, is one the things I remember most about the game. The game also features some decent effects, including revving engines and squealing tyres, but it’s definitely the music that’s the star of the show here.
As a final point, I felt it was worth noting that, despite the death-of-humanity rhetoric and portraying the races as perilous endeavours where you’re more likely to die in catastrophic fireball, it ‘s actually a fairly typical overhead racer. The game’s manual even makes reference to the ability to drive over pedestrians in certain levels, although I never did ever encounter any by-standers.
As top down-racers go, this is one of the better games that I’ve played and a top effort by Psygnosis. With decent graphics, excellent audio and a big variety of tracks on offer, not to mention competitive multiplayer, Nitro has plenty to keep you occupied and is easy to recommend.
#retrogaming