Street Fighter Anniversary Collection

Capcom's greatest gift for Street Fighter fans is that of Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. It includes "Hyper Street Fighter II" and "Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike." It has all the classic Street Fighter goodness from all of the classic Street Fighter II titles while also adding a newer game to spice up the already potent formula. You can go solo or challenge another gamer. This game is For both PlayStation 2 and XBOX. This blog post is my own review of this game released in 2004.

This game is rated "T" for "Teen" by the ESRB.

--- Street Fighter Anniversary Collection at a Glance ---

^ from: timezonegaming.com (best I could find for the PS2 box) - Street Fighter Anniversary Collection box (for PS2).

Street Fighter Anniversary Collection was released in 2004 as the 15th Anniversary of the Street Fighter series. What began with a young red-headed fellow named Ryu in the very first Street Fighter would evolve to one of the greatest fighting game franchises of all time starting with "Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior." Through five iterations of Street Fighter II, the world began to love and appreciate just what this game brought to the table, expanding upon a great formula. More fighters and more ways to dole out punishment just made this game series better. A few years since Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter III came along offering a new experience. "True fighting is art!", says "Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike." This title is the best version of Street Fighter III with many more characters and an impressive soundtrack. Experience colorful and rich graphics along with some impressive gameplay. Characters are all richly-detailed while also offering up some wicked Super attacks.

This package, then, is the culmination of the greatest fighting game franchise of all-time featuring two hit series. Fans of the series are invited to enjoy the thrill of intense fighting and all that has made the Street Fighter the very best for years. The fifteen-year anniversary (as of the date of SFAC's release) is celebrated with this great gaming package.

A Quick Note...

Because this is two games in one, I will discuss both of them in separate sections. The names for each character are based on the American version of the game. So the boxing dude (for example) will be referred to as Balrog, though he is known as M. Bison in other regions.

--- Hyper Street Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Collection ---

More like a special edition of "Super Street Fighter II Turbo," this game allows you to play as any of the characters from various Street Fighter 2 titles. There have been five editions of Street Fighter II. This one allows you to play as any of the characters in this title. The one you select determines which fighters you can use. So for example, you can't select Cammy if you choose the very first Street Fighter II game. You also can't play as Sagat using the first Street Fighter II. Even sounds from each of the Street Fighter titles are used. Each character has only one Super attack. These are usually either two quarter-circles or some charging attack. For fighters whose moves are quarter-circle attacks (like Ryu and Ken), you will need to perform a quarter-circle twice followed by a kick or a punch. For charging attack fighters (like Guile or Balrog), you will need to (when facing the right) charge up back, forward, then either punch or kick

The game features five iterations of Street Fighter 2. Here are the differences among them all:
* Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
(no Supers; can not adjust speed; cannot choose: Balrog, Vega, Sagat, or M. Bison; will not fight/use: Cammy, Dee Jay, Fei Long, or T. Hawk)

* Street Fighter II: Championship Edition
(no Supers; can not adjust speed; cannot fight/use: Cammy, Dee Jay, Fei Long, or T. Hawk)

* Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting
(no Supers; can not fight/use: Cammy, Dee Jay, Fei Long, or T. Hawk)

* Super Street Fighter II
(no Supers)

* Super Street Fighter II Turbo


The sad thing about SFAC is that you only fight against Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo characters in both Arcade and Training modes, making it nearly unfair to use characters from older Street Fighter II games.


--- Characters ---
Here's a description of each of the fighters you can choose from:

Ryu.

The battle-tested and completely hardened Ryu is as powerful and as fearful as any other fighter in the Street Fighter II universe.

E. Honda.

E. Honda is a specialist in sumo wrestling. He is quite agile for such a widebody. His multi-hand slap attack is a good way to quickly deal damage.

Chun Li.

I call Chun Li as the "First Lady of Street Fighter." She is the queen of Street Fighter and a good fighter to use if you don't like using the boys. Her kicks will make you go crazy.

Blanka.

Brazlian beast Blanka has a great understanding of utilizing the playing field. He can electrocute you with his electric attack, or do a roll through the air horizontally (and maybe vertically as well).

