|
If cars can be used for racing, why not airplanes? Plane Crazy puts this theory to the test, as eight brave pilots (Nemesis, Big Red, Tsunami, Bustin' Bear, Slippy, Swifty, Duke, and Chub) take to the skies. Choose one of three planes (with different handling characteristics), which can be upgraded (and downgraded) during the race by collecting tokens. There are 9 distinct courses: 5 point-to-point tracks (Boulder Dash, Dockland Dive, Monument Rush, Volcano Rapids, and Sin City Run); A bonus multi-lap course; 3 practice courses. Each course has its own hazards such as skyscrapers, waterfalls and trees. There are also short cuts to be found. You can choose three types of races: Quick Race - against the other 8 pilots in a track of your choice; Ghost Race - where you race against a "ghost" plane, trying to beat your own time; Championship - where you race the 5 main circuits in order, earning prizes that allow you to buy upgrades to your plane. You can also play against other players via LAN or over HEAT.NET. There are power-ups scattered throughout the levels, which range from temporary bursts of speed to pseudo-weapons to use against your opposition. These weapons do not physically harm your target, they just screw up the controls for a while, one way or the other, which more often than not is equally devastating. Watch out though, the computer will use the same weapons against you. To top things off, you have a sonic cannon mounted on your plane. You only have three rounds per race for this weapon. The cannon is used on the terrain to either open up hidden passages or collapse buildings or geological formations. They are both very useful, either to shave a few seconds off your total time, or if a rival plane happens to be close to the object you are about to collapse. You can only use the sonic cannon on fixed points, and a cross-hair will appear over any valid target you fly by. There are a lot of them around, so save the shells for when they count. If your plane takes enough of a pounding, flies too close to an explosion, or hits a wall head on, it will explode. It is immediately replaced by a new one, and you can continue the race. You do loose quite a bit of time though, but there is no limit to the amount of planes you can loose. |
