- Release Date: 1997
- Genre: Racing
- Style: Sports Car Racing
- Similar Games: Cruis'n USA (Nintendo 64), Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed (3DO), Lamborghini: American Challenge (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Lamborghini: American Challenge (IBM PC Compatible), Top Gear Overdrive (Nintendo 64)
Game Description
Automobili Lamborghini offers eight sports cars to choose from (six are hidden), including Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Porsche models, as you race on one of six courses. Whether you choose to race as a Novice or an Expert, you can participate in Time Trial, Practice, Arcade, and Championship modes.Practice is just you and the track as you learn the different twists and turns forming each course, while Time Trial has you trying to improve your best lap times and course records. The one-player game involves competing against five computer drivers in either the Arcade or Championship mode. Arcade mode involves racing each track in an attempt to finish first. Players begin this mode with 45 seconds on the clock and must cross multiple checkpoints within the time limit. If time should expire before reaching the checkpoint, the game is over.
Championship mode is a season composed of multiple races, with each race earning you points depending on how well you finish. The winner of the event is the driver with the most points overall. These races can also involve optional pit stops, which come into play whenever your car needs fuel or new tires, although it should be noted that cars do not experience damage in the game. By finishing both the Arcade and Championship modes on both difficulty levels, players will be allowed to access additional cars.
Automobili Lamborghini also lets you customize the following areas: number of laps, control sensitivity (analog or semi-analog), and the number of races comprising a circuit. You can also challenge three friends simultaneously or race against a second player along with two computer opponents. Championship progress, lap times, and course records can all be saved to a Controller Pak with seven pages free. If you have a Rumble Pak, you'll be able to feel a jolt every time you bump another car or skid against a guardrail!
~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Roots & Influences
Automobili Lamborghini (originally titled Lamborghini 64) is a sequel of sorts to 1994's Lamborghini American Challenge on both the~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Titus's Automobili Lamborghini is good, but when it comes to racing games, it doesn't break any new ground. It combines the simplicity of a game like Cruis'n USA with the more advanced options of a game like F1 Pole Position, but unfortunately it sits in a middle ground where a lot of people will probably overlook it. Those who want pure arcade action will opt for Cruis'n, while those who desire realistic racing will want F1, which leaves this game sitting on a fence, not quite an arcade game but not complex enough to depict realistic racing.The Italian sports car company Automobili Lamborghini licensed their name to Titus for this game, thus fulfilling the dreams of any kid who wished he could race around in a real live Contach. The realism of the game, though, is mostly limited to manual versus automatic shifting and the chance to make pit stops during races. You don't get the chance, for example, to play around with the vital stats of your car or decide what type of tires your pit crew should put on, which makes those features seem like an attempt to simply offer something for the hard-core racing buffs.
This game is the most fun in arcade mode. There are a lot of tracks to choose from, and the computer-controlled cars are extremely hard to beat. Multi-player mode is fun, but playing with three other people and trying to keep track of your car and theirs on a four-way split screen can be difficult.
The controls are very touchy, making it hard to maintain your position around curves. You don't have to move the joystick much to turn your car. The instruction book recommends trying the "semi-analog" setting, and that seems to help a little. It can be frustrating to get the hang of the way this game handles, though; Cruis'n USA is much easier to adjust to than this one.
Overall, Automobili Lamborghini is a middle-of-the-road cartridge whose features will appeal to both racing aficionados and arcade-style racers, but ultimately those features have been implemented better in other games.
~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
Enjoyable, but not something that sticks with you.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
Adequate.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
Could be better.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
Not a lot here.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
Slim book.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Lead Programmer: Rob Stevens
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
