Hang OnSYSTEM: Sega Saturn
DEVELOPER: Sega
PRODUCER: Sega (Saturn Exclusive title)
PRICE: $29.99 (Bargin bin)
RATED: Kids to Adults
Being a huge racing fan, I eagerly awaited this title. I've been wanting a good motorcycle racing title since the Atari 2600 days, and until now I haven't been satisfied. A few came close (Super Burnout for the Jaguar comes to mind), but none have really captured the feel of real racing.
In Hang On you can have the option of Time Trials, GP Race, or Endurance (Endurance is only available after you place first in all tracks). You also have plenty of bikes to choose from, each has different characteristics (Handeling, brakes, engine, ect..). There are a total of 6 courses to race on too. Once you get first or second in the first three races, the additional courses become available to use. As expected, Sega included a wide range of options for gameplay.
Graphically the game looks a little blocky, but the courses and scenery were quite well done. A few more polygons and this game could've been breathtaking. It was probably done this way to keep the frame rate up. Overall, it still looks pretty decent but I believe it could've been better.
I can't fault the course layout. There are small hills, sharp hairpin curves, and everything else that makes for a great race course. Through the years Sega has really learned how to design a good racing game.
The sense of speed in this game is amazing. It almost feels like your really racing. I especially enjoyed this. To me racing should feel like racing. Some games just poke along slowly and never really convey a real sense of speed. Usually Sega racers don't suffer from this.
I tell ya, I really liked this game, but it has one major flaw. It's not really the programmers fault, but rather a plague of motorcycle games in general. It's the control of the motorcycle. With a digital pad, it was almost impossible to control. You could never have a smooth flow around the corners. Tapping the digital pad caused the bike to bop up and down around corners and was terribly annoying. I tried the Arcade Racer (Sega's analog steering wheel), but it was way too touchy. It didn't have the correct feel. I found myself almost always oversteering corners. Several months after I finished Hang On I purchased Sega's analog joypad. I went back to the game to try with this new controller. This was real touchy too (Read review in Hardware section), but over an extended period of time I was able to get decent control out of it. I think the programmers should give a way to adjust the sensitivity of analog controllers within the program. It possible to do, and would greatly enhance the playability of most analog racing games.
Overall, I liked the game. It had a real racing feel (power slides and all), and was generally fun to play. Had the control been better it would've been a hit. As it is, the game has barely been heard of. This doesn't mean it's not a good game, because it is!
RATINGS
GRAPHICS 85%
SOUND 85%
GAMEPLAY 80%
ORIGINALITY 90%
REPLAY VALUE88%
OVERALL 85.6%