Guile.

Guile is part of the United States Air Force. His Sonic Boom is as legendary as Ryu and Ken's Hadouken fireballs. He also takes to the skies with his lethal somersault kick.

Zangief.

Zangief is a Russian beast who excels in pro wrestling. His grapples can do some serious damage. Avoid being on the wrong end of his grapples at all costs.

Ken.

Ryu's friend and rival, Ken is the American eqiuvalent of Ryu- matching his every move. If anything, Ken is a touch more versatile and diverse than Ryu.

Dhalsim.

While he may appear weak and frail, Dhalsim can go all yoga against you. Make sure you're ready to fight when you head to India to fight him.

Balrog.

A hard-hitting boxer, Balrog delivers the fiercest punches.

Vega.

Vega is often considered as a Spanish ninja. The Spaniard is the quickest of all the fighters in the game. He is also the only fighter who brandishes a weapon. His metal claws offer a great deal of range as well as some powerful offense.

Sagat.

I have always respected Sagat- he controls the entire playing space better than any other fighter. His Tiger fireballs deliver quick and sudden offense. His Tiger Uppercut will quickly take you out of the air. It probably also helps that Sagat is the tallest fighter of them all. If anything, the best strategy in beating Sagat is to keep aerial attacks to a minimum.

Cammy.

Cammy is one British bombshell. She may lack the flash of Chun Li, but makes up for it with some powerful offense.

Dee Jay.

Have rhythm on your side when Dee Jay comes to play. The Jamaican knows how to jam and how to tear you down. His rhythm-based offense is tough to defend against once he gets going.

Thunderhawk (or T. Hawk).

Even taller than Sagat, Thunderhawk is like a more agile Zangief. The Mexican is very powerful and is in no way a pushover. His agility is impressive for such a big fighter.

Fei Long.

Fei Long delivers pain like nobody else. The Hong Kong native is a movie star clearly influenced by Bruce Lee. He is not easy to fight against. He's a handful, however, when using him in battle. Get ready to earn your victories against this guy.

M. Bison.

He is the fearful and powerful dreaded leader of Shadaloo. When done wasting Balrog, Vega, and Sagat; M. Bison is the final threat.

Akuma (or Gouki).

Word has it in Super Street Fighter II Turbo that if you beat all the other fighters without losing a single round, you will fight Akuma rather than Bison. Basically, Akuma is like Ryu and Ken... only much more powerful and much less forgiving. You're basically commiting suicide when you fight against someone as powerful and as strong as Akuma. He has no Super attack... and doesn't need one!


What I'm personally most disappointed about is that this game could have been like, you know... SFII Sagat vs. Super Street Fighter II Turbo Ryu, or anything like that. I think when you select fighters and play in Arcade Mode, you can only go against SSFII Turbo characters. So it's a tad disappointing in this department.

Despite these disappointments, you get a handful of bonus material in this package, though. You can listen to classic Street Fighter songs across the various sound platforms. You can even view videos showcasing ending credits and more. You can even watch "Street Fighter II: The Movie" in its entirety. Please note this is the 1994 manga movie, not the failtastic "Street Fighter" movie that had the likes of Jean Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia. There is a lot to enjoy with this title. A little more content, though, would make this package unbeatable.

--- Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike ---

"Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike" was the last true Street Fighter title before Street Fighter IV came along. This game was dramatically different from the first two major Street Fighter titles. A cast of old favorites along with new characters help set the stage for one of the finest Street Fighter titles ever. Not everyone was completely in tune with the new style of play, but Street Fighter III (and especially "Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike") was a great evolution of the Street Fighter series.

The full title of this game is: "Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future."

Basics.

The first thing to note is that each fighter has three Super moves. However, you can only select one to use in your fighting. When your have enough Super energy, you can freely use that Super technique to deal greater damage to your opponent. There is another gauge you must be wary of- the Stun meter. If the Stun meter is full, you will render your opponent useless and unable to defend briefly.

