Hi-Octane

Eine bestehende Grafik-Engine für ein relativ schlichtes Autorennspiel zu verwenden, ist sicherlich keine besonders originelle Idee, aber so liebevoll wie Bullfrog hat das wohl noch keiner vorgeführt. Trotz des äußerst schlichten Spielgeschehens macht es dauerhaft Spaß, über die hübschen Landschaften zu rasen, auftankende (stehende) Gegener feige abzuschießen, die eine oder andere Abkürzung zu finden und schließlich eine vernünftige Wertung zu bekommen. (-- Harald Wagner)

The bottom line is this game has enough cool features to keep the die-hard racer busy, but can also be enjoyed by somebody who would rather just strap themselves in and play.

Hi-Octane is another of those futuristic racers, where you pilot a ground-skimming hovercar around various tracks, trying to beat your opponents with a combination of speed and firepower.

The greatest thing about Hi-Octane is the fact that is shows that Bullfrog can actually develop a good game for the PSX, this is indicative of things to come, then I can't wait to see what they've going to do with Syndicate Wars and Magic Carpet. Woo woo, I'm wagging my eyebrows right now.

Hi Octane is a great game. Bullfrog really looks to be a premiere software company over the next few years. If you can find this game on sale for about half the retail price, I think it's a great buy. But, at the $50-60 dollar level, the only people who will feel they've received an excellent value for their money, would be players who are specifically into hover craft racing simulations.

Hi-Octane is an intense combat racing game where you can either race to be the winner with the fastest time or race a Death Match until there is only one person left who hasn't been destroyed. Races are held in a canyon on dirt roads, pavement, or snow on nine different race tracks each having a name: Amazon Delta Turnpike, Trans-Asia Interstate, Shanghai Dragon, New Chernobyl Central, Slam Canyon, Thrak City, Ancient Mine Town, Arctic Land, and the Death Match Arena. The six cars which you have to choose range from looking like a regular car (the KD-1 Speeder) to a truck (Juga) with others looking like small jets.

Have you ever found yourself driving behind someone who was going just a little too slow for you, wishing that you could push a button and blow them up to bits? How would you like to drive a car that hovers above the ground without any wheels, be involved in a race, and be permitted to destroy your opponents? All this excitement can be found in Hi-Octane by Bullfrog!

Then following this incredible series of hits, Bullfrog still managed to produce another surprise with their gorgeous 'Magic Carpet'. Featuring a very high playability with realistic three-dimensional graphics, was a tour de force that Bullfrog admirably succeeded in. But even in this 'nearly 100% action-oriented' game, there are traces of this god concept so particular to Bullfrog's games. That is the reason why I was so surprised when I first played Hi-Octane, the new game from Bullfrog released earlier this month.

Wer einen flotten Rechner besitzt, erhält ein packendes Rennspiel mit cleveren Features wie den sich verändernden Strecken.

There are some nice touches here, but overall it's missing that certain magic that would have made this the exceptional title it could have been.

The similarities between Hi-Octane and WipeOut are many. Since both the games were in development at the same time, it's hard to say who ripped off whom. If you liked WipeOut, chances are you'll get a kick out of Hi-Octane. It's not a bad game, really. It just doesn't compare to WipeOut.

This futuristic racing-combat game gives you three views, nine tracks, six cars and numerous power-ups to play with. What it doesn't give you is clean graphics. The bland vehicles are boxy polygons and the terrain is gritty. The sounds are so-so and the loose playing controls give you just enough response to make them average. Hi-Octane barely gets the lead out.

Call me old fashioned, but whoever told videogame developers (mid-190s) that polygons were the end all graphical basis was sorely mistaken. Though games like Virtua Fighter and Tekken look great with highly detailed polygons, many racing and flying games like Hi-Octane and StarFox are downright ugly. The absence of wheels on vehicles leads me to believe that Hi-Octane isn't futuristic at all -- it just has lazy developers.

The nice setup, however, is crippled by gummy controls and slow, repetitive gameplay. Flat, unimaginative graphics and sounds cause further problems. Stick with Wipeout - Hi-Octane runs out of gas.