So, after tussling with the insane final track for days, I managed to seize victory in the Amateur Cup. Next up was the Pro-Am, one that I'd only dabbled with back in the day that, for the first time in this campaign featured a track I'd never been on or even seen before. And even more worryingly, another bloody Hawaiian track. This wasn't going to be easy.
Utah (Pro-Am)
The cup kicks off with a reasonably easy track, though my rustiness here stops it from being a complete cakewalk. Well, that and Chuckie J. being an asshole as usual. :D The only genuinely tricky section here is the dino skeleton about halfway through, which took quite a bit of practice and quite a bit of restraint with the accelerator to get past without stalling.
Kyoto (Pro-Am)
Kyoto is a different matter altogether. While the rocks littering the sides of the track can prove hazardous (as you'll see above :D), the trickiest parts here are the two indoor areas. The second one features this ridiculous wall slapped in the middle of it, between two narrow doorways, requiring some insanely tight manoeuvring to get through at speed; exactly what you need to do to stand a chance of placing well here. The first one isn't much better with a pair of doors that open and close in a pattern that doesn't necessarily coincide with you needing to get past them. It's entirely possible here to find one of the doors slamming shut as you hurtle down the track towards it, requiring you to brake to avoid hitting it; something which never seems to impact the AI racers, who'll happily speed past your stalled car as the door edges open.
Hawaii (Pro-Am)
15/08/11 - Eff me, I'd forgotten about the second Hawaii stage in the Pro Cup. That's where I'm stuck at the moment. - JiliK's Backloggery
Here we go again; another five laps around an track so narrow that you need to lube up your kart beforehand. :D Though honestly, despite the contradictory video evidence, I didn't find this one as hard as the first. There was a ton of different bullshit to navigate around on that track, keeping you constantly on your toes, constantly changing your strategy for each obstacle. Here the track alternates only between wide, open sections and narrow corridors of trees, so you always know what's coming up next. And once you've mastered getting through the wooded sections you've pretty much mastered the track, even if that's easier said than done.
Sorry about the lack of sound effects here, but there's no way I'm going back to do this again. :D
Italy (Pro-Am)
17/08/11 - Managed to get to Italy in Pro-Am for the first time ever tonight. Still struggling with Hawaii, but the cup's firmly in sight now. :D - JiliK's Backloggery
Things could have gone really pear-shaped here if Italy turned out to be a track in the same vein as Kyoto or Hawaii, but thankfully it on the easier side of the game's courses. The video above is my very first run through the track. A run I was feeling quite confident about until I ran afoul of the track's only obstacles: a set of cranes swinging huge crates across the road. Although you've got a much better chance of avoiding these than Kyoto's sliding doors, you've really got to stay sharp to make sure you don't receive a face full of splinters as you approach them.
21/08/11 - The Pro-Am Cup is toast, only four tracks left to go now.
Out of the four tracks, Kyoto and Hawaii were the two stumbling blocks, but once I'd finally got to grips with them, the cup soon followed, unlocking the Pro Cup to me for the first time ever. *gulp*
On to the Grand Finale!
No comments:
Post a Comment