I am not in any way adept with the parry system. To explain it briefly, if your opponent delivers a fierce punch, and you counter promply with a fierce punch of your own, the impacts are canceled out. It is almost like blocking an attack without actually blocking. It takes great practice to be a pro in parrying attacks.

The main mode of play is Arcade Mode. Arcade Mode consists of ten battles going from one stage to the final stage. You can choose between two different opponents throughout your run through Arcade Mode (until you reach the ninth and tenth stages). There are also two bonus stages- one requires you to destroy a sports utility vehicle using your own moves, and another is a parrying challenge with basketballs being thrown at you. When you reach the ninth stage, your opponent is fixed and is essentially a rivalry battle. If you clear the ninth stage, you go into a fierce one-on-one battle with the final boss, Gill.

You are tabbed on two elements- points and grades. Your ability to attack and defend leads to a better grade. Racking up points while fighting is also a good way to make the top scores. If you want to conquer this game, rack up points while also demonstrating great fighting ability.

You can choose between an Original soundtrack and the Arranged soundtrack. I recommend the Arranged soundtrack because this is where you'll hear the game's best music in the best quality. Each of the stage songs feature three different parts based on each round. So when you reach the second round and third round (if needed), you will hear different versions of the main song in that round. Most of the music was done by Canadian rapper INFINITE of Lockdown Entertainment.

Characters.

Most of the returning characters from the Street Fighter II games are in this one, so I won't waste too much time on each. Here are the returning characters:

* Ryu
* Ken
* Chun Li
* Akuma (was not a selectable/playable character in the SFII games)

Each of these returning characters deliver their own unique offense while also adding in some powerful Super attacks. Ryu and Ken are as powerful as ever while Chun Li is even more graceful attacking. Akuma delivers pain unlike any other fighter in the game.


And here are the new ones in this game:

Dudley.

Dudley is the most honorable chap you'll come across. He's a boxer who dresses sharply and fights with honor. The British fellow can be thought of as a much more agile Balrog.

Alex.

To me, Alex is a much more agile Zangief. He was the unlikely hero for me when I beat this game for the first time. Alex is immensely powerful and capable.

Remy.

Remy is more like Guile, only much less brawny and much more androgynous (not that Guile is in any way androgynous). He utilizes his own Sonic Boom and Somersault Kick attacks.

Sean.

This young Brazilian loves playing basketball. So much so that he incorporates a little basketball into his offense. He may use some basketballs to use like fireballs. Sean is a very exciting fighter to use or fight against. Sean is more like an evolution of Dee Jay.

Oro.

While he may appear like some Star Wars reject, Oro is quite formidable. He knows how to dish out punishment. Don't take him lightly.

Yun.

Yun is Yang's brother. Neither Yun nor Yang are really anything exciting to fight with or against.

Yang.

Yang is Yun's brother. Yang is taller than his brother and is a bit more diverse on offense. Neither Yun nor Yang are really anything exciting to fight with or against.

Urien.

Urien is built strong, and his body shows it. Pay attention to this guy because fighting against him will give you somewhat of a preview of your final boss battle against Gill. In fact, Urien is the younger brother of Gill.

Makoto.

No girl in this game hits harder than Makoto. Unfortunately, she is very slow moving. Make good use of her power to win fights.

Ibuki.

This Japanese teenage girl is a ninja. Her attacks pack some force. She is a very fun character to use.

Twelve.

Twelve is an alien-style fighter with a diverse array of attacks. He can even render himself invisible, making his already funky offense even more so.

Hugo.

The metaphor "mountain of a man" definitely describes Hugo. This walking skyscraper of Final Fight fame is a powerful wrestler. His wrestling manager is the controversial Poison, also of Final Fight fame. You may think being tall proves a disadvantage when going up against smaller and more agile competition. However, he carries his weight (all of it) quite well in battle. Beware of his many grapples and vicious attacks.

Elena.

From the plains of of Kenya, the long and lanky Elena attacks with kicks much like Balrog and Dudley attack with punches. She can be tricky to fight against. Keep your guard up at all times.

Necro.

