Nascar-deprived Wii and DS players? Start your engines…
This is a great game for those of us who love the Indianapolis 500 and its history. This is also a great game for those who like to drive only left and straight continuously. Lastly, this is a great game for anyone who wants to have children with a family member. Do you fit into one of these three categories? Read on my friend.
Indianapolis 500 Legends can satisfy the hunger-pangs of any slobbering, belligerent Nascar fan. There are cars, famous drivers, crashes, pit stops, and the endless driving in a circle. Is there anything to offer racing fans in general? Perhaps, but here again we have a niche game from Destineer. Similar to John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland, a love of Indy racing must be present in the same way as a boner for big tractors, otherwise I feel our racing-genre-lovers will feel left in the dust.
Indianapolis 500 Legends has many features that Indy fans will love. Spanning the years 1961-1971 when Indy racing was in its prime, we see the rise and downfall of many of Indy’s most famous stars. There are trophies to be won, cars and drivers to unlock, and famous crashes to survive through, all while staying out of the paths of other drivers and traveling at break-neck speeds.
Overview
Fight to the finish in a hand-built speed machine racing 3 inches off the ground at nearly 170 mph through a moving minefield of crashes, spinning cars, rolling tires and 32 rivals on the world’s most famous racetrack in Indianapolis 500 Legends, an arcade-style racing experience set in a dynamic era spanning 1961-1971. Players will experience the traditions, rivalries, terrifying speeds, jaw-dropping maneuvers and infamous events that characterized this historic period at the world-famous Indianapolis 500 race.
Features
- Draft, dodge and strategically maneuver through packs of highly tuned vehicles racing at speeds of nearly 170 miles per hour! Full damage modeling turns tires into potential hazards
as crashes send them flying onto the track. - Experience historic moments in Indy racing history with Mission-Based Racing: Drive the first rear-engine Lotus-Ford, shatter records in Parnelli Jones’ turbine-powered car, and relive the
rivalries between some of history’s greatest drivers! Survive infamous crashes, experience the most thrilling come-behind victories, and more! - Pit lane mini-games based upon actual pit stop activities. Use the Wii remote to change the tires, fill the gas tank and even put out fires!
- Over 30 real cars and drivers spanning the years 1961-1971. Unlock new cars and memorabilia as you progress through the years and experience the evolution of the Indy 500 track
first-hand! - Newly developed ‘Torus’ physics engine allows players to enjoy fast-paced vehicles that are easy to control and fun to drive.
- Mission Mode offers Qualify, Dodge, Race, Pit Stop, Pass, Time Trial and other challenging driving missions.
I am not familiar with how well Indianapolis 500 Legends plays on the DS, as I have the Wii version. I am sure, however, that there are many aspects of Indy 500 that play out easier on the DS.
For the Wii version, players hold the controller in the same was as Excitetruck; horizontally. “2” becomes the gas, “A” becomes the e-brake, and the D-pad will be used for the camera. Steering is accomplished by rotating the Wii remote either clockwise or counter-clockwise, with counter-clockwise being more prevalent as the race track only has left-hand turns.
The controls work extremely well, except for one scenario. If your driver must make a pit stop, you the player must initiate and conduct all tire changes and refueling. In addition, if your car catches on fire you must operate the fire extinguisher. The Wii remote must be pointed at the screen and used in various ways to carry out the processes. Using the Wii remote is not very accurate and I have a feeling that a stylus may be easier to use.
Indy 500’s gameplay involves two modes: mission and classic. New players must complete a few challenges in mission mode to unlock more races and cars, as well as options in the classic mode. Mission mode involves qualifying and then completing a few levels as a particular driver. One level may include a normal 100 lap race; another may feature a horrific crash that you must survive. In classic mode you can choose single player or you can race against another player using a split-screen. You may choose any car/driver that you have unlocked, as well as any year and the number of laps to complete. Either mode may require you to qualify in order to determine your car’s position off the starting line.
The gameplay of Indy 500 can get drab. Then again, this type of driving-in-circles game is not generally my type. If Nascar does it for you, Indy 500 will also. The pit stop exchanges are particularly irritating, since they are a race against the clock and using the Wii remote is very inaccurate. Then again, if you love Indy history, the game will rock your socks.
Graphics are okay. Luckily there are no pop-ups, but the scenery stays the same throughout the race. Cars are done well and so are the crashes and explosions. You don’t see rolling tires every day. However, the pit stop graphics are reprehensible. Their simplicity reminds me of a bad DS port, and when put side by side, I’m sure the graphics look the same at that point.
The music is also nothing to fawn over. Sadly, the music reminds me of Excitebike, and I’m talking about the NES version. Okay, maybe not that bad, but at least just as bad as the worst on an SNES sports title. It’s just a looping track of the same midi-style music; yuck.
I would definitely recommend this game to those that fall into any or all of the three categories that were stated at the beginning of the review. But for gamers in general or those used to the thrills of Burnout, Need for Speed, or Dirt, Indy 500 has little to offer.
Title: Indianapolis 500 Legends
Platforms: Wii, Nintendo DS
Rating: E for Everyone (Mild Violence)
Players: 2 on the Wii
Genre: Racing
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