Nice retro graphics.
Nice controls.
Easy to play.
Very nice game.
Reviews for "Interstate Drifter 1999"
UltimoGames responds:
thankyou!
neat little racing game
While this is a good game, 1998 was better in many different ways. This game is good though, it's worth a shot.
UltimoGames responds:
ID2000 will take the best of both, and combines them into one big drift-fest! Thanks!
The other one, Drifter 1998, was much better. 1999 has better graphics and more polish in general, but 1998's semi-open world was a great way to learn the mechanics and to deliver a challenge, while being an interesting way to lay out the maps. In contrast, here all you get is 3 bosses, and if you fail to beat them the first time, you have to go through the same boring inconsequential levels over and over just to try again.
The bosses weren't really a challenge in 1998 but they were still fun. Here, they're impossible to beat until you grind enough to know the maps and the mandatory shortcuts you have to take, since the bosses make perfect turns and are usually faster than you, so you don't have any tools to actually overtake or contest them. It's a boring, annoying slog, and you've made this the main loop of the game instead of the open world navigation Drifter 1998 was flirting with.
In your attempt to make the bosses challenging, you've only made them frustrating while still remaining largely uninteresting. Roll these changes back, and think of a different way to make these races engaging.
As for the individual bosses: the first boss is easy once you know the route, the second boss is a nightmare, and the third boss is once again not too difficult after a bunch of tries - but it is the fairest and best designed of the bunch, where hitting good drifts will let you stay ahead, and you can sort of push your opponent off the map in a couple of places. This doesn't make having to redo the same boring 2 maps over and over again, because of one mistake you couldn't be prepared for, acceptable. One small error in your drift, and there is no coming back for the rest of the race.
I don't understand how the second boss is not the final one, since the third is incredibly easy to beat in comparison. The roads being narrow doesn't matter, since you lose all hard races if you don't hit perfect drifts anyway. It makes no difference, and I have to wonder how you've tested the game without realising this.
The drifting mechanic is still really cool, but 1999 is overall a step backwards. A lot of the things you've tried had potential, they were unique and interesting, and now that they're not here, this game doesn't do enough to hone in on what's enjoyable about the mechanics it does have.
This isn't a suggestion on that front, but here's something I would like. Make hitting obstacles a valid way to traverse by bouncing off them and gaining a bit of speed above your limit - being able to drive into a sign or wall, and drift at the last second for a sharp and fast turn. You'd still be limited by your damage meter and needing an obstacle on the edge of the road, but it would help correct for *some* small mistakes and add more options to be skilful that this game lacks.
You should definitely add a small grace period for going off-map before you're de-spawned as well, the very least for turbo.
UltimoGames responds:
It was quite the hassle to make the AI drive along those roads, I know that the ice rival is a bit harder than the lava-rival.. But to change it up meant I had to tune it all over again..
The Steam version will have the best of both, and I am thinking to release ID1999 on itch.io and steam as well (for 1$ or 2$ or zero$) So I could improve it a bit for that. Your review is in my big-feedback-vault! Thanks Fennnnn!
This game is such a intresting challenge i wish i found it sooner.