Necro is a funky character that tends to have the abilities of Blanka, Dhalsim, and Zangief all in one. He'll shock you like Blanka, can use his elongated limbs against you like Dhalsim, and isn't afraid to run you over like Zangief. It's a three-in-one that can be quite a handful.

Q.

The oddity known as Q is a tall and mysterious figure. He is quite scary and delivers some hard hits. Be careful around this guy when fighting against him.

Gill.

Gill is the boss of this game. Half of his body is red with fire, and the other half is blue with ice. His attacks are very powerful. And let me be the first to warn you- if you beat Gill thinking the match is over, make sure to stay on him when he's taken down. Don't learn the hard way (like I did) that the match is over just because you beat him in two rounds. You have to beat him, then make sure he doesn't recover as much health as possible.

Gill is a more straightforward boss than M. Bison. His Super attacks can do some serious damage.


--- Thoughts on "Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike" ---
There is a reason why people think this game has the best soundtrack of any Street Fighter game. The music is incredible (especially the remixed/arranged songs). I could listen to the theme of the New York City stages all day if I wanted to. That is my personal favorite collection of songs in this game. The graphics are beautiful and expressive. This game is completely different from the SFII games, but not too different to where the look and feel of Street Fighters past seems completely foreign. I probably wish I wasn't relegated to just one Super attack. Picking the best one depends on how well you're able to execute it. So my advice would be to basically play around with your character. If you are not good at characters who use charging attacks (for example: Guile's Sonic Boom) and one attack is a charging attack, go for a Super that is easier to execute. If you are not good with full-circle Supers (like some of Hugo's super attacks), go for something else.

This game is worth playing in Street Fighter Anniversary Collection.





Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is a great package and a great gift for any Street Fighter fan. It has all that has made the Street Fighter series great since "Street Fighter II: The World Warrior." You even get to experience "Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike." Again- you probably can't ask for much more in regards to the classic Street Fighter games.

Want to get this game? You can get it on Amazon! Click on the item below to get this game either for PS2 or XBOX:



THIS LINE (from left to right):

1. Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (PS2).
2. Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (XBOX).

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Stunts/4D Sports Driving

One lap, one opponent, one chance, multiple obstacles, and fast cars- can you beat the course? Stunts game was published in 1990 for PC by Brøderbund (USA) and Mindscape (Europe) and developed by Distinctive Software Incorporated. The Canadian developer would later become Electronic Arts Canada. DSI was made a handful of games including the classic Stunts. It has also been ported for a handful of other systems, such as Amiga, Tandy, and more. Some of the world's fastest cars and race cars at the time of this game were included for you to race. The goal of Stunts is to take on a course with any number of obstacles and reach the finish line. Players can even create their own one-lap thrill ride using the game's Track Editor. Replay value, as you would imagine, would be very high since you could create your own track. This blog post is all about this classic racing game.

NOTE: Though this game is also called "4D Sports Driving," I will exclusively refer to this game as "Stunts."

--- Stunts/4D Sports Driving at a Glance ---

^ from: YouTube - Stunts splash screen.

Stunts was in no way trying to become the most realistic racing game on PC. Rather, it was more that one-on-one thrill ride. Stunts challenged gamers to choose from over 11 different cars and compete on any number of tracks. Not satisfied with the given tracks? You can always make your own! Using the in-game track editor, you could create your own incredible race tracks in the game with a good number of tiles to use. These aren't just simple tracks. Oh, no- there are tracks with loops, jumps, corkscrews, and more!

The look and feel of Stunts is comparable to games like Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin'. Its one-on-one action is comparable to the first two Test Drive games (in fact, this game was developed by Distinctive Software Inc., the same people that brought you "Test Drive" and "Test Drive 2: The Duel"). The biggest factor of Stunts' popularity is in making any number of tracks. The interface is incredibly simple and doesn't take too much to make a fairly decent course. That is why I think this game would perhaps serve as an influence to a future racing game series in the 2000s called TrackMania.

