Chapter 8: A Racer at Heart
I’ve basically finished Mario Kart DS now… got triple stars on all the mirrored 150cc circuits now as well. The opening title screen is different after you do this, and every single character can now use every single one of the 36 karts.
I’ve always loved racing games, and I’ve always been pretty good at them. The first racing game I got to be really good at was RC Pro Am for the NES. I was only like 8 years old at the time, but from what I recall, I was extremely good at it. I think there were only 32 tracks in total, and by the time you get up to that level, the three computer opponents are ridiculously fast… like 1.5x faster than your own car. That means once they go past you, you’re done… there is absolutely no chance of catching up. The only way to win is to keep at least one opponent behind you at all times, by firing rockets or bombs at him throughout the entire race to keep him at bay. I think I made it all the way to around level 60 or something, completely overflowing the trophy screen in the game (don’t think they had planned for anyone to get to such a high level).
In the last several years, I’ve played several arcade racers seriously, and here are my most notable accomplishments:
Rush 2049: #2 in Canada (As far I knew by the online rankings, which no longer exist)
Outrun 2: #1 in North America (Verifiable by the official online rankings)
Ferrari F355 Challenge: #1 in the world (Non-official as not verified by online rankings, but generally accepted as true. I have the world records in the game for Suzuka Short, Monza, Sugo, Suzuka Long, and Long Beach. I do acknowledge that the Japanese, generally the craziest arcade racers in the world, stopped playing this original version and moved on to version 2 of the game, whereas North America never got the newer version, so while they stopped playing the original, I continued with it and eventually beat their records.)
As for other games like Sega Super GT, Daytona USA 2, and Sega Rally 2, I got to be very good at those also, but not quite amongst the world elite. However, for Daytona USA 2, I can finish the reverse expert track while playing with the wheel cam view. =P
I’ve always wished I had a chance to do some real racing and find out if I have what it takes to be a successful racer. I’m not an optimist or a pessimist, but rather consider myself a realist, and I truly believe that I would make a good racer. I don’t know what level I would have been able to make it to, but I’m confident I’d have some success in auto racing. Alas it doesn’t appear as though I’ll ever get the chance to realize that dream.
