Patreon button  Steam curated reviews  Discord button  Facebook button  Twitter button 
3DS | PC | PS4 | PS5 | SWITCH | VITA | XB1 | XSX | All

Uniracers (SNES) artwork

Uniracers (SNES) review


"This game was something special, and was nowhere near as popular as it should have been."

I know of less than 10 other people in the whole world who love this game the way I did. This game was something special, and was nowhere near as popular as it should have been.

For most, the SNES has a special place in their hearts. For most, the SNES was the home to the best RPG's, the best platormers, and the best conversions of fighting games. I tend to agree with this view as well, but for me, THE best thing to happen on SNES was also one of the worst things to ever happen. ''What in the blue hell are you talking about, Lee?''

Let me tell you, dear muppet. I am talking about Unirally (Uniracers in US).

See, what we had here was an absolutely superb game. On the surface, it was just a basic race game. But, scratch around a little, and you found there were elements of platform gaming, and even beat-em-up. See, this was a side-on 2D race game. You played a Unicycle! You had to race either time limits, or other Unicycles. Or, you had to score so many points in the stunt bowls. Sounding basic, but having lots of hidden depth to it.

The first real WOWmaker was the sheer speed of the game. Now, the SNES was never really known for its fast games. I mean, with the exception of F-Zero, most preferred to concentrate on the superior sound and graphics. But, DMA design had a stroke of genius. See, they ditched anything even remotely resembling detail, and opted for a very bare, stripped-down look to the game. The result of which was, those backgrounds flew behind, and never blurred or slowed the game down due to the poor 8 bit (yes, the SNES WAS only 8 bit, just on steroids) CPU having too much to keep up with. The sound was failry basic, too, but was actually amongst the most appropriate game soundtracks of all time. It fits so well, and I can still remember it note-perfect even to this day.

The second stroke of genius, and the most important one, was the way that tricks resulted in speed boosts whilst in a race. So, it wasn't just about having the correct line, you also had to keep busting stunts to stay ahead of your opponent. So, on the 1st track, which was just a straight line, whoever could keep the stunts coming the quickest and smoothest was going to win. And the stunt system was the final work of art. A press on the L or R button would flip the Unicycle in the equivalent direction. The remaining buttons were used to jump, spin, and twist on the Z axis (Z flip). Simple stuff, really, like all the best games. What this did was to basically free up the game, so that any stunts you did were of your own design. Therefore, the more nimble-fingered you were, the better you would do.

Of course, no game is perfect. There has to be some fault. And Unirally's fault was .... well, shocking. And HUGE! See, the thing was.....

For whatever reason, Nintendo decided to release the game UNFINISHED. As in, literally. They didn't add two stunts that were required to win the final stunt level without basically putting in insane levels of practice. Therefore, no matter how good you got, you were more than likely never going to open all the extras. This game was uncompleteable. I have still to forgive Nintendo for this, their one and only mistake to this day. Mainly because, I spent almost a week trying everything imaginable to find out just how in the hell I could open up those last 2 stunts on the table. It was only a month or so after the game was released that I found out why I had been failing.

So, what should have been an absolutely essential game, ended up as a waste of time. I still love the whole concept, and the game did play like a dream. But, it turned into a nightmare. Maybe the Cube will treat us to an updated version, but I don't hold out much hopes. Shame, because the game was class, and would be a really good way to introduce Nintendo fans to online console gaming.



cheekylee's avatar
Community review by cheekylee (Date unavailable)

A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.

More Reviews by cheekylee [+]
The King of Fighters 2006 (PlayStation 2) artwork
The King of Fighters 2006 (PlayStation 2)

When you buy this game, you will be holding in your hands the game that you really hoped the first one was. You will have the game that you wanted, that you needed, and that you deserved.
Tortuga:Two Treasures (PC) artwork
Tortuga:Two Treasures (PC)

The damage engine in particular is exceptional, as you can see individual sails being ripped, and holes appearing in the sides of the ships due to cannon fire. Honestly, it is quite an impressive sight. The sea itself is handled very well, with sharks circling for snacks in the form of men overboard!
Mercury Meltdown Revolution (Wii) artwork
Mercury Meltdown Revolution (Wii)

Ultimately, what makes Mercury Meltdown Revolution such a great game is the game design. Igntion Entertainment have crafted a superb example of player versus environment.

Feedback

If you enjoyed this Uniracers review, you're encouraged to discuss it with the author and with other members of the site's community. If you don't already have an HonestGamers account, you can sign up for one in a snap. Thank you for reading!

You must be signed into an HonestGamers user account to leave feedback on this review.

User Help | Contact | Ethics | Sponsor Guide | Links

eXTReMe Tracker
© 1998 - 2024 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Uniracers is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to Uniracers, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors. Staff and freelance reviews are typically written based on time spent with a retail review copy or review key for the game that is provided by its publisher.