When I finished this game and wanted to review it, my search to find it's release in Europe led to no results. I was curious as to why my game was nowhere on the internet. That's because my European release cartridge said "Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving" and apparently that's only the release name for the Japanese version. Odd that I have a European version that says otherwise.
So, this review of Redline: F-1 Racer is in fact the same, but with a different name. Poet, don't even know it. Is this racer any good and does it stand the test of time? Yes and no; as always a tough decision, but leads go towards the pole positions. Yes, lame puns are acceptable in my book!
First, let's look at the overall feel of it. Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving, as I'll call it, is a Formula one racer, where you take up the challenge to win the Championship. To do so, you'll have to go through a series of Grand Prix and beat the best out there; including Nigel Mansell and a young Mika Hakinnen. Although you don't need to end first in each race, you'll have to get sufficient points to stay up the board.
To aid you get the advantage, this game provides for a way to customize your vehicle to your liking. You can adjust a lot of settings, such as suspension, wings, brakes, etc. just like the pros do. And I suggest you do so straight from the start, otherwise winning will be near impossible. The weather might turn on you, so you can get predictions to see what tires will suit you best. don't go into the track with the wrong tires, because you will skid out. Everything revolves around having the correct tune-up. You can get some more help regarding customizing by looking at the explanation of the track. There, Aguri Suzuki himself will tell you what to do and what turns to cover to get the victor's wreath. After you're done customizing and researching, you'll be ready to take your first spins on the tracks. For glory!
Immediately, you'll notice one of two things. You could find the driving horrendous and get frustrated at spinning out constantly. That means your modifications weren't what they're supposed to be and you'll likely lose the race. On the other hand, you might find everything to be in order and that means you did a bang-up job at adjusting everything.
What's incomprehensible about this, is that the steering adjustments make for the greatest deal of this experience. Because, although controls aren't excellent, everything stands on the fact that you can steer correctly or not. And there is basically only one setting in which you'll get proper steering. Putting it on 1 or 2 will make it so incredibly sensitive, you'll eat dirt more than you'll be racing.
Other than that, the gameplay is fairly standard and basically enjoyable. Just turn when appropriate and don't mind the braking and all too much.
This is what kind of piques me about this game: It's a stab at realistic racing, yet for the efforts it puts towards making that happen, it falls very short. By making the controls and overall gameplay basic and even simple, you don't really encourage realism. Most of the times, it feels too easy even and this after only a few laps. If you take the time to practice once and get to know the turns, it will be hard to lose.
Also, hitting other racers will not always result in a crash. you might just bulldoze over them and head on. And to worsen this, it will become harder to keep the lead when you double opponents.
Now, I might not know a lot about Formula One, but I thought doubled players had to pass the others. It might not be a rule instated back then, but it makes for quite an annoyance, specially while turning.
With only a split second to decide on turns, having any obstacle in your way can become troublesome.
And yet, you'll still be able to reach the top with ease. Again, not so realistic. It also doesn't help your challenge that the AI decides at random who will get points. Someone being first in one race will, therefore, not necessarily be in points the next. Now, that might be an event that sometimes happens, but there is rarely any consistency in this. More so, in my very first playthrough, I already achieved to lap every single car out there. That means everyone was 1 lap or more behind on my rookie time. Even when you go Challenge Aguri Suzuki, you'll see yourself sprint away from the champion.
Wrapping up this package are mediocre and slightly below average graphics. Some aspects, like the board and interface are nicely done. But the races in general could be from an 8-bit system and you couldn't tell a difference. I'm sure there are a dozen other games just like this, who look so similar, you won't be able to tell a difference. In those days, a lot of drivers put their name on a game and almost none had any distinguished appeal. It's safe to say, that's not the way you make yourself remembered. Look at Colin McRae. You might not know who he is or where his driving skill is, but you sure heard of him. That's because his game sticks out amongst others. This game could be World Grand Prix on the Master System, it looks about the same, give or take a few dozen pixels. My point is, if Aguri Suzuki wanted to make sure of his legacy, he might have taken that extra step towards doing so. Now it's just a bland, generic product, lost in the masses.
The sound is fairly flawed and annoying. It became so ridiculous at one point, that I wanted to see if my engine could truly cut grass. Because it sure sounded like a giant lawnmower. Unfortunately, once you hit the grass, the sound changes to a more rugged, low noise. What a bad joke that was. Although I did quite enjoy the little lawnmower trip, but that's hardly the point of this game. Perhaps it's a game designed by parents to make kids do their chores. It's the only aspect of this game that stands out in a bad way.
I did enjoy playing this game, but just briefly. In a few hours, you will have completed the Championships and challenging the master will be no extra fun. There's not really any flaws to this game that are critical, but it's just so mediocre. You'll enjoy the ride, just long enough for some entertainment value and then dismiss it.
Overall, this game is just too easy. And though it flaunts realism, it is far from it. You could heighten the difficulty by messing with the steering, but why would you do that? That would be like intentionally crippling yourself and isn't an additional challenge. It's a voluntary handicap caused by making your controls fail you. Mediocre and easy don't mix with F1 realism.
I recommend this game only if you see it somewhere cheap and have a need for some time to kill.
Nice try Mr Suzuki, but no podium for you. Get back to the paddocks!
