Developer: Locomotive Publisher: ASCII

Released: May 21, 1998 Rated: E 3/10

Sometimes being first to market is more important than being better for the most genre-focused titles on a system. With F-Zero X still on the horizon but the style of futuristic racing still very much in vogue during the early polygonal era, AeroGauge would have been poised to ship a respectable number of units if it had been released a few months earlier. Sadly for ASCII, a computer company with relatively few forays into video game publishing, their high-speed racer was beaten to market in the US by Acclaim’s hover bike racer, Extreme-G, a markedly better game all-around, though both would ultimately get lost in the shuffle amongst several similar N64 racers over the next few years. 

AeroGauge’s main struggle is probably its lack of identity. Though its vehicles have some decent design quality to them, looking a lot like what a modern stock car or sprint car would probably look like when transformed into a hovercraft, there’s very little present in its setting or presentation that isn’t a fairly obvious copy of the already successful WipeOut. And while the decidedly ‘90s design philosophy that comes out of this can still lend the game some charm, it’s still tough not to see it as cheap imitation when you take a step back. It does lead to some solid compositions in the soundtrack, with high-energy guitar licks, rushing drum beats, and some really interesting instrumentation on some of the melodies despite what is unfortunately a very weak sound font holding it all together. 

That same lack of identity and weak technical chops ultimately leads to gameplay that is dull at its baseline and usually frustrating due to its expectations of the player. Its one identifying mechanic is that unlike most games it looks to copy, AeroGauge allows the player to control the elevation of their craft as they race. This sounds like it would make for a lot of additional design space in terms of track design, but it almost never ends up feeling all that important to your strategy. There are a few options for alternate routes that come up maybe once or twice per track, but most instances of actually flying your vehicle well above the track play out the same way: a flick of the control stick gives you a little bit of lift, you remember that you can fly above the track and opt to position yourself the way you think will give you the best chance to make a quick move when you need to, and then you never do. 

The other main failures of AeroGauge’s gameplay are in weak programming — that is, unbeatable opponent AI in races, and absolutely monstrous pop-in with the graphics. Winning races and actually progressing in the game is ultimately a fool’s errand. With your fellow racers operating their craft at borderline optimum performance at all times, it’s already disheartening to feel like there’s no difficulty curve built in. Add in the further wasted design space of there being no real mechanics with which to gain an advantage — it feels like there’s something of a drifting mechanic for tackling hairpin and sharp turns but it never really works — and the fact that the draw distance is abysmal, and nothing about AeroGauge really ever feels like you’re doing much of anything but failing. And of course, the AI doesn’t need to see what is or isn’t in front of them to race perfectly, so it all just seeps together to create a gameplay experience akin to running on a treadmill while the entire Boston Marathon passes alongside you. 

AeroGauge is probably one of the N64’s least consequential releases. It’s the only publishing effort by a company that doesn’t do much software in the first place. It’s neither first in its style nor does it do anything of note to either differentiate or build a better mousetrap in relation to many very similar and much better games on the system. Its one noteworthy feature is the Easter egg wherein players can unlock a vehicle shaped like the system’s controller. It doesn’t warrant your curiosity or the need to compare it for yourself to F-Zero or WipeOut. 

Continuing Legacy

There’s very little to glean from the existence of AeroGauge, but developer Locomotive would have a few more N64 releases during their short-lived tenure, releasing both Choro Q titles as well as the unfortunate Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals. Oh, and if people have heard of AeroGauge, it’s usually as “that game where you can fly an N64 controller.”

Additional Information

Saves: Controller Pak

Compatible With: None

Players: 1-2

Print Guides: None

Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 58.35%, based on 12 reviews

Other Releases: JP, December 19, 1997

EU, May 1, 1998

AU, May 1, 1998

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