You have both street cars and even a few race cars for which to use in your fantastic voyage of stunt racing. Are you ready for the challenge? You can go solo or challenge one of six different AI racers to a one-on-one race. Each of the six racers have their own strengths and weaknesses. Put them in any of the available cars to give you a more than suitable challenge. Speaking of the cars, the cars are all 3D with functioning brake lights. The 3D graphics may not be impressive, but it was certainly impressive for a 1990 game.

Convinced yet that this is a great racing game? If not, I'll throw in a few more to get you excited. Let's look at the game in its most intricate details.

--- Stunts/4D Sports Driving in Detail ---

Each section will be noted by headings. I will tell you as much as I can about each game.

Cars.

It's time to take a look at the cars which comprise Stunts. Remember that since this game was released in 1990, these were some of the fastest cars of their day. Some even still fast to this day. Each car in this list appear as they do in order when you select cars. Info on each car is as the info appears in the game, so don't blast me because of inaccurate facts. These CLEARLY are what the game specifies for each car:

Remember that this game was in 1990, so the cars likely don't go for the same amount of cash in this day and age.

Car	Drivetrain (Engine Location/Drivetrain)	Horsepower (hp)	Top Speed (mph)	Price (US Dollars)
25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach	Mid/RWD	420hp	183 mph	$150,000
Ferrari GTO	Mid/RWD	394hp	190 mph	$74,000
Jaguar XJR9	Rear/RWD	520hp	215 mph	$325,000
Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V	Front/4WD	200hp	137 mph	$40,700
Lamborghini LM-002	Front/4WD	444hp	126 mph	$120,000
Porsche 962 IMSA	Rear/RWD	500hp	215 mph	$275,000
Porsche Carrera 4	Rear/RWD	250hp	161 mph	$69,500
Porsche March Indy	Rear/RWD	720hp	230 mph	$420,000
Corvette ZR1	Front/RWD	375hp	172 mph	$58,000
Acura NSX	Mid/RWD	270hp	165 mph	$60,000
Audi Quattro Sport	Front/4WD	220hp	145 mph	$60,000

Here are things to take note of:

* Here are some stats on cars in this game:

Characteristic	Least	Most
DISPLACEMENT	Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V (1995cc)	Corvette ZR1 (5727cc)
HORSEPOWER	Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V (200hp)	Porsche March Indy (720hp)
ACCELERATION (0-60 mph)	Lamborghini LM-002 (7.7 sec)	Porsche March Indy (2.3 sec)
TOP SPEED	Lamborghini LM-002 (126 mph)	Porsche March Indy (230 mph)
PRICE	Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V ($40,700)	Porsche March Indy ($420,000)

* Do not use slow cars on high-speed tracks or tracks. Tracks with loops or a lot of aerial stunts should not be raced on with slow cars. Any of the race cars (Jaguar XJR9, Porsche 962 IMSA, and Porsche March Indy) are perfectly fine for all courses. Then too, good track design always helps. Make sure you create fair race tracks that can actually be finished on.

* Each car can be colored in one of over seven different colors. Cars are all colored a bit differently from one another.

* All cars come in either Automatic or Manual.


That covers the cars. Now, let's focus on the opponents.

Opponents.

You can race against the clock, or against one of these six opponents. The opponents you can choose from will be your opponent on the track. You can give these opponents a car to race with in taking on your car. You can have your opposition race the same car as you, try to get an easy win by putting him/her in a less powerful car than yours, or you can challenge yourself by putting him/her in a much better car than yours. The ages are as of the date of this game:

* Squealin' Bernie Rubber - age 23.
Unless you just don't know how to play this game, beating him should be fairly easy. He is pathetic to race against. Bernie should be your first opponent if you are new to this game.

* Herr Otto Parts - age 52.
Flat roads are his specialty. He is not at all adept in taking on stunt tracks. The majority of his racing experience is in Formula One racing. So basically, he's a newcomer to the stunt racing scene. Because of this, he is very poor in doing aerial stunts.

* Smokin' Joe Stallin - age 29.
He prefers the Acura NSX when racing (he even tells you he wants the NSX to race with). Joe is better suited to twisty tracks rather than high-speed courses. It's funny that if you give him the Acura NSX and you still beat him, he still prefers to be in the NSX to race with... even if you've beaten him in his NSX!

