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PS2
Gallop Racer 8: Live Horse Racing
- New Import |
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NCS Game Synopsis
©NCSX▪
What was once the sport of kings has become the
sport of cigarette chain-smokers who hinge their
immediate destinies on the outcome of a $2 exacta. Better make that
the $5 trifecta. In the world of Gallop Racer 8,
racing fans may relive the entire 2005 horse racing
season with the complete Japan Racing Association
schedules for the past year. Purchase a steed, bring
it to the stable, and then exploit it in races where
rudimentary controls guide it to the finish line.
Since a fledgling race horse has limited stamina,
one must take care not to exhaust it entirely with a
fast break at the outset of a race. The prudent
jockey must gauge the competition and know when to
surge away from the crowd at just the right
moment...
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NCS Game Notes
* The intro to the game is a simple one with just a
title screen and the roar of the crowd before the
"Press Start Button" prompt appears while trumpeting
music plays in the background. It's the sport of
kings - simple and elegant.
* Before a race, the complete roster of up to 18
horses is shown on a listing and then various steeds
are shown being paraded around a track. An overview
of the race course appears followed by animation of
horses with their jockeys as they gallop on a grassy
field. The stats of the horse and rider are shown in
a data box on the bottom of the screen as each
couple rolls through. If so desired, all 18 horses
and jockeys may be viewed or just press START to
begin the race.
* During a race, the camera swivels around the
action while the DIST, TIME and LAP are shown on the
lower left corner. On the right side of the screen,
the positions of the horses are shown as circles
with the corresponding number and jockey clothing
color. As the horses race around the bend and near
the finish, the crowd roars and the camera switches
views for an overhead pan, a head-on view, and back
to overhead. The winner is shown up-close galloping
to victory.
* After starting a standard game, players are
greeted by a red jacketed guide and prompted to
enter their name. Next, select a jockey uniform
color and adorn it with pink and purple stripes if
so desired. The color of boots may also be selected.
Once taken care of, it's off to Gallop Racing Square
where players may elect to purchase a horse
(recommended) with the capital available and outfit
it with gear and a jockey. Horse barons may also
scope out the action at the various tracks and check
out the purses that are up for grabs.
* When a race starts, all horses and jockeys are in
their respective stalls. Once the timer counts down,
it's literally off to the races as the thunder of
hooves reverberate through the speakers and the Dual
Shock 2 rumbles with each hoof fall. Use the
L-Analog, R-Analog, or trigger pads to maneuver the
camera around to view the other riders and check
relative positioning. Keep an
eye on the horse's exertion gauge on the lower-left
portion of the screen and make sure to never use the
speed burst too early. Use the D-pad to move the
horse left or right around the bends and hit the "O"
button to give it a whack to force it to thunder even
faster. As mentioned earlier, putting too much
exertion on the horse will cause it to peter out before the race is
over. Pushing up on the D-pad will goad the horse
faster while pushing down causes it to brake
slightly and slow its galloping speed.
* The first few races are easy but progressively
become more difficult as the stakes increase. In the
first race, push up on the D-pad and smack horsie a
few times to overexert the horse and leave all other contenders behind.
They'll never catch up. The
second race is a bit trickier however and
it is easy to tire out the horse. NCS Advice: Keep with the
crowd for about 3/4 of the 2400m race. When there's
about 600m left, whack the horse twice and push up
on the d-pad to burst to the finish line. This
strategy will ensure that none of the other jockeys
will catch up to your steed.
* After each successful race, the gal in the red
jacket will greet you with a smile and peppy
applause.
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This document is ©NCSX 2005. All rights reserved. No
reproduction in whole or in part of this document
may be made without express written consent of
National Console Support, Inc.
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