Bravo Air Race PS1 Review

Bravo Air Race was released on the PlayStation in 1997 and the game was developed by zing entertainment and published by THQ and this game is a very different take on the racing genre as instead of racing with cars you're primarily racing with different types of aeroplanes or aircrafts where you race against other opponents on customized tracks and the game has an arcade feel to it which is definitely one of its highlights. It's very obscure compared to a lot of other racing games that are out there. 

There's not many versions of these types of games that are really out there on many systems so it was unusual to see these types of games starting to crop up on the PlayStation themselves. 

The game itself did get a sequel called air race championship in 1999 but it only got a release in Japan. 

The game itself did get mixed to about average reviews and some of the main reasons behind why it did is because even though the gameplay is fast-paced and the controls and the mechanics work quite well even aside from the graphics there's a lot of issues in terms of the frame rate and the pop-ups that appear on the screen and it can cause a lot of confusion and that was the one thing that was stated in magazines is the fact that in some areas of the tracks, you don't really know or can see where you're supposed to go next especially if you go up too high on the screen. 

The map pretty much disappears and you're left in oblivion trying to figure out where to go and then you get stuck in something or on a wall and then you only then when you look at it you realize that you're stuck against a building so it can be quite frustrating. 

The tracks themselves are quite narrow to navigate because not only are you in the air where you're traversing different types of highlights and sky areas but you do have to go lower down into cliff faces even through tunnels and even in forest environments where you have to dodge trees and even in city type of environments where you have to go through areas or alleyways and buildings so there's loads of different obstacles to overcome. 

But a lot of times that's what does cause the confusion is the fact is that the frame rate pop-up on the screen sometimes happens that late that you're literally on top of it before it actually shows up so it can cause you to crash and completely destroy your progress in the race. 

That was pretty much the main issue that people mainly had with the game but aside from that issue what's it like to play overall? 

From having spent time playing it myself, the game is fun to play, it has a really good arcade presence or feel to it and even though it won't appeal to everybody but i do genuinely believe that it will appeal to arcade fanatics as it does have plenty of solid and fun elements and the game does consist of a number of different game modes, you have the single player championship, you also have access to a two-player mode where you can play with your friends and there's also a time attack mode so you can strive to complete the courses in the quickest times. 

Although i will admit when you're trying to do that if you can figure out the tracks and understand the frame rates of where you're supposed to go and not get caught out you might have a chance of doing quite well but for a beginner coming in probably not so much, you'll probably get frustrated and turn the game off before you even really know what's going on.

 It is one of those games like i said that it can be quite frustrating for some but i definitely think that it does warrant a revisit and another playthrough if you are into arcade racers. 

It is very different, it is very obscure but it does have a unique charm about it if you can overlook some of the gripes and issues beyond the game's capabilities there is a decent racer here and for that alone, it is worth a look plus it's different compared to other mainstream racers out there on the system so that in itself is worth exploring. 

And even with the tracks and the environments, there are some really cool features because you go through different types of terrain anything from like snowy mountains to like cityscapes and even like rainforests so aside from some of the issues with the game there is some really cool areas to explore although they are quite narrow so you do need to play it for a while and develop your skill with the game before you can really master each track but it is worth a go if you are into these type of arcade racers. 

There is a bit of fun to be had with it. 

And I'd love to know your thoughts on Bravo air race for the PlayStation if you have played it yourself and if so what do you think of it? 

Do you find it enjoyable? Do you find these type of quirky games to be worthwhile playing or maybe not so much? 

Be sure to share it in the comments below and be sure to keep watching to see more content on other games similar to Bravo Air Race, you can check out the blog where we will be diving into the iconic elements of these classic video games and as always keep those gaming memories alive...