Buggy Boy
for C64
Also available for: Amiga (OCS/ECS)

01.jpg
std:
Company: Tatsumi / Taito Corporation
Year: 1987
Genre: Sport
Theme: Driving
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
Views: 37290
Review by std (2003-02-12)
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Racing on the C64 had a few problems, as you might remember. Games like these were hard to make due to the procedural nature of BASIC, and most of the racing game were really crap.

Well, you might just like to know that this thing is NOT a crap game at all. In fact, although featuring only 5 races, Buggy Boy is some of the most interesting pieces of software I've ever seen. And certainly one of the most interesting racing games of the '80s.

Buggy Boy has none of Lamborghini's realism (you might remember the original and not the awfull mid-90s sequel). It's all about quick, arcade-style action. And it's darn addictive. The game features a desperate run after points in an atempt to set a highscore. When you run it, you are asked if you want unlimited time. If you do, then it's piece of cake. If not, you will have a very enjoyable experience. And this is quite strange, as Buggy Boy doesn't have beautiful graphics, and, when speed is low (ie 40-50 mph), you feel like walking through a park and not racing. But still, if you want to get in the highscore list, it's just amazing.

For collecting points, you need to get some flags (run over 'em, that is) or pass through some gates. Those that give you loads of points are strategically placed, at the margin of the track or right in front of a wall. The tracks are quite well-balanced, and the landscapes are not always the same, which means that you might not get bored as soon as you'd say after reading this.

As a conclusion, Buggy Boy offers a good racing experience, and it would be a true classic if it would have a multiplayer option. But even without it, it's likely to give you a few hours of good fun.

Comments (2) [Post comment]

TSM:
BASIC has *nothing* to do with real games made for the C64. Nearly all commercial games were written in ML/Assembly.
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