The Noise was tricky to adjust to. Everything worked slightly differently than how it used to, and I couldn't help but feel as if The Noise was just inferior to Peppino.

That was my initial impression, because a few levels and P Ranks in, The Noise became my preferred way to play Pizza Tower. Instead of taking 30+ hours to trudge through all of the game's content in order to reach 100% completion, I did it here in a third of that time.

Part of this is certainly due to the lack of changes each level has undergone. While powerups go from being completely different to only having minor changes, the layouts themselves are entirely unchanged (I think, there might be some very small adjustments I'm forgetting). This was disappointing to learn, as there really isn't any new content for The Noise to forge a path through. Nothing tailor made to make the most of his skillset, and while said skillset fits like a glove into the game's stages already, I couldn't help but feel waiting longer for something more substantial would have been preferred.

All in all, this really is a New Game+ version of Pizza Tower, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game again. There are a couple of cute twists throughout, but not enough to elevate this to new heights. While The Noise may have made Peppino hard to return to, he's still acting as an invader to that man's campaign.

Choro-Q 2 is the awkward middle child of the PS1 trilogy, and with that comes some growing pains. While this game introduced the town, it would be a little underdeveloped compared to its successor. While I recall an odd secret or two, the experience of exploring it washes over me in retrospect.

"But how are the tracks?" I hear you ponder. They are... good! Highlights here include an underwater excursion through the sea and a tight squeeze through a subway. There are some other totally unique tracks, but I felt they more often than not sacrificed drivability for spectacle.

One (or four) particularly egregious track - for totally different reasons - is the game's seasonal variant. There's a seasonal mechanic in this game, one I had to look up to figure out, that will halt your progression unless you pick up on. During certain parts of the grand prix, the game's homescreen will change its theme and if you go into the course select at this time, you'll find a new track corresponding with the current season. The issue is that this tracks feels so indistinct, despite the season's changes. They all blend together in my head, with the layout largely remaining the same despite chunks being overhauled.

This entry does not stand out, but it doesn't have to necessarily. It offers up to the same Choro-Q fun I'd grown accustomed to, and while it isn't going to sweep you off your feet, when am I going to complain about another Choro-Q?

I'll keep this brief - if you've played Choro-Q 2 or 3, you've sorta played Choro-Q, too! This game is the progenitor of the (ca)RPG formula, and thus a little lighter on content than its successors. For example, the town featured in the second and third entries? Nowhere to be seen, yet this accomplishes as a solid racer nonetheless.

The main thing that sets this apart from the rest of the series is the realism of its setting. There is very little in this game that you couldn't see in real life - well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's certainly not as over the top as its follow ups. Race through tunnels, jungles and the Scottish highlands, but never somewhere a car should never be, such as a castle or... the ocean. This lack of wonder could lead to an uninspiring course lineup, but the total opposite is true! These are some of my favourite tracks in the PS1 trilogy, as there's a particular emphasis on mastery that loses focus a little going forward. Some of these tracks have brutal turns or tricky shortcuts, and making the right calls will often be the difference between first and last place.

On top of that, the game just looks great. Each track is detailed to a degree that you can't appreciate at high speed, encouraging me to stop and smell the roses. Accompanied by a phenomenal soundtrack - a quality I failed to mention in my review for the third game - Choro-Q ensures its status as a classic, and a worthy starting point to this quaint series.