* Cherry Chassis - age 24.
A complete opposite to Smokin' Joe Stallin, Cherry's biggest advantage is in high-speed racing. She perfers high-speed courses rather than any twisty and technical courses.

* Helen Wheels - age 24.
Helen is an all-around great racer with no glaring flaws. Trouble is, she has a tendency to play bumper cars a lot. She may just run into you in an attempt to wreck your car (and hers) if you're not careful. Besides this, she is not an easy racer to go up against.

* Skid Vicious - age 34.
The ultimate opponent is Skid Vicious. He is the most difficult racer to go against. So if you beat him in a race, you've accomplished something in this game. There is no one more imposing and difficult to go up against than Skid Vicious. He will make you pay if you take him lightly. Skid Vicious has no weaknesses at all. Prepare to EARN your victories when facing this guy.

Tracks.

Creating tracks comes in two parts- laying out individual tiles and working with the environment. The tiles you select for each course consist of various roads and obstacles. You begin with one of five pre-designed terrains when creating a new course. What you can create from these courses is up to you. The main thing to remember is that any created track MUST have a complete path all the way around. Otherwise, you will be unable to race it. To check to see if your track is complete, press the "C" key to test out the route(s) around the course. Here is a brief overview of some of the tiles:

--- Terrains ---
* Terrain 1 is dominated by one big hill.
* Terrain 2 is flat with a river and a small lake.
* Terrain 3 features a few hills and a big lake. A small island is within the lake.
* Terrain 4 has small hills scattered across the playing area.
* Terrain 5 has a little of everything- hills, rivers, and lakes.

You don't have to stick with these terrains. In fact, if you hold down the Shift key while pressing F1, you can freely edit the terrain to your liking.


Now a look at the track editing options. The Function key in parentheses is the shortcut button you press to access each page in the game's Track Editor:

* The first page (F1) features all paved roads. These are the most basic roads to race on and are grippy. All basic roads feature a variety of corners. You can create straight roads, sharp corners, banked corners, and various other paved roads with this menu.

* The second page (F2) features all dirt roads. These dirt roads offer less traction than the paved roads. The same kinds of roads that can be created with this menu can all be accessed in this menu.

* The third page (F3) features all icy roads. The icy roads offer the worst traction of all surfaces. It is both tricky and tough to get up to speed and corner properly. If you want to make roads challenging, try using either paved or dirt roads, and then put in some sharp icy corners. As for the icy roads, the same variety of road options entail for the icy roads.

* The first of the specialty roads can be found with the fourth page of data (F4). This menu features tunnels, slaloms, bridges, loops, pipes, and corkscrews. The slalom tiles feature tall concrete blocks that must be negotiated carefully to avoid having your fancy car wrecked. The bridge tiles must be set no further than one tile apart. Use this to properly set up dramatic jumps. If you need to get up to speed quickly, set up some loops. The loops can be conceived more like turbo boots. Just make sure to properly drive through the loop. The tunnels are straightforward- just paste them onto the terrain to go through tunnels. Use the pipes to go through each road
Finally, the corkscrews require that you precisely drive up to the top of them and come out on the other end safely. All of these are paved roads.

* Have a liking for ovals? The fifth menu (F5) features banked turns and straights. Banked roads can make for interesting undulations in the road. You can easily set up ovals by using the banked corners.

* The sixth menu (F6) features various sets of paved roads with some curved sections that have curbs on the far inside. These are great to place when diverting the road with a high-speed section.

* Chicanes and highways can be made with the seventh menu (F7). Chicanes offer a brief left-right or right-left change in direction. Highways divide the road into two. Pick a lane and go into the end of the highway.

* In the eighth menu (F8), elevated roads are offered. You can create bridges, ramps, overpasses, and more using this menu. Only elevated ramps can be used on the slopes. Elevated corners can also be created with this menu of tiles.

