| Reviewer's comments |
"A circular course for the motorbike, which takes you first through a sequence of slanted walls raised high up into the sky, then through a series of huge, box-shaped rooms. Reviewers have agreed on maintaining the fiction that the first part (consisting of slanted walls) represents a ‘desert canyon’, although this is based only on the title and an abstract knowledge about the provenance of the three or four textures used in this section—‘abstract’ because the textures are stretched beyond recognition, and then some. The second part (huge roomboxes) is variously described as a hangar, a man-made tunnel, a base-like tunnel, an abandoned base, etc., which may give you some idea about its lack of distinctive features; Yoav gives the aptest description of it when he calls it ‘some long structure’. (I’m guessing the builder ran out of patience when it came to modelling the second half of the course and chose the easiest way out.)
There is no timed event or even an on-screen timer to turn this into a ‘race’ properly speaking, and the course presents no challenges beyond a few easy jumps, and some fiddly stuff (navigating elevated walkways) immediately before you return to the starting point. There is a ‘shortcut’ that can’t actually be used to make better time; nor is it a secret, although the hit-and-miss jump through the door that leads to it is the only difficult part.
The walkthrough says that there is no reason for you to ever get off the bike, and indeed you shouldn’t, as the whole thing is brimming with obvious illegal slopes; but you may get stuck on the bike as well if you stray off the main path. There is a wobbly floor above water; no lighting; and no SFX apart from those produced by the bike. Sky and background audio are those of the original “City of the Dead”, spectacularly ill-suited for the purpose of this level. If it has any use, it is proof positive that you can build a serviceable circular course for a vehicle within a single level, which makes the multitude of minuscule sub-levels in Xmas Race that much more inexplicable. Still, compared to this lazily slapped-together abomination, it is a model of sophistication." - Mulf (02-Feb-2021) |
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| "Well, the title says it all really. If you like riding the motorbike then you might want
to try this short level, but that’s all there is to it so you’d really have to be feeling
very bored in all honesty." - Jay (11-Nov-2020) |
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| "When I reached the starting point after the ride I think I finished, but that suspicious closed door made me check the walkthrough and I continue playing a bit more to find the "secret" bridge area, but nothing to do there except go up a steep ramp to get back to the canyon where the dark spot was. A funny ride but not very interesting." - Jose (22-Jan-2018) |
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| "The bike ride is the only gameplay element
here, otherwise I would have given a zero.
Everything else was hurriedly built,
texturing and lighting particularly.
Thankfully, I hear the author improved." - Ryan (06-Apr-2016) |
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| "Just an uninspired and ultimately pointless race level through a TR3-like desert landscape, including repetitive and wallpapered texturing, nonexistent lighting effects and a generally flat atmosphere among the host of problems, with no other objects or even enemies present, to make this brief experience any more exciting.
And considering L.Croft made far better levels after the release of this debut, there's literally no reason to bother with this one whatsoever. So overall, not recommended." - Ceamonks890 (27-Jun-2015) |
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| "Well, it's a race level. You pretty much get what you would expect from "racing" in Tomb Raider: awful driving and jumps with hard-to-control vehicles. For some reason, builders making vehicle areas tend to place twisting corners that are 1 square wide, as if that makes it challenging or fun. I find it just to be a pain, as I have to slow down to hug the corners, ruining the point of a race. Anyway, the other aspects of this level are sub-par at best, with little texturing and lighting. It does look vaguely like Nevada, but not to a great extent. The entire course will take you 2-3 minutes, unless you're a pro at the motorcycle. Can't say this one is worth downloading." - Xela (01-Sep-2014) |
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| "Another one I avoided when it came out. Why? Well I am no fan of driving vehicles, even to this date and even after acquiring more skills to manoeuvre them. Luckily the builder made much better levels after this first try." - Gerty (30-Mar-2012) |
