Bright, Attractive Graphics
Good Announcer/Sound Effects
Cool, Varied Music
Awesome, "Feeling of Speed" During Play

Steering Takes Some Getting Used To
Multiplayer Mode Isn't Much Fun
Annoying Voices of Drivers

The first thing you'll notice in this game is that the graphics are very cool. They're bright, attractive, and seem to almost leap out at you. It definitely enhances the game. The cars, backgrounds, and surfaces all look very slick. Well at least in the one player mode. In the two player mode, the graphics are far less defined, and just plain look worse. But aside from the two player troubles, the graphics look great. They're definitely more on the cartoony side then most "serious" racing simulations, but I see this as a refreshing change.

The sound in the game is for the most part, excellent. The music is varied and exciting, and even the music in between races and on the title screen sounds cool. Music has definitely changed for the better in video games, going from simplistic little bleeps to full-out, Cd-quality original music, and this game is a good example of what music you should have in a game. Nothing gets your adrenaline working better in the middle of the race than some very loud hard rock music playing, and quite a few levels of the game boasts this kind of music. The sound effects are also excellent, with crashes, tire screeching, and engine roaring captured in all their glory. A welcome change in the sound f/x department is that the announcer in the game actually sounds cool, and isn't overused like in some racers. The only gripe I have with the sound effects is the voices of the drivers are incredibly cheesy and annoying.

The control in the game is quite good as well. Controls are all very precise with little adjustments on the road and small to medium turns controlling perfectly. But tighter turns take a lot of getting used to, and are much more difficult. The control doesn't seem nearly as good using the analog stick as it does using the d-pad in my opinion. Hard turns are even more difficult using the stick, and it doesn't feel like you have that good control over the vehicle. It's good that the game allows the use of the d-pad though.

There are three types of play in one-player mode, and one two-player mode. Roadster Trophy mode in one player involves you winning money by finishing in the top three in races, and buying better and better cars, until you win the cup. Time Trial is self-explanatory, and Quick race allows you to just pick a driver and any car you wish, and just race on one level against the 7 other computer controlled drivers. The single player gameplay is very fast and exciting. You definitely get that "feeling of speed" that comes with good racing games. You get a really good feeling zipping around the level in your car, and the gameplay is cool enough not to lose its flavour after a short while of playing.

The multiplayer mode is much less fun though. As discussed earlier, the graphics look much less sharp in this mode, and the gameplay becomes slower. Also the small screens of two player are obscured by too many large stats. The lap number, rank, map, and speedometer are cover quite a bit of the screen which distracts you from the race. And there's no option to remove these things either. Why they chose to have them this size is beyond me. Overall, the multiplayer isn't very much fun at all, and would bore many people very fast.

This game has a very cool one-player mode, but quite a poor multiplayer mode, so it might not have that much replay value. But in terms of whether to buy or rent this game, I'd say rent first, buy later. There's a lot to like about the single player mode, so you might want to buy it, but I wouldn't say its a no-brainer to buy. Though this title doesn't really have a great deal of originality, it definitely is ahead of most of the racing pack.

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To me, Roadsters seems like a throwback to games like Crusin' USA, which as we all know, is not something to aspire to. The game just never seems to get off the ground, and I mean that almost literally. Remember how in the Cruisin' games, your vehicle would stick to the road even when you went over a hill? Well, for the most part, Roadsters emulates those same heavy gravity physics. Where's the cool jumps? Where's the air time? The whole emphasis behind Roadsters seems to be simply being able to race in a virtual convertible. The tracks aren't very interesting; you've seen these tracks in every other racing game. There are visual surprises that you'll see on your second or third time around a track, but once you've seen them, that's the end of that. Ultimately, the quest to drive other convertibles around these tracks is the purpose and that is Roadsters biggest problem. The vehicle should be the catalyst for fun, not the fun itself.

Graphically the game is amazing. It is one of the best looking racers on the N64. You can even run the game in a higher resolution if you enter the correct cheat code (found on this site), which sizes the screen in a wide screen/letter box format. All of the cars look excellent and the handling is very good, which is more than I can say for 99% of the racers on the N64. On the downside the track design is pretty generic; I think we are all tired of Area 51 levels by now aren't we? Sure they look great, but there could have been some more imagination. And lastly, what is the deal with the Pit Stop? Has anyone needed this? All it did was trick me into thinking there was a branch in the road...

In the sound department, I liked the soundtrack but eventually hated the voices. Pick the guy who says the least. I agree with Dave on that point.

Roadsters stands out as a decent racing game on the N64, largely in part because aside from Beetle Adventure Racing there are no really amazing racing games on the system. That may change with the release of Ridge Racer 64, but until we play it we can't say. With more attention to fun and track design, Roadsters could have been a no-brainer purchase, because Titus got most of the other elements right; plenty of real and psuedo-real cars, good handling, upgradeable vehicles, beautiful graphics and cool tunes. As it stands however, I'd test it our first and see if it's your cup of tea.