AeroGauge
Gameplay. "AeroGauge" is a cyber racing game in the vein of the "Wipeout" and "F-Zero" series. There are four modes, including a four-race grand prix with three difficulty settings, a single match, a time trial, and a two-player vs. mode. The game has four tracks and five vehicles from the start, with two additional tracks and five additional vehicles that can be unlocked via the Grandprix and Time Attack modes. Each of the vehicles is rated based on speed (maximum air speed), steering (turning capability), accele (acceleration), aero limit (speed needed to get airborne), shield (endurance ), and stability (gripping power). All of the vehicles can fly high above the ground, so the tracks have multiple levels. The game has four different game modes which the player can choose from on the main menu. Grandprix is a single-player game mode. It has a basic championship league, having the player race against computer-controlled vehicles on every map in the game. Before each race, the player is required to take two qualifying laps which determine starting position for the race based on the player's best time and how it compares to the computer's. The actual  race is three laps around the course, against seven opponents. The player is rewarded points depending on their finishing position. Points from each race in the Grandprix are totaled to determine the winner. Singlematch is also a single player mode. It is one race against computer A.I. on a track chosen by the player. Like the Grandprix, it uses two qualifying laps to determine starting position. VS mode is a two-player game mode, where two human players choose a track and race on it. There are no qualifying laps and no computer opponents. Time Attack mode is another single -player game mode. It is a time trial on a track chosen by the player. The player can choose to do either three or an infinite number of laps. If the player selects to do three laps, ghosts can be saved on a memory card and loaded to race. Development. "AeroGauge" was presented at the 1997 Nintendo Space World event. In North America, the game's release date was changed several times. It was initially set for February 1998 by November 1997 before moving to early January the follow month. On March 17, 1998, it was delayed to April 2 , then to May 21, 1998 a day later as a result of manufacturing issues. Reception. "AeroGauge" was met with universally mediocre reviews from professional critics. They almost unanimously compared "AeroGauge" unfavorably to other cyber racers such as the "Wipeout" games and "AeroGauge"s contemporary "Extreme-G", recommending those waiting for "F-Zero X", "Wipeout 64", and "Extreme-G 2" to have "Extreme-G" as their holdover title. Critics found the game unoriginal, dull, and lacking depth; even a positive "Game Players" review described it as nothing more than "an enjoyable, but pretty standard racer" with little replay value. At worst, a  10%-rated piece from "N64 Magazine" categorized it as a combination of the worst elements of all previous racing games. Criticisms included were the extreme pop up, the absence of weapons, upgrades, and power-ups, the limited amount of tracks, the dull and lackluster techno music and sound effects, the learning curve for maneuvers such as power slides and turbo boosts, and AI opponents which race so flawlessly that even a single mistake is enough to cost the player all chance of victory. Positive comments were generally towards the sense of speed, smooth and realistic hovercraft physics, the responsiveness of the  controls, and the vehicle and track design, such as the use of flaps on the vehicles and the incorporation of spirals, tunnels and fast routes for the player to search in the courses. Only "GameSpot" disagreed that the game had a tight controls and the feel of a quick pace. "AllGame" noted how the elevation of the hovercrafts changed by holding up or down on the joystick, which went against natural instinct of holding up to move forward. "GameSpot" and "IGN" unfavorably described the sound as from the 16-bit era, and "GameSpot" and "EGM" panned the music as "grating  and horribly synthesized". More favorably, one of "EGM" reviewers, Shawn Smith, found the music catchy, and "Nintendo Power" said it "keeps you pumped".