* The ninth menu (F9) only feature corkscrews from elevated roads. Each corksrew is a 360° loop going from elevated road to flat road, or flat road to elevated road. You need to be careful here because you can easily wreck your car if you don't navigate these roads correctly. Think of these corners as progressively sharp corners going either downhill or uphill.

* The final menu is the tenth menu (F10), and it just features scenery. Use these to dress up your track. These scenery options include buildings, barns, windmills, boats (must be placed on water, obviously), two different gas stations, trees, cacti, palm trees, and a tennis court.


--- Horizons ---
There are five horizons you can choose from to accentuate the background of your course. There is no advantage or disadvantage to using any of the horizons in this game. Here is a brief description on each:

* Desert - situate your track in a desert setting with plateaus in the background.
* Tropical - a horizon with a serene tropical setting.
* Alpine - a mountainous setting
* City - an urban locale with many hills and towers. It is reminiscent of Monte Carlo.
* Country - rolling hills and grassy plains, it's just an easy-flowing horizon.


That's all you need to know about the inner parts of the game.

Racing.

Each race is a one-lap run. You pick what track you want to race and what opponent (even if it's against the clock) you want to go up against. The racing is all straightforward. Here are the criteria for winning and losing:

--- Winning Criteria ---
* Complete the course.
* Complete the course, even if your opponent crashes out.

--- Losing Criteria ---
* Fail to complete the course.
* Fail to beat your opponent on the course.
* Both you and your opponent crash out, whether separately or crashing into each other.

--- Special Considerations ---
* If you intentionally cut the course, time penalties will be levied against you. So don't try it.


After each race, you can see if your time is among the fastest posted for that course. If so, you can type in your name to put your time among the best times for each course. You can even input your name among the fastest times even if you lose the race but still manage to finish. If you lost the race but still finished, your time will be noted in parentheses. The evaluation at the end of each race indicates the number of jumps you've made, your average speed, your top speed, and in the event of a crash... your impact speed. Your time and the opponent's time will also be listed.

You can also view a replay of the race you run and even save your replay for future viewing. These are four viewing angles to choose from by pressing any of the Function Keys ranging from F1 to F4. These same viewing angles can also be used during the race. F1 is your in-car view, F2 is a helicopter view, F3 is a chase cam, and F4 is a TV-style replay.

So go race hard!

--- Why You Should Care About This Game ---

I think Stunts is a game that somewhat influenced today's TrackMania games. I immediately think of Stunts having played this on my very first computer (all of its 8 MB of RAM with a 75 MHz processor). I think people who love the TrackMania games should play this game to understand just how similar TrackMania games are to Stunts. I am not knocking the TrackMania games, but TrackMania and its track-making reminds me a great deal of Stunts.

--- Stunts Preview ---

Here is your video look at Stunts. THIS is the game I've blogged about all post long. You now get to see its details for yourself:



There is your video insight. It may not be an exciting track that was used, but you can CERTAINLY make your own incredible experiences in this game.





A Dutch group or developer created a game called Ultimate Stunts. Ultimate Stunts is a fan-made freeware game that pays homage to the old Stunts game while also offering 21st Century touches. It is a multi-platform title with an assortment of cars and tracks. To learn more about Ultimate Stunts, visit Ultimate Stunts' website.

By the way... if you do manage to buy or find Stunts, you will need to keep in mind that this is a DOS game. I recommend you use DOSBox to play DOS games on your PC if you use any Windows operating system XP or above.

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Car Style - The 2011 Audi A8

Recent Audis have beautiful style. I absolutely love the Audi A4's style. The Audi A6 got itself a revised look. Then... there's the A8. The new A8 delivers a new sense of style along with their daytime running lights. The A8 is the ultimate luxury offering to Audi lovers. However, what is this car like in style? I will explain in this "Car Style" blog post.

For those of you new to my blog, "Car Style" posts are about how I think about how automobiles look to me. I have no knowledge or experience with cars (except changing an oil filter on my mom's van). So these blog posts relate to looks, because I am very much a person into art. All of my comments are my own regarding their style.

So let's talk about the new Audi A8's style!

