Tube Slider GCN

One of the more bizarrely named games to head down GCN way, Tube Slider: The Championship of Future Formula Vehicles turns out to be a fresh, frenetic futuristic racer à la F-Zero.

The game marks publisher NEC's splashy return to video games. History buffs will recall NEC's TurboGrafx-16, released in 1989. As the first 16-bit system in the market, it predated both the Super NES and the Sega Genesis by two years. However, lack of great software quickly derailed the TG's prospects. While Mario and Sonic became household names, today Bonk's Adventure is little more than a trivia answer. NEC hopes to change that with Tube Slider.

The vehicles can defy gravity by pressing against the ceilings of the corkscrewing tubular tracks -- hence the game's name. Developer NDCUBE has modified the familiar racer controls. There's no real brake; instead, you decelerate by releasing the A Button.

Control your position by firing left and right booster rockets with the R and L buttons, respectively. Sub Vernier booster rockets are fired by pressing the B and Y buttons. You pick the particular type of sub vernier you want -- turbo or booster -- before a race. Turbos discharge gradually, while boosters are one-shot deals. Both turbos and boosters recharge gradually.

You can't fall off a track, but erratic driving dissipates valuable energy. Hence the importance of mastering both slide and drift turns.

Your sub verniers -- basically, auxiliary rockets -- build up energy over time or by sucking it from rival cars. Simply tailgate a rival and you'll lock on it, swiping valuable energy.

Brushing against any rival will immediately break the lock-on beam. If a rival locks on you, turn the tables and swipe energy back by unleashing your sub verniers.

Vehicles are rated for acceleration, top speed, handling, power, sub verniers and fuel capacity.

Modes include a Grand Prix circuit for one or two players, time attack and a versus mode for two, three or four players.

The game maintains an excellent frame rate, even when speeds top 400 mph on the twisting, vertigo-inducing tracks.

Last updated on 10 December 2007