Driving

Excitebike 64 is another fun Nintendo racer for the Nintendo 64—no surprise when you consider how much it has in common with Mario Kart 64, Wave Race 64 and F-Zero X. They're all structured exactly the same, but that's okay. All of those games were way fun, and each gave us a different way to race—go karts, jet skis, futuristic hovercraft. With Excitebike 64, we get the Nintendo treatment with dirt bikes, specifically Motocross and Supercross racing.

The Dreamcast, for example, launched with as many as five racing titles; each offering a suitable showing in both the graphics and speed departments. But, to little surprise, amid the games flashy visuals, there was little in terms of innovation or fun gameplay. Speed Devils, on the other hand, presents us with quite the opposite scenario; the game won't wow you with stunning graphics, but its arcade gameplay may be just deep enough to add up to a good time.

Game Description: Fast-paced, arcade-style driving action hits the Dreamcast in the form of Ubi Soft's Speed Devils—only this time, it's personal. The first thing you'll notice is the game's emphasis on presenting recognizable rivals throughout the races. Instead of competing against faceless "computer" foes, you meet 17 rival drivers with distinct personalities; these defining characteristics come out in their driving tendencies. Yu Kioto's calm demeanor, for example, is reflected in his calculated, mistake-free driving. It's a cool feature that gives the single-player game depth: you not only have to handle wacky obstacles as you roar around the track, but you have to handle each driver differently.

To be perfectly frank, Speed Devils is one of the worst games I've played all year. This thing is ugly from top to bottom. It's not very original or cool (although it thinks it is), the gameplay is weak, the graphics are dull, the music sucks and most of all, it's boring—Speed Devils lacks any kind of excitement whatsoever. High energy is what carried games like Daytona USA and F-Zero X over the edge. High energy even saved San Francisco Rush from being a complete waste of time. Unfortunately, high energy is something Speed Devils doesn't have.

Gran Turismo 2 is like a Holiday Inn—it gives you more, and more is better. It succeeds in making the original PlayStation mega hit, Gran Turismo look obsolete, when in fact the difference between the two is marginal. No drastic changes have been made to the game's basic structure, there's just more of everything: more cars, more tracks, more options, more involved gameplay, more sounds and more music. Gran Turismo 2 succeeds because it's the complete package—a more comprehensive and ultimately more satisfying racing simulation than its predecessor.

Game Description: Get all the tire-screeching excitement of real-life racing with Gran Turismo 2. Tear through 20 hair-raising tracks from Seattle to Tahiti in one of more than 500 incredibly detailed, brand name autos. Then customize your car by purchasing parts with your winnings.

I know that the very sight of my mediocre rating for such a highly touted game as Gran Turismo 2 will bring down the wrath of hundreds of fans crying "blasphemy." But before anyone ignites a torch or hurls a stone, please read through my review and try to understand my perspective first.