Yet another futuristic hovercar racer, Ascii's Aero Gauge immediately reminded me of Mindscape's Cyber Speedway on the Sega Saturn. Goes to show how innovative this title is.

However, of all the hovercars I've had the pleasure to drive (virtually) the Aeromachines are among the best, the most responsive, and the most natural. Thanks in the main to the N64's analogue thumb-thingy, these gravity-defying futuristic formula racers perform exactly as you ask them to. And they don't really "drive," they fly. Remaining within the confines of a race course, drivers can zip along either pasted near the ground or at dizzying heights, or anywhere in between which gives the illusion of a free range space flyer that happens to demand you stick to a course and win a race. Super cool tunnel/funnel portions of the courses are really exhilarating. The occasional dodge-me/deek-me overhangs and obstacles give the race a Star Wars trench-run feel. Unfortunately, a game that's easy to master is also a game that soon becomes tiresome. A mere accelerator button and a rarely used brake button offer as much complexity as a garage door opener. A third button controls the "drift" function, which is more of a pivot action that would make more sense in a basketball title. A button combo executes a nice (and needed) turbo/boost function but in the end, in spite of some exceptional features, Aero Gauge is none too exceptional. Besides, I still own Cyber Speedway and (chuckle chuckle) I still own a Saturn.