Overdue Reviews is an occasional series in which I pretend to be a videogame journalist. This week: Interstate 82 on PC.
Interstate 82 was never going to be as good as Interstate 76. Even if the rule of inferior sequels wasn't almost universally true, dropping the unapologetically bold style of the 70s for the plastic and shoulder pads of the 80s was never going to be a better choice. The other mistake was the game's biggest touted feature - being able to get out of the car.
Never get out of the car.
Interstate 82 did, however, provide some entertainment. Specifically, for myself and two friends in a small cottage deep in Cambridgeshire one summer near the turn of the century. We'd taken turns to plod through the first few levels of the game, and everything was okay to middling, when we reached the underground mine escape level.
It was completely silly and over the top, which was part of the reason why we suddenly sat up and took notice. We were required to drive at breakneck speed through a series of narrow tunnels to escape a collapsing mine. It was impossible to get right the first time - the only way through was to memorise which route to take and when to swerve to avoid the next bit of falling ceiling.
Better still, it was against the clock and punishingly strict - one mistake and you'd never get out in time. The level culminated in a ridiculous jump across a huge cavern, possible only if the car was travelling at maximum speed at the point of liftoff. I don't know how many times we reached that ramp only to fall short of the target. It was thrilling, it was silly, and we all roared with triumph when one of us finally beat it.
I can't remember anything else about the rest of the game. There was probably a DeLorean in it. I hope so, anyway. There should be a rule that any car game set in the 80s has to have a DeLorean in it somewhere. Otherwise what's the point?