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Okay, a little bit of an introduction to the game. The year is 2001, essentially man has invented some sort of powered suit, known as " Component Muscle " which allows humans to possess incredible physical power. Naturally, there has to be some "non-violent" use of this technology. The result: a racing competition where the participants actually run at speeds over 200 km/h via " Component Muscle ".
Essentially a racing game. Running High is just average when compared to other racing games the likes of : Rage Racer or Need for Speed 2. Here are the different categories and my opinions to go along with it.
GRAPHICS: Graphic-wise. It's just plain average. The intro is nicely done. But the actual in-game graphics fall short. For starters, the tracks don't have lasting appeal. It simply doesn't have anything in the way of " graphic eye candy " to keep me interested and the layout simply lacks variety. Your runner on the other hand, is nicely done abeit a bit on the blocky side. Also of note is the graphic engine's illusion of speed. It feels like you are actually running at 200 km/h.
Score: 6 -- Although the graphics are decent. It pales in comparison with other racing games. Notably : Need for Speed 2.
MUSIC and FX: For a racing game, the sound effects are pretty sparse. Male runners make the same sound when punching. With bits and pieces of voices thrown in. The announcer is equally quiet. And the sound effects are rather hollow sounding and gets irritating quickly. The music is more or less Japanese techno. And get this ... a Japanese rap song ( nice tune ).
Score: 5 -- This is really a matter of personal taste. And in my opinion, the music is dead-average. And the SFX is nothing special to write about.
CONTROL: Suprisingly very good. Like Rage Racer, the responsiveness will vary depending on your runner. Most moves are easy to do. No problems here.
Score: 8 -- Just like Rage Racer
GAMEPLAY: This is where Running High stands out in several aspects. Aside from simply outrunning your opponents. The game forces you to learn the special moves if you want to win. (Like grabbing your opponent in leap-frogging him or her in the process). Kinda like Road Rash, except with more technique. Power sliding here is given the literal diffinition. You will actually slide in tight corners. The runners themselves require you to develop strategies which complements that certain runner's abilities. One thing I particulary dislike is that the AI cheats. You can never out-dash an already dashing AI-controlled player and the AI runs like they are mounted on rails.
Score: 7 -- Originality and technique is Running High's strong point. Different runner = different strategy of winning.
BOTTOM LINE : Borrow or rent it if possible. Buy it only if you really liked it. Overall score is 6 out of 10. I've seen better racing games than this.