Who doesn’t remember the World Rally of 2011, jumping cars bouncing along elevated roads at break neck speeds…wait I can’t remember this. However if you want to experience this look no further than LED Storm. LED Storm or Mad Gear (as its known in some territories) began its life as a Capcom arcade game. The basic premise is to race along avoiding obstacles and other competitors, some of whom will jump onto your car to slow you down, while collecting energy power ups. If you run out of energy its game over. As already mentioned your car can jump which can be used to collect floating power ups, jump gaps in the road, or to crush other cars if you land on them.
The Amiga version obviously does not match up to the graphics of the arcade version also the speech from the arcade game has not made the transition to the Amiga. The more glaring omission is the ability to pick your car. There are numerous stages (I have only seen 3 or 4) that vary from floating highway to forests to deserts which are similar to its arcade counterpart. However the game play from the arcade as been captured pretty well, the car controls well and is responsive. The only issue here is the floating transporter that returns you to the road after a bad crash or fall off the road is very very slow. While not the deepest game it does have a charm that keeps you wanting one more go to get that bit further or to make that jump.
Graphics
While not stunning they are very clear and functional. The only concern here is the smallish game play area.
Playability
The controls work great and it is a fun pick up and play type game that makes one more go turn into twenty more.
Sound
The tunes as you race along are really good, however would have liked better sound effects and some speech.
Ageability
This is the first time I played the Amiga version, only played the Arcade version and the excellent Spectrum version (which is quite a bit tougher with longer levels) back in the day. However I have spent way too much playing this rather than writing about it.
Overall
I am finding it a little tough to be objective as this game holds a special place in my childhood, that is why I decided to focus on this version rather than ones I played before. Its a good game that will easily fill 30 minutes or so, not sure about longer sessions. It captures the original game and while not brilliant it neither does anything really badly, a solid if unspectacular effort.
P.S. However if I’m being honest I would say if you can play the arcade version!
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