Platform	NES
	Genre	Driving
	Publisher	Nintendo
	Points	500
	Rating	5 / 10

Review

Mach Rider is a futuristic racer that was released on the NES back in 1984. Many Nintendo games have paid homage to this classic, such as Super Smash Melee (theme music) and F-Zero. While fame and fortune have paved the road for Mach, this game isn’t as great as it’s recognition.

In this racer, you take the role of Mach Rider, who must defeat the evil Quadrunners who have taken over planet Earth which is set in the year 2112. The game is split up into three modes: Endurance Course, Solo Course and Design Mode. While the storyline tells the tall tale of a hero who must save and take lives, the main goal in the game is to reach a destination within a time limit while avoiding Quadrunners and road hazzards. The gameplay is as generic as most games of it’s age. You race on a road with a painted background and sprites which curve and spin here and there. Enemies will ambush you right from behind, but if your lucky enough, you can spot them on your rear view mirror, and doge their kamikaze blows. To defend yourself, the player is given a limited set of fire power, to take out the Quadrunners who reside in front of you. That’s where the problems start.

Mach Rider is a very difficult game. It’s not to the extent to where the game challenges you, but because the gameplay mechanics are frustrating and broken. Quadrunners are uniquitous, when you think they are gone, they will sneak up right behind you and crash verbatim. It’s silly considering you are on a two-lane road; it’s nearly impossible to dodge these suicidal freaks. Just like Mighty Bomb Jack, you are a magnet and everyone wants to touch you. Don’t get me wrong, this game is fast paced and somewhat exciting, but you need to be seriously deft to not die every ten seconds.

Design Mode isn’t too alluring either. The game features multiple track sections of twists and turns, which the player can build to his/her imagination. But since the graphics are bland and generic to begin with, it’s not fun to toy around with. It’s a decent feature, but nowhere near as intuitive as Excite Bike (NES).

Mach Rider may have inspired many racers that followed it, but the game itself wasn’t superb to begin with. The player will grow weary of it after playing for less than 20 minutes, and will feel penitent for downloading it in the first place.

Overall Score: 5 /10