Dreamcast

TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat

At the end of the day, I would rather sacrifice good graphics and cool vehicles for some good, solid gameplay. This game really does a great job of reminding me how important control is to a racing game. Unfortunately, it reminds me in a negative way. I will say that I did get pretty good trying to compensate for the controls but it never should have come to that. There are worse games out there but if you choose to buy this game, don't blame me when you are swearing at your TV.

It seems that I've had nothing but praise for the whole game, doesn't it? Well, not quite. The word "almost" comes to mind regarding TNN. I've had praise for almost every aspect of the game, and the game is almost worthy of your hard-earned cash on 9/9/99. It's when we come to the issue of the driving model, though, that TNN falls apart. Certain aspects of the driving model just feel completely wrong. I've played through the game in its worst form over and over again in order to determine the nature of the problem, and have come up with the silly phrase "spin mode" in order to describe it.

While real off-road buggy racing may not be for everyone, I believe that Hardcore Heat is a solid title for those looking for just that. Gamers expecting an arcade style racing experience may be a bit frustrated with the need to learn how these buggies handle, so I would suggest a rental.

Hardcore Heat's racing action is entertaining enough, but since you're mainly off-road, it's hard to build up a head of steam, and you can expect a lot of spinning wheels in the mud. The uneven controls tend to give you either "too much" or "too little", especially in the split-screen mode. An unbalanced vehicle selection screen offers everything from dune buggies to powerful pick-ups, with the trucks holding a huge advantage. Hardcore Heat's races are ideal in length, with a handy track indicator that makes it easy to gauge your opponent's positions. There are certainly better racers on the Dreamcast, but off-road fans shouldn't be disappointed with this one.

You can sum up TNN Motorsports HardCore Heat with one simple phrase: Wait for Sega Rally 2. HH may be the first on the block, but it can be completed within one rental period, and it doesn't have the replay value to warrant more than a three-day rental.

La concurrence est pas bien exceptionnelle, mais a le mérite d'être assez coriace. Malheureusement, les collisions avec ces adversaires sont foirées, c'est pas du tout réaliste là encore. C'est gênant au point de ne pas donner envie de jouer au championnat, mais plutôt de s'essayer au "time trial", ou au mode deux joueurs, piètre lui aussi. En fait, mieux vaut ranger Buggy Heats dans sa boîte et ne plus en parler, ce jeu ne mérite pas de figurer dans votre Gdrom-thèque, sans auncun regret... Vive Sega Rally 2 !