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| "Naaaah. I read the reviews and I don't know why I believed there's no trigger for the door... especially the reviewers found it. Felt justified to use Fexinspect and then became very frustrated when it appeared there IS one trigger and I had been supposed to find it... Will I ever learn not to commite this mistake? Anyway, here is the review. There is one simple puzzle only. Gameplay consists of several jumps over sandy, watery and metal pits as you proceed through the canyon and the abandoned base, where I didn't find the texturing so awful like the others did. IMO the first location is textured average, and the second one, however it is monotonous, neither annoyed me nor disturbed. Lighting allowed me to drive, so I don't mind it so much. Still can feel the desert and the hangar - so 1 point for the atmosphere. SUMMARY: I don't know many race levels, so I don't know if I can recommend this one due to the lack of comparison. What I can feel or know is this ride isn't thrilling at all." - DJ Full (14-Oct-2010) |
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| "This level belongs rather in the category Joke and not in the category Desert, because this is one of these Leveln which one cannot take seriously. Of course one must to clam up about the textures, because they are purely and simply awful. And of course one must search the riddles with the magnifying glass and would not find them also. And of course the lighting is nothing to speak of. But it is absolutely quite amusing, sometimes so absolutely freely of sense to bomb down through the desert. The level builder has made here, however, two big mistakes. First the lack of start and end point and second the lack of a stopwatch. Then the level would have been really interesting. But in this form the level makes only little sense." - Scottie (26-Feb-2010) |
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| "If it weren't for a few enjoyably huge jumps the Gameplay in this level would get a zero,as it isn't much fun maneuvering a bike around high raised platforms and repeatedly bashing into canyon walls.Texturing and lighting are poorly done (it appears to have been built in a hurry)and there's no atmosphere to speak of (just get off the bike and wander around if you don't believe me).There's no finish trigger to speak of;you simply go around the whole tedious course again and again. There are several fun 'race' levels out there,but this certainly isn't one of them." - Orbit Dream (27-Jan-2008) |
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| "Tomb Raider never meant to be as a racing game. We have seen some moderately succesful attempts before, unfortunately this is not one of them. A canyon and a hangar to go through, with some jumps and a shortcut, I just fail to see the point doing it." - Akcy (20-Nov-2007) |
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| "Ah, the race level. If it's done with finesse, it can be semi-interesting (though rarely mind-blowing). Unfortunately, finesse doesn't seem to have been the goal of the author of this level, and it all boils to following a path for a couple of minutes, while making a few jumps and navigating a precarious walkway on the way. For the more adventurous players there's a shortcut of sorts to be found, but it doesn't really make any sense and isn't worth the effort. Neither is playing this level, for that matter." - Magnus (16-Aug-2007) |
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| "What you can expect from this level, is a level with a bike and a track which you can then ride around. Sounds interesting? Not a chance. When it comes to Lara and a bike, it does not mean racing fun. Lara is very limited with her bike skill and the animation with the bike are very limited also. Thus, making a racing game for Lara is just plain boring and silly. It only takes a couple of minutes to finish a lap and then you think, 'What a waste of time'. If you a bike or jeep fan, by all means, have a go, otherwise, just move onto the next level from this author which is much better. If I had to give this level a grade I would give it a E+, a fail mark." - The Aussie Adventurer (12-Apr-2005) |
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| "One more race level that I played this week. Lara drives on the motorbike half of the time in the desert and the second half in some long structure past a big hole and pools and driving on narrow ways. Lara starts and finishes the race in the same place." - Yoav (08-Mar-2004) |
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| "A racing course across a few canyons and an artificial tunnel. You have to be careful in the tunnel not to crash on the floor that's about the only challenge. There are no enemies about 3 different textures (stretched over 20 clicks sometimes) and where is the fun in racing if you have no opponent?" - Rdiger (02-Nov-2003) |
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| "OK it was only a matter of time before someone was going to create a level purely to blast through it on a bike or jeep. So you can take your pick go forward turn around and go back you end up in the same place. One time you can go over a steep slope and come out of a door into the huge tunnel and wheeeee round we go again. Or you could throw caution to the wind and dozy around and find the invisible ledges on the sides of the cliffs. Yeah honestly. Failing all that string a few words together and up your review count!" - CC (24-May-2003) |
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| "A race level takes time to build too but in the end: is it worth it all the trouble? It was fun for a few minutes but that's it. Or was there more to it? When you race on the lonely 'dirt' spot a door opens next to one blue ramp through which you reach a steep canyon. Where the other three dirt spots next to each other in the beginning of the level also triggers? Who shall say" - bERT (01-Mar-2003) |
