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	Tube Slider
	Developer: NDCube Publisher: NEC International Genre: Racing Players: 1-4 Similar To: XG3 Extreme G Racing Rating: Everyone Published: 06 :19 : 03 Reviewed By: Katrina Charter Overall: 6.5 = Fair

Screenshots

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Intro
Tube Slider marks NEC's full-fledged return to the North American market - aside from a few titles here and there during the Dreamcast era, they had all but disappeared after their Turbo Grafx 16 run in the early 90s - but this futuristic racer is sure to disappoint those expecting an experience akin to their rich past.

Gameplay: 7/10
While F-Zero helped to kick start the hovercraft racer, WipEout really took it to another a level. So successful was Psygnosis' blend of style and design that their seminal classic has been the benchmark for every title that featured non-wheeled racers. It's hard to break from a title that did so much right that not even its subsequent sequels - aside from the superior WipEout XL - could live up to it, and unfortunately for most titles out there, the same could be said for them, including Tube Slider.

To be fair, Tube Slider does take the approach to another level, and does so with gusto - despite only having a handful of modes: Compete (Grand Prix, Versus, Time Attack) and Training (Course Practice, Free Run, and a video Tutorial), none of which are really extensive. As the name implies, races take place within tubes, and the ability to break from a straight line to numerous twirls is not only exhilarating, but also frustrating. The mechanics, for the most part, are like other hovercraft titles, whether it be a WipEout, Quantum Redshift, or F-Zero. However, fans of this sub-genre will find NDCube's latest offering to be one of the most difficult around. Touchy controls and the unpredictability of the crafts lead to some nauseating spinouts, and several frustrating losses.

Comprising of several difficulty levels - one unlockable - and three circuits with various tracks, it's worth noting that repeating a course doesn't come off as repetitious as it could have due to a continuously aggressive AI that reinvigorates the experience. While there are power-ups, these just deal speed boosts and the ability to siphon energy from another player to add to the player's boost, or turbo, meter; I've had a handful of races that were very intense with myself and a computer opponent piggybacking each other and then attempting to evade a lock-on, either by slowing down to cause a crash or using a boost to counter the lock-on, and those were great runs. After the first circuit, the computer will really kick things into high gear and get its act together, but rarely did their challenges require me to utilize all of the small nuances of the driving style unique to Tube Slider, which was unfortunate.

The courses are, for the most part, difficult to follow. Most of the tracks will have outdoor areas that unveil a confusing mix of steel beams, skylines, other portions of the track, and various objects thrown in to make it look busy; indoors isn't much better with some portions weaving and turning so much that it's hard to focus. Even though the crafts have side boosters to help keep the vehicles steady, it's common for a simple turn to end up with the player on the ceiling, thereby slowing them down, and sliding down the other side of the tube with sparks flying, all while other racers are zipping by and arrows are flashing for which way to go. Most track markers will either be beans running underneath the track, or arrows, both of which can easily be lost with all the distractions. What the tracks do do, that the vehicles never seem to convey, is an intense sensation of speed; while the crafts will just get smaller to show distance, it'll be the track zipping around the edges of the screen that'll really get the heart pumping. Oddly enough, for a racer set inside giant tubes, most of the tracks really are fairly tame in design, it's the marker placement and difficult physics will make the game hard to grasp.

Even though F-Zero made little attempt to suck the player within the world, unlike Cyber Speedway, or the minimalist WipEout approach, the player still felt a kind of connection with the craft. That isn't the case with Tube Slider. Despite the random adrenaline rushes and the times I was able to hold the pack at bay; it never grabbed my attention for long amounts of time. The game is stylish, but it's a design that has been used so many times before, and without much to back up the racing - whether it be the limited number of modes or ignoring any personal aspect of any sort - there just won't be much here that'll be interesting in the long-haul.

Graphics: 6.5/10
Stylish and technically sound, there isn't much in the way of imagination. The vehicles are varied and look great, and effects like the sparks from them grinding a wall look fantastic, but being limited to a view of a tube really puts a damper on things. The outdoor areas can be impressive, while lightening is utilized to spruce up the inside portions, but none of which seems like it would be difficult to duplicate. A solid framerate does help. Not bad looking by any means, the style just didn't seem to be taken in any real direction other than general futuristic.

Sound: 6/10
What one would expect from a title like this; basically light techno. While I'm not the biggest fan of genre, I did find this selection good enough to play to. The effects were nice, but not plentiful. I would've really liked to have gotten a better sensation of being in the tube itself; a heavier feeling to the crafts so that, when one passes mine, I would feel as if a giant hovercraft just shot by. Some environmental sounds would've also been fantastic, maybe higher up, hearing some ventilation, or heavy winds hitting the tube itself, or possibly a thunderstorm getting louder the higher up the track went. Not bad, but a great deal more could've been done to give the experience much more atmospheric.

Control: 5.5/10
In most racers, most blunders feel like my fault, and I know I messed up. In Tube Slider, I rarely got that feeling. More often than not, I was left wondering what happened. The side boosters seem to either do too much or not enough, but they do make handling tighter turns a more precise and complex affair. The physics just didn't seem right - not that I know what it feels like to pilot a giant hovercraft within a gigantic tube, mind you - but it was taking a corner felt like it could either go well, or horribly wrong with the vehicle flying up the side and losing speed once straightened out on the ceiling. Without a feeling of confidence, everything felt too slippery and, as a result, it was hard to really enjoy myself when I was constantly worried about how the craft would react to the next turn.

Overall: 6.5/10
Tube Slider is an enjoyable racer that has its moments of exhilaration and excitement. But, there's just this underlying feeling of same'ness to it all that really detracts from the overall experience. The ability to maneuver in a circle formation is what really differentiates this from, say, Quantum Redshift, but it just isn't enough to keep it interesting for prolonged play. This is a definite rental or purchase at a discounted price; though, just make sure to watch the tutorials first and give a few practice runs, because going in cold turkey will be the worst thing to do. Not wholly original, but enough thrills to make it moderately entertaining.

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