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Not a good game at all

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: August 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Spirit of Speed is the worst game that has ever been made in the history of gaming. I would have even given it negative stars if I could have. The gameplay is awful and the selection of cars is also bad. The game doesn't have any interesting game modes. Sega Rally 2 is a much better game. If you must try this game, rent it then decide whether or not to buy it or not. If you are looking for a good racing game, go try Sega Rally 2.

A really fun game......once you get the hang of it!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Let me tell you that first off this is not a fast paced game like 4 Wheel Thunder. This is a game that is meant to simulate 1930's racing cars. The graphics are very realistic. You can have 5 or 6 different views when you are driving. The old time music is really unique, away from all that rock & roll of other games. You are able to go on 8 tracks, 12 different cars, chose diffuculty, and chose practice, quick race, championship, or time trials.

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The steering is pretty bad once you start, but once you play it for about a week you get the feel for it. There is also no brake button! You just have to let up on the gas. I don't know why it is like that. It also take a century to load! It does only take up 2 blocks of space.

<<<<>>>>

If you are thinking of buying it, ! This game is probably not a game you want to even spend $20 on. In my opinion, this is a fun rental game, but a "not-worth-it" type of game to buy.

Great concept, not-quite-done-yet implementation

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 11, 2000
Author: Amazon User

It's such a refreshing change to play a racer with interesting and historic cars - 3 Alfas, a Miller, Auto Unions, etc. It's an added thrill to 'drive' versions of cars that I have seen being driven in anger for real at the Monterey Historic Races. The car models are great, the engine sounds are good(needs more rasp & bark up high, and more grunt down low), and the tracks are spot on.

The place where the game falters a bit is in some of the details. The most noticeable is the physics model. It's a bit wooden - the steering is something of an all-or-nothing affair. Having never driven an Alfa BiMotore in person, I can't comment on the accuracy, only that playing it I wanted more subtlety. Perhaps a wheel would be better than the stock Sega controller. I also need to re-read the instructions to determine if there really are no sensitivity adjustments for the controls. Lastly, I felt that turning down the sfx slider didn't lower the volume any. In reality, an Alfa 8C on song is *so* loud that you can't hear anything else.

If you want a game which focuses on graceful counter-lock power drifts, go play the mud levels of Sega Rally with the Stratos. But for the sheer joy of imagining yourself blasting around the banking at AVUS, or threading around Monza, Spirit of Speed is great!

STAY AWAY! STAY VERY FAR AWAY!!!!!!!!!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: May 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is horrible! I bought it about a year ago when there were only a few 20 dollar Dreamcast titles out. I had a Mad Catz 2 racing wheel. The back of the game said it supported the steering wheel. I had read average reviews on it. What were they thinking? This game doesn't even deserve one star. I don't know how it got a 4 out 5 average. Why is this game horrible? First, the loading times last forever (you could take a nap). Second, my steering wheel wouldn't work. I guess it only works with the original Sega wheel that came out when Dreamcast came out. Third, the graphics looked like a first generation Playstation game. And that is being kind. The framerated was not much more than 15 frames/second. Fourth, the physics engine was ridiculous. The crashes were pretty goofy. Thankfully the store I purchased it from allowed me to exchange it or I would have used it for a coaster. This is probably the worst game ever made on the Dreamcast! There are so many great games that are priced at 20 bucks now. You can make a wiser choice in picking one and that wouldn't be too hard to do. It is a crime that this game was even released on the super system that the Dreamcast is.

Nice Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: September 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is really nice.... The cars are really realistic. You have to be smart to play the game because you cant know when teh gas and the oil will finish. The cars and tracks are well modeled. Very Good Game

Nice change of pace

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is a welcome change of pace to all the other racing games out there. The cars are extremely realistic. They don't handle great ,have poor breaking and slow acceleration. It takes strategy to win these races not just speed and skill as in most racing games. If you like realism this is a great game.

Amazingly Awful; Awesomely Atrocious

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: May 24, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The people who have given this game good reviews must somehow be in the pockets of LJN/Acclaim or simply own not even ONE other post-1993 auto racing videogame. Look about the Web at wellregarded game review sites and you'll see reviews of 2.0/10, 1.9/10, 3.0/10 or even (believe it or not) a -2.1/10 (yes, a minus!). Fully informed as such, I still could not fight an immense curiosity to see if it is really that bad, and bought it new locally yesterday. IT IS THAT BAD!

The graphics engine is slow, undetailed, staggers along at all times (you'll see 2D sprites posing as trees move toward you with obvious pixel stepping), and is composed of horrid textures. Roads look like oatmeal paste. The cars have octagons for wheels. See the rearview mirrors with their static images! Yes, the mirrors hold 1 image that never changes. The one nice bit of graphics is the available cockpit view, with fairly detailed, working instrumentation.

I can also be kinder in regards to the handling. The cars do brake and accelerate with competence and decent response to controls. Some reviews have called the game's driving physics undrivable, and this is patently false.

But then there is the matter of meaningless modes with preset and too lengthy lap settings. Then there is the fact that despite a nice variety of cars, you CAN'T choose one with a less-than 150 mph top speed and win. Why? Because the computer always takes the 170-mph models! You just permanently fall behind.

Oh, and then there is the OVER 1-minute loading screens which put your DC through a workout before even getting to the second game menu. And then....

The game can be deemed worthwhile for 40 minutes. Try out each vintage racer (15 of them I believe) for a minute then load the next. Add 10 minutes to read the little car history bits in the manual, which is worth more than the game itself.

oh my god

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: July 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game shouldn't have been made it shows no sign of greatness on the speedometer says 214mph it feels like 35 mph. Going to school is more fun than this game.It shows no sign of speed and when you hit the wall back in those days there was fire when you hit the wall in this game you bounce off and nothing happens. Only fun factor is it's too easy you can win every time.other than that this game is just awful.

WHY?????????

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: February 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Why did they make this game? I got it because I thought the concept of racing in old cars would be cool, and it would, but not it this game. It takes three years to load, and the controls are horrible. It's also really boring because you're always way up front ahead of everyone. I regret buying this even though i only spent 10 dollars for it. I wouldn't even take it for free now.

I'm suprised that this game got made.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game should NEVER be compared to Sega Rally 2 (which, incidentally, is not that great). This is a great game for what it is: a bunch of old, dangerous cars on old even-more-dangerous tracks. I bought my dreamcast almost entirely to play this game. I love the history of the game just as much as the gameplay itself. I was glad to see that I didn't have to win a bunch of races to drive an AutoUnion around Monza, and I am glad that a game got made that doesn't only interest 10 year olds that only want to crash into something to see parts fly off (my nephew playing Demolition on N64).

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