--- Car Style: The 2011 Audi A8 ---

If you are a person of great status and prefer an Audi, the A8 is your ultimate showcase of your high status. It boasts a 4.2-liter FSI DOHC V8 engine, pumping put 372 horsepower at 6800 rpm and 328 lb.-ft. of torque at 3500 rpm. This is a car that costs about $78,000 USD. The A8 boasts an 8-speed automatic gearbox. And no one word will light the fire of any Audi fan than "quattro," and this big Audi has quattro all-wheel drive. I read the new A8 has better braking technology engineered to help dissipate heat with low weight. The car goes from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds to a top speed of 130 mph.

Exterior.

^ from: www.audi-carz.com (best I could find, because my picture of the A8 is poor) - The 2011 Audi A8.

The front of this Audi exudes style and charm that only Audi can provide. The one knock I have on it (and it's a big one), however, is its grotesque LED daytime running lights. The entire headlight arrangement is completely uncharming. The LED lights give me bad memories of college because they look like the square root symbols. The design is just completely off on many levels. What was Audi thinking giving its top-level luxury car an ugly appearance like this? I think Audi calls their LED DRL design for this car as a "wing." There is a better-looking set of headlights that can be ordered for the A8, but it still isn't as lovely as what you'd see on the A4 or even the R8 road car. Compared to the latest A4 (and even the updated A6), the A8's lights are hugely disappointing and ugly to me. The rest of the front, however, is all very lovely. I probably would have liked a two-piece design up front with a blacked-out piece to separate the top grill portion from the bottom half of the front. Nothing aggressive about the front bonnet- just clean and simple luxury.

Once you get over the unfulfilling front, you take note of the Audi A8's side style. The sides are actually pretty charming for this German luxury car. Some fender flares and nice side skirt details offer some aggression and style to the A8. Its C-pillar appears to be a real blind spot and not really flowing with the rest of the car. The car comes with a very nice set of 19-inch, Y-spoke aluminum wheels to compliment the four tires. Its design up top is equally clean.

The rear of the 2011 Audi A8 is pretty nice (if a bit bland). The brake lights are pretty nice along with the modest spoiler-like design on the trunk/boot. Single-tip exhaust pipes compliment the rear bumper of this executive-level luxury car. It just doesn't really scream beautiful to me like the A4.

Interior.

How can a car with a disappointing exterior (especially up front) have such a fantastic interior? The interior is the styling saving grace of the Audi A8. The front seats can be turned around to face the back seats so you can have a little meeting in your car. The dashboard is very lovely with its wood trim. It is an interior that really exudes class and charm. Too bad the steering wheel is kind of on the ugly side, though. The instrument panel boasts some pretty nice-looking gauges. In the center lies a nice navigation systeml Between the two driver seats is a nice center tunnel that is designed to be ergonomic for adjusting things like air conditioning and more. The seats look wonderful and are seemingly very comfortable. Many reviews I've read online say that the seats are VERY comfortable. Then again, who wants a top-level car that ISN'T comfortable?





I'm really disappointed that the Audi A8 could have looked a lot better. People may say something along the lines of character or something in its design. This car is just not as beautiful as it could be. I would think for a top-tier luxury car, I want my car to look and feel luxurious both outside and within. I would graciously change up a few cues to make it look much better. I'm actually pretty disappointed with its design. "Bland" is not the word (because it isn't)- my key word is more "unattractive." With a little better styling, I would love it as much as I do the A4. Though the A4 is a lower-level Audi, at least this Audi boasts much better styling cues as a whole than the A8. If the A8 was based more on the A4's styling cues, I'd like it better. But still- this is "Car Style." My blog posts on cars ONLY concern how I think cars look; NOT anything on performance characteristics or anything. The A8 still will not disappoint if you want a top-level luxury car from a marque like Audi. Its style, however, disappoints me greatly.

Here is a video preview of the Audi A8 from cars.com:



You can learn more about the Audi A8 (or even build your own Audi A8) by visiting Audi's [North American] site on the Audi A8.

Thank you for reading! Subscribe to my blog via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Click on the graphics below to subscribe to both of my blogs, and also Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page:
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