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.
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.
Woodpug
9 days ago