Name:  - Racing Madness
Microsoft Description:
Microsoft's Racing Madness bundle combines three award-winning and fun filled racing games - Microsoft Monster Truck Madness II, Microsoft Motocross Madness and Microsoft Midtown Madness - all in one box at a great low price!
Whether it's racing through the streets of Chicago in a new Beetle, slinging mud while behind the wheel of Big Foot, or kicking off a nac nac on your dirtbike, the Madness bundle provides wild and hair-raising action no matter what your racing preference.
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8/28/2001 - I like to see game companies combine some of their older titles, because it gives people a chance to affordably choose from similar categories to find a venue that might be just right. Since this review will cover three games, the comments are limited to more general statements, and often highlight particular games. The final category will summarize what I think about each.
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Can You Handle This Much Madness?
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73.5
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| First Impression and Game Installation |
The software is packaged with a three way fold out containing a separate CD for each game. Quick install instructions are at the front of each fold out. The games installed easily and I especially liked the visuals MS gives you while waiting for Midtown to load. Now I say they installed easily, but I was surprised that I did have an issue with DirectX, but it turned out to be a problem with syncing up my Video and Sound drivers with the newest version of DirectX (something I usually have taken care of before any install). |
7.0
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| Configurable Options and Ease of Use |
Each of the games come with a bounty of configurable options. These games seem more clearly designed with the novice computer user in mind, and all had menu systems that were very easy to navigate. |
7.0
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| Graphics |
The graphics quality in each game was good. I thought Motocross Madness was particularly good (this is a game I originally purchased as soon as it came out), and the combination of graphics and gameplay had me salivating for the upgrade.
Midtown Madness' graphics quality was at times average, and at other times simply outstanding… depending on where you were and what you were doing.
Monster Truck Madness left me with wanting more. I'm not sure exactly how to pin point what it was lacking, it simply had a more cartoony feel and didn't have enough graphics detail to make me feel like I was in the action and not spectating. |
7.5
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| Video at Minimum and Maximum |
The graphics range in these games was very good. Of the three games, I felt Midtown really did a lot at each spectrum. Not that Motocross didn't reward you at the max end, but the motorcycles on the low graphics end was not very convincing (although the track still looked fairly well). |
7.0
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| Sound |
The sound was pretty good for each game, but if I was going to call one out I would say Motocross Madness had the most realistic sound bytes. If you have ever been to races, your expectations are pretty high and they delivered pretty well. However this comment is primarily targeted for the sound expectations at the time the games were first introduced. By the current standings, there is room for all to improve… and they did with later versions. |
7.0
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| Beginner thru Advanced Use |
Each of the games had a range of beginner to advanced game play. All of them had difficulty ranges that could challenge you at the advanced levels. However the beginner levels were the easiest in Monster Truck Madness. I make that statement based on how easy it would be for little Johnny to start playing the game, and Johnny could hand the Trucks much easier than the motorcycles and cars. I could understand the motorcycles being tricky for lil Johnny because he would be able to get off the track, but I was surprised that Midtown made it as difficult as it was to go through the levels - even at the amateur level. |
7.0
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| Multi-player |
The multiplayer levels had a nice mix and are all supported at the Gaming Zone even today. Even when you go out there now, long after their initial release, you can find several people playing these first run games online in the Zone.
I particularly liked seeing modem to modem, serial cable direct connect, TCP/IP, and IPX in addition to Gaming Zone options. |
8.0
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| Help Instructions |
The good ole Acrobat PDF files are the help system of the day. Not a bad choice though, when you consider you can read or print your instructions easily. |
7.5
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| Value (price for what you get) |
Let's face it, three games in one pack for a low price is a good value. |
8.0
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| Recommend to Others |
As a package, I think the most likely audience is for the people that wait for older versions because they can't afford the current version. You could say that this kind of package can be used as a demo, and it will definitely encourage some buyers to look at the latest upgrades.
Motocross Madness gets the wave for me. As I stated earlier, I bought it when it first came out, and ran right out the day the new one was announced and got it. If you like motorcycle racing at all, I think the current Motocross Madness offering is the cream of the crop.
Midtown Madness is not the kind of game I would have gone out and bought, and boy would I have missed it. Not only did I find it great fun, my kids thought it was great as well.
Monster Truck Madness was the only one in the series I thought could have been better. I'm not sure what my expectation was, but when I think of Monster Trucks I think of something larger than life, and that is a lot to live up to in a game. I don't know if different courses, or crushing cars in a city, or running over people and animals and seeing blood squirting… I'm not sure, but it needs something more. They have a great topic to work with, and I hope they figure it out. |
7.5
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RECOMMENDATIONS to the Vendor
LAZ
Keep packaging similar gaming styles in one set at an affordable price, because you may drag people into venues that they didn't think they would like.
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