Platform: Nintendo 64

Developer: Edge of Reality

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Release Date (NA): July 1999

Genre: Racing

Nerd Rating: 4 out of 10

SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! KIDS SEATS STILL JUST FIVE BUCKS! COME SEE… GRAAAAAVE DIGGERRRRR AND THE CAROLINA CRUSHER AS THEY DRIVE AROUND BORING TRACKS IN UNCONTROLLABLE TRUCKS ON YOUR NINTENDO 64 RIGHT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM!

What an embarrassing game this is for Rockstar Games. For those of you who have been into gaming for a while, you probably remember Rockstar for the Grand Theft Auto series, Bully, Red Dead Redemption, and more. You probably don’t remember when they made Monster Truck Madness 64. And good for you.

When I was a kid, there was this monster truck game we had on our computer (Windows 98 probably). I can’t remember the name, but I loved this game because I would roam freely around some mountainy desert and just drive wherever I wanted. So when I dug this game out of my pile (who knows how long I’ve had this game… never played it til now though), I was actually pretty excited about it. But then I played it…

Monster Truck Madness 64 is a racing game where you race against 3 other monster trucks around various race courses littered with power-ups. You’ll bash other trucks, you’ll ramp 20 feet in the air, you’ll DESTROY AND KILL EVERYTHING IN YOUR WAY! In addition to some standard run-of-the-mill racing, Monster Truck Madness 64 offers up a few interesting mini-games, such as Soccer, Hockey, Summit Rumble, and 2 unlockables (Chase and Tag). The concept of the game is for larger-than-life truck racing. The reality of the game isn’t that at all…

First, let’s talk about the good things in this game. I love that they acquired the use of real monster truck professional names such as Big Foot, Carolina Crusher, The Outsiders, Monster Patrol, The Executioner, and possibly the most famous… Grave Digger. This gives it that recognizable feel similar to playing a NASCAR game with your favorite racer. Another great part of this game is the detailed animation and graphics. They are about as good as it gets on the Nintendo 64, and the trucks are fairly detailed (as best as they can be) and the courses are well-defined. The mini-games are very fun and enjoyable, ESPECIALLY in a group of 4 (even though my roommates wanted nothing to do with it, I made them pick up the awkward Nintendo 64 controller and play Soccer and Summit Rumble with me).

Now, let’s talk about what sucks in this game. The controls. Flat out… that’s the worst part. I’m not sure if they’re tough to handle on purpose or on accident. I can just picture some putz in the brainstorming-room saying “Well, driving Monster Trucks is hard! So let’s make it feel that way in the game!” Regardless of intention, the controls are embarrassing. There’s no saving the annoyingness of when your truck does a 90 degree turn when you only needed a slight turn. Steering is just awful. You’re probably thinking “Well, is that the only thing you dislike? Because that’s one thing you dislike compared to a bunch of things you do like.” – But that’s the thing! Steering is everything! The ability to control your vehicle in a racing game can MAKE OR BREAK a video game! And it breaks this game like a 1980s junk car in the middle of an arena filled with dirt…

In addition to shitty controls, I just don’t feel like there’s a good sense of SIZE. These trucks are MASSIVE in real life, and it just doesn’t feel that way in the game. There’s no good sense of scaling in Monster Truck Madness 64. They look more like small pick-up trucks with large tires and less like MONSTER TRUUUUUUCKS! This is frustrating. It takes that WOW factor right out of your hands and now forces you to play a racing game with small pick-up trucks.

It’s not a good game. When you combine the terrible truck controls along with the mediocre truck size, you get a sub-par game that just doesn’t meet any expectations set forth by the cover-art or magazine advertisements. Monster Truck Madness 64 is not a complete wash, though. The mini-games are pretty damn fun, even though it is very short lived. Soccer and Hockey are just what you would think. Monster trucks battling it out trying to push a HUGE soccer ball / hockey puck (actually it’s a giant tire) into a goal for points! It’s pretty fun. I like the hockey game better because sliding on the ice proves to be very challenging. It’s a little odd, though, that they’ll let you play this game by yourself. Yes, it’s just me pushing a giant tire on ice by myself uncontested. Weird.

Summit rumble is probably one of the best 4 player mini-games though. You and 3 other trucks duke it out to stay on top of the summit the longest. You’ll have to work hard to keep from getting pushed off, and it’s your job to push others off the summit. If you fall off, you can hit the ramp and get back on top. The score accumulates as you stay up longer. It’s pretty fun and somewhat chaotic with 4 friends.

Overall, Monster Truck Madness 64 is a pretty awful game. The best parts of the game are still mediocre at best. The computer A.I. is entirely retarded and worthless. There is very little to gain from playing this game. The courses are not very detailed and bore me to sleep. This game just fails to live up to its larger-than-life claims. The trucks look small. The courses are boring. The controls are awful. The power-ups are pretty fun and add an extra layer of bullshit to the game, but it’s not enough to save it. But the graphics are pretty good (although they are a little less-than-average in detail) and the mini-games are okay. There’s nothing to gain from Monster Truck Madness 64 folks. You’re better off sitting in the beat up car in the middle of the arena than driving the truck getting ready to drive over those cars. By the way, where the hell is THAT arena fun?! Thanks Microsoft and Rockstar. Thanks for nothing!

Reviewed by NerdBerry