Scorcher is an old school racing game that was developed by a design company that has since closed its doors, Zyrinx. It was released for play by Scavenger on the personal computer, although other companies did rework it and port it to other systems, such as the Sega and Acclaim. It was a middle nineties original release and it supports both single player play and has a multi-player format. It featured a fast pace and action that was suitable for gamers of all ages.
The game plays mostly from the first person perspective, but there are certain screen shots that will switch to a third person viewpoint.
Scorcher also offers the gamer a fun futuristic setting, and vehicles that are definitely out of this world. The year is 2021, and the gamer will primarily play with some super juiced up motorcycles on some very wild and dangerous tracks. There are, in fact, a lot of three-dimensional courses (a total of six), which is one of the features that will keep racers coming back to Scorcher again and again. The turbo charged Scorcher…the motorbike…is also a fun handling machine that will really blow around those curves and twists.
To make the game even more interesting,
Scorcher features some extra features for the speedbike that will keep its normal fast pace from getting monotonous. The gamer will be able to acquire a turbo boost that will really allow the bike to accelerate…up to speeds of four hundred and fifty miles per hour…now that’s moving. During these really zippy periods, the user will be able to perform some pretty incredible jumps.
The game play of Scorcher is very similar to racing games such as Wipe Out. The futuristic landscaping and the uniqueness of each of the tracks are two of the nicer touches that set it apart from games like Wipe Out. The background music is a funky techno soundtrack, which fits the nature of this game very, very well. The controls are nothing novel or fantastic, but they seem to get the job done without derailing the user too often.
Overall, Scorcher is a decent enough futuristic racing game. The bike is neat to look at, but the look of the backgrounds, and the challenge of each individually designed track is the feature that keeps racers interested and playing this game more than once. The computer’s AI is adept at the game and will give the player a good go instead of simply pulling over and letting him pass. It is a fun little game.
