ROMiniscing: Uniracers \ Unirally (Super NES)
Superior [ Epic ] Legendary
Rockstar Games might mean “hookers, killing sprees, and Hot Coffee” to Jack Thompson, but back when they were DMA Design they were better known for a quirky puzzle-solver called Lemmings. A slightly lesser-known but equally goofy and enjoyable game, Uniracers (Unirally in PAL regions), is the subject of this week’s ROMiniscing.
Anyone that knows me knows two things about my gaming preferences: I want simplicity, and I can be a masochist. If a game takes only seconds to learn but weeks to master – all while having tons of fun – I’m there. Uniracers is emblematic of that: The initial learning curve can be timed in seconds, but to beat all three opponents (Bronsen, Silvia, and Goldwyn) on all 5 tracks of all 9 circuits, you’ll need to get some real talent (and band-aids for your thumbs). Add to this the peculiarity of the game – from its wicked courses to its saturated art style – and you’ve got yourself a timeless classic. In fact I would ordinarily lampoon a game leveraging graphics and speed over some basic gameplay expectations (like more than two racers on-screen), but in Uniracers, it just plain works. It all melds together into a charming game played at warp speed.
Flowery language aside, there are a few caveats. First of all, you’ll need a gamepad to play this on a computer emulator. Uniracers forces you to maneuver your thumb in ways and at speeds a keyboard just can’t accommodate. Also, because computer resources are dynamically assigned, there is the rare misfortune of a system CPU\RAM Usage split-second spike that lags the emulator and ruins your lead. This is especially frustrating when Netplaying against a friend.
Emulation issues aside, my only gripe with the game proper would be the aforementioned two-racer-at-a-time limit – presumably because it pushes the performance cap of the SNES as-is. So unlike typical racing games, you are wholly dependent on the checkpoint times to gauge your progress. This only gets more troublesome as the stages get more elaborate and forked. You may not see your opponent for minutes at a time!
Those minor issues pale in comparison to the amalgam of unadulterated fun, innovative simplicity, and acid trip style that is Uniracers. This game has repeatedly been on the requests lists for the Wii Virtual Console, so it’s only a matter of time before you can download it there. Until then, fire up your ZSNES, plug in your gamepad, and get pedaling.
Have a PS3 and want to use its controller for PC Gaming?
Read my previous post
Want to see what you’re in for?
Screenshots for the win!
Got the basics, but still can’t beat Silvia or Goldwyn?
Here’s a nice GameFAQ.
Tags: company-nintendo, company-rockstar, emulation, erdtirdmans, multiplayer-competitive, racing sim, reviews-buy, ROMiniscing-epic, single player, snes