Formula One

The Good
This game probably flew off the shelves when it was sold in 1993! This game's graphics are all very solid; the only bad part is that the pits aren't drawn; they're just a small area to the side of the starting grid marks. But still the graphics are a nice aspect of the game.The horizon changes from course to course, giving you a slight feeling that you're actually racing in that course. The sound is solid, everything from the main menu theme to the sound of the cars. When you pass a car, you get that nice fooooom! sound. And, the main menu theme is quite catchy! The gameplay is also very good! You can pick from two modes: the arcade mode, and the Grand Prix mode. The arcade mode lets you pick the race length (4, 8, or 12 laps) as well as the circuit; not to mention the difficulty (Hard or Easy). The Grand Prix mode allows you to qualify for a race, as well as fine-tune your car (e.g. wing degree, transmission, etc.) Both modes let you make a name for yourself (literally). Also, as a nice extra, all the driver names (besides yours of course) and team names in the Grand Prix mode are authentic, giving a slight touch of realism. Also, last but not least, the game features eight whole tracks, which all differ. It's a nice extra.

The Bad
The only thing not to like in this game is the lack of a save or password function! Luckily, the "select circuit" option in the Arcade mode, and the "Skip Track" option the Grand Prix help partially alleviate this matter.

The Bottom Line
The best racing game I have ever come across on the SEGA Game Gear. A must!!!

The Good
The fact that it is an official game, because back then (the year in which I was born) it wasn't so usual as nowadays to have the official licenses. Also, I find quite funny the fact that, apart from standard points given every race, you have a slot-machine style points counter that gives you points for records by at least a hundred each time, that happens when you overtake, when you negotiate turns properly, etc. All in all, I guess this was one of the first official Formula One games which were ever released on a hand held system, probably the only one that could compete face to face with Game Boy.

The Bad
Too few circuits. Back then Formula One had 15, 16, or 17 races per season, and, although all of them are real circuits, only 8 appear here, which is a little bit too few. The fact that you can only save the game with passwords is something I will never get used to. My first hand held was the Game Boy Color and back then you could already save games by selecting the proper option in the game.

The Bottom Line
For the time, impressive, specially if you had a Game Boy, which back then was black and white, and decided to make an upgrade, go to SEGA, and get yourself a Game Gear.