Rollcage

Redux version (recommended, see "notes" below)

Imagine a car going at a speed of 400 km/h, that has a roof that is its bottom at the same time, and whose wheel is the size of a man. Add to that a turbo injection (What? 400 km/h weren't enough?!) and rocket launchers. You find it difficult to imagine such a mode of transportation? Well, the guys who invented this game definitely didn’t have such a problem.

This racing game is really unique. The race is between six vehicles that go well enough on road, on the edges of walls or even on the ceiling of the tunnel. This is definitely an impressive sight. On the track, there are pads that will speed you up, and you slow down when you collide with surrounding objects or other vehicles. There are two slots for missiles (straight, homing, etc.) and a variety of assistances (instant acceleration, slowing down other competitors, teleportation in front of a better placed driver, etc.). First you must pick those up on the track, and until you've used what you have picked up, you can’t take any new ones; which can be tricky when you have two homing missiles that target the first-ranked driver and you are in the lead. Rockets and assistances will have a great effect on the outcome of the race. It will often happen that you’re in the lead for almost the entire race; then your opponents unleash their arsenal at you and voila, you have dropped to last place. Of course, things can go in the opposite direction.

Story? What bloody story? Have you not realized by now that this game is madness? There is no need for any kind of story: action is in control here. However, there are different drivers to choose from. They are: Tony, Lothar, Leon, Jet, Ria and Lenny; Leon is my favorite. The differences between them are more than just cosmetic: you should choose depending on what style of driving you prefer. To that end, Tony is one of the fastest, but his car has the weakest grip, while Jet has a vehicle that sticks to the track perfectly but is weaker and slower than others.

Visually this game really excels. At the time, this was one of the most beautiful 3D racing games. The race tracks are various, they gleam and shine, and the phenomenal explosions of any surrounding buildings or competitors vehicles complete the sense of pleasure that your eyes transmit to your brain. You can race at night or day, in rain, snow, or beautiful sunny weather. The audio component is also excellent.

Two things have prevented this insanely fast race to gain the top mark. First is the camera, which is sometimes positioned too close to your vehicle - usually when you spin on the track - and cost you precious seconds while you get back to normal. Another problem is the difficulty of the game. On Easy, the game is easy, therefore there is no problem. But Hard should be called Insane or Nightmare. A new opponent, Yuri, appears and he is always first, no matter how well you drive; and even if you are ahead of him, he will always end up 1st. Terribly frustrating. So, the game lacks a Normal difficulty level, which would represent a reasonable challenge.

Of course, the main strength of this game is in the multiplayer mode. Playing with a colleague on the same computer or over the Internet is the part of the game that should take the most of your time. So, if you have someone to play with, party on.

The Redux version (second download link above) is fixed by one the original authors Rob for better compatibility with modern Windows and some enhanced effects, and is recommended. It is hosted here with permission (alternative download from Rob's website). The first download link above has the original 1999 version (see "how to run" below).

These instructions are to install the old original version of the game, from the first link above. The Redux version comes in a much easier installer.

Usually, running the file Install (run me first).bat before running the game itself is sufficient, this script will set everything as it has to be and you should be fine.

However, if this doesn't work for you, follow this guide:

*edit your Windows registry ([Start] -> [Run...] -> type regedit -> [OK]):

*go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Psygnosis\Rollcage\Installer

(it should be there if you executed the RollCage.exe, if it's not, create the keys)

* right click into the right frame and choose

New -> String Value, enter:

Source

* double-click on Source and type:

X:

where X is an existing CD ROM drive

* [OK]