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PC | Driving | Interstate '82

There is no Boxart for - Interstate '82
Interstate '82 3 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 3.5
  • SOUND: 3.5
  • CONTROL: 4.0
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE n/a
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.4

Review: Interstate '82

Review by Marc Saltzman | 11/24/2000 | 14:47:41 PM PST

Interstate '82 is fun and novel, but due to an abnormal number of performance problems, ultimately, it doesn't satisfy.

Ah, the '80s. Who could forget Miami Vice, Rubik's Cubes, Flock of Seagulls haircuts and Pac-Man?

Evidently, Activision hasn't dismissed this gnarly, pastel-colored decade as its latest offering is Interstate '82 (I-82)--the sequel to one of the most unique and enjoyable car combat games in recent memory, Interstate '76 (I-76).

Unfortunately, while I '82 offers a few new tweaks to the gameplay, it fails to recapture the magic of its 1997 predecessor.

In Interstate '82, Groove Champion, the hero from the original game, goes missing following a visit to his desert hideaway by a mysterious duo. Groove's sister, Skye, determined to find him, convinces his old partner Taurus (who now bears a close resemblance to Philip Michael Thomas) to help find out what happened. Taurus grudgingly gives in ("I'm getting' too old for this, ya dig?!") and off to Vegas they go to follow a lead on the whereabouts of Groove's alleged kidnappers.

One of this game's strongest assets is its evolving story, as told to the player through pre-rendered cut-scenes and occasional in-game dialogue (usually radio chatter). In this respect, it maintains the atmosphere of I '76, with solid voice acting and good music. Though it doesn't save the game, it's refreshing when a developer creates characters you actually care about.

For the uninitiated, gameplay involves selecting the right car for a mission (there's roughly 35 in total) choosing how to arm it, and completing the mission objectives. Usually, that means annihilating enemy vehicles while keeping your own out of harm's way.

Controlling the vehicles in these console-like scenarios is intuitive. A gamepad is recommended, but the keyboard works fine--especially after the brief-yet-thorough tutorial. Damaged cars are fixed between missions by your trusty sidekick Skeeter, and killing enemy cars rewards the player with salvaged money to pay for upgrades, such as additional weapons and shields

The 30+ vehicles range from compact cars such as the peppy '80 VMW 813s to mid-size '73 Courcheval Manta to full-size cars and trucks, including street vans or the slow-but-durable big rigs. Standard fare for weapon selection includes light machine guns and 42MM cannons, and you'll eventually have access to launchers and industrial lasers.

A new twist is the ability to leave your car and play on foot from a third-person perspective. Naturally, you're much more vulnerable in this position and your measly handgun is hardly enough to destroy vehicles packed with serious heat. The idea is to enable players whose cars take serious damage or run out of ammo to find new ones. Later on in the game, the player will need to leave vehicles to accomplish some tasks, such as flipping a switch to open a gate. This feature adds to the overall excitement fo the I'82 as you really feel defenseless against the metal beasts, not to mention timing is of greater importance when you're on your feet.

Along with a training mode, the single-player story, Instant Action mode, I '82 offers multiplayer for up to eight players over a LAN or the Internet (the latter a click away on matchmaking servers hosted by Won.net). Head-to-head modes include the standard DeathMatch, a Capture-the-Flag incarnation dubbed "Capture the Trout" and a clever game of "Hot Potato" where the last car with the bomb when the time runs out goes bye-bye. Sounds pretty good so far, huh? Well, not so fast.

The gameplay isn't as fun as you'd expect--mainly because of performance issues. On a Pentium III 500MHz, boatloads of RAM and a 32MB 3D-accelerator card, the screen update was choppy even at lower resolutions. Objects pop into view at the last minute. And the game frequently freezes or crashes. A patch is definitely needed.

Finding opponents and launching a multiplayer game is a cinch, but the actual gameplay ranges from a little choppy (unacceptable for a driving game) to downright unplayable (even on a cable modem).

The graphics are merely average. The game requires a 3D accelerator, but doesn't look that much better than its precursor (and definitely not as good as other non-traditional driving games this past year such as Microsoft's Midtown Madness or Acclaim's Re-Volt).

Also, many of the more urban areas, such as downtown Las Vegas in the first mission, are curiously void of other vehicles or pedestrians. Other indoor and outdoor locales such as deserts and an abandoned underground mine are also quite bland due to blocky objects and sparsely-painted textures

Much like the graphics, the sound in I '82 is about average compared to other games of this genre, or perhaps a touch above par. Engine and weapons sounds are satisfactory, but the music, headed by ex-Devo singer Mark Mothersbaugh, is pretty good. Three unreleased Devo songs are on the soundtrack, along with new material written by Mothersbaugh with his new outfit, Mutato Muzika.

Interstate '82 is not a bad game, but it's not one to recommend given the performance issues,. I just can't shake the feeling that the game could've been more polished as the developers should have invested more time in bug-testing and optimizing the speed for faster PCs.

In other words, for you children of the '80s, the game won't "gag you with a spoon" but it's a far cry from "totally awesome".