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| "Saw the title and thought 'Oh this will be different'. Several misleading words in the title. No race. No real desert. This is not a level as far as I am concerned but a small exercise in bike riding and should be titled as such. All you do is go round a shortish course on your own?? You have been warned" - Whistle (23-Feb-2003) |
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| "As you can guess by the name this is another race course for the bike and some interesting jumps and moves are required. It's a good idea to save occasionally so you don't have to start over from the beginning. I never found a finish trigger - I did get off the bike at one point and look through an open red door but I didn't find much to do behind it. I also looked around a little and didn't find any pickups or secrets. Fun for people who like bike riding." - RaiderGirl (16-Feb-2003) |
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| "Well as from a race level you don't expect too much of it and really don't get too. As OBig already wrote we could play this level to compete with the times we got (mine was 2:00 minutes 1 lap) but as Dimpfelmoser wrote Tomb Raider is no race game and such custom levels are not very good. The author could've at least made the environment more interesting and added a proper lighting to the level but I do hope the author's building skills improve a lot with his/her next level." - eTux (14-Feb-2003) |
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| "Well another level that Lara has to ride her bike and keep going it until she is dead because the level has no finishing trigger if anyone finds it let me know to correct my review. A course through rocky mountains with many jumps and the only difficulty being having to maneuver through narrow outside hallways with big gaps down. The second time around a door was open so I did the course again and took the shortcut but still nothing interesting or a way to end the level. I hope we will see something more interesting from the author in the future." - Kristina (07-Feb-2003) |
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| "I said it before and I repeat it: Tomb Raider lacks the dynamics of proper race games so building a level where there is nothing to do than to drive around in circles is probably not such a brilliant idea. The motorbike makes only sense if it is part of a storyline. Furthermore there have been some race levels over the years and most of them are better than this one here. A few jumps an angular catwalk to navigate over; that's it basically. Textures are stretched and missing and there isn't that much variation designwise. However parts of the canyon don't look that bad." - Dimpfelmoser (07-Feb-2003) |
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| "Another level joins the collection of racing levels. This one I must say was not the best because the rooms were generally big with textures badly applied. The wad also was not completely functional (DON'T drop into the... 'water') and talking about water it's not animated and the floor next to one of the lakes waves just as the water... A first try so well I shouldn't expect that much." - Treeble (05-Feb-2003) |
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| "Another of the race levels that lasts but a few minutes this one with some nice jumps and a thin walkway to manoeuvre through which gave it a split second thrill but it is what it is and what it isn't is raiding." - Sash (31-Jan-2003) |
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| "This level won't be my favourite again. It's very similar to Gary's 'Race Level'. There's nothing interesting in it. Although you can compete in what time the level can be completed but if I feel like doing these kinds of things I don't play Tomb Raider." -Obig (29-Jan-2003) |
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| "29 rooms and a round course for the bike with half of it through Nevada desert mountains and the other half through a huge base like tunnel. Admittedly I thought the 10 minutes I spent driving around the course (twice) were kind of fun because there are a few big jumps and a tricky narrow passage to master but I am still wondering if there actually is a finish trigger as I managed to jump through the opened door with the bike but there was really nothing behind it other than a path which brought you back out on the other side (?)." - Michael (27-Jan-2003) |
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| "This is mere a tutorial how to drive the motorbike. No enemies no pickups no camerawork no sound except from the motor. There is textures and there is light but lighting.....Take a ride through the rocky desert make some jumps come to a hangar(?) do some more jumps and a 'labyrinth' not to fall down from and come back to the start for a second lap. At one point there is an open door that leads to a high bridge and back to where you were before." - G.Croft (27-Jan-2003) |
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