Sonic Zoom

title:	Sonic Zoom
url:	link
download page:	link
license:	demo
genre:	Racing Games
developer:	Sounds Like Fun
platform:	Windows XP
release:	2004
features:	sound, visuals
last edit by:	Richard

Description

Sonic Zoom is a racing game from a team of students of the University of North Carolina who named themselves "Sounds Like Fun".

In the game you are in control of the best car this side of the Mississippi—the SonicZoom! Your mission: collect coins, avoid obstacles, and get to the finish line intact. Your road has three lanes. Speed up if you’re feeling confident; slow down if you hit a rough patch. Play as long as you can for a high score.

Once you have selected a level to start, you are taken to the beginning of that level. There is a brief pause, and then you begin to accelerate until you reach a minimum speed level. You never go slower than this minimum speed, unless you hit an obstacle. The object of the game is to collect as many coins as possible, avoid all obstacles, and get to the end of the level as fast as you can. Use the UP arrow key to speed up and the DOWN arrow key to slow down. Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to switch lanes. You have three lanes to move between, a Left lane, a Center lane, and a Right lane. The coins and obstacles have different tones depending on which lane they are in. For example, the sound that a coin in the Left lane makes is lower in tone than the sound of a coin in the Middle lane, and a coin in the Right lane has the highest tone.

To pick up a coin, just run over it. Your coin total will go up, and you will hear a ching sound that tells you that you have collected a coin.

If you hit an obstacle, you will hear a small explosion, letting you know you have crashed once. After a brief pause, during which you cannot move or pick up any coins, the game resumes and you will begin to accelerate up to the minimum speed. You start the game with 3 extra lives. Each time you hit an obstacle, you lose one of these lives. If you have 0 lives left and you hit an obstacle, the game is over.

Once you have mastered this game, keep trying to beat your high score. The score of each level is calculated based on how many coins you collect and how fast you complete the level. Your level score is added to a running total, which keeps track of your overall game score. When you hit your final obstacle with 0 extra lives, your game is over, and your total score is computed. If this score is better than the top five scores on your computer, your score is added to the High Scores list. If your score doesn’t crack the top five, keep trying!

This is a fairly simple game (the targeted age was 8 years and up) although the auditory interface coud have been a bit better (for instance using panning to distinguish the different locations of the coins and obstacles) .The game features 3D graphics for those with vision. Check it out as long as the link lasts! Click this link for a download mirror of Sonic Zoom.

Screenshot of Sonic Zoom - menu screen and logo