This game is the reason why we always rent first before buying any N64 game. Who wants to plunk down all that cash for something your kids hate and will never play - NOT ME.
Actually three of my kids liked this game, but it was way too hard for them. They are 4, 6, and 11. I rented this one, because racing games are something my 6 year old loves and has a natural aptitude for. I am basing this epinion on his feedback, because even at his young age he's a natural gamer and if he has trouble, many other novice gamers his age would too.
When they say penny racers, they mean penny racers. Those cars are tiny and VERY HARD TO CONTROL. when I rented it I had an image if those micro machine size cars moving around the track - i thought it would be fun for them. I was wrong. It was frustrating to say the least. Tears were flowing and a fun time was had by no one. I and my husband sat with the kids trying to show them how to get the cars under control and no one seemed to be able to master them.
The cars are very tiny on the screen and not easy to steer and turn. They were use to games with bigger cars - like Beetle Adventure Racing. Those cars are bigger and the game is more forgiving if you over steer or cuts corners. With tiny cars there is a bigger margin of error - too much left in the left turn and you're off the track or upside down. My 6 year old tried this game for hours each of the 5 days we rented it and could never get it to go the way he wanted it to. My other two gave up, but he stuck with it and to our surprise could not even begin to master it. For me that's a bad game, it should at least be easy enough to give the child some confidence after they practice so they will want to play it again - by the 5th day he was asking/begging me to take it back.
I rented this game on a day the kids had off from school hoping to keep them occupied and if that's what you're looking for and you have young kids like mine, a better choice would be Beetle Adventure Racing. Steer clear of the teeny tiny racers.
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