N-Philes

Classic Plastic #03 - City Connection

Posted August 20th 2005 by Adam Caporello.

Once in a while, in our daily lives as gamers, a certain game will come along and make us say "WTF!" We gaze in astonishment at what we are seeing but can hardly believe the ridiculous things that are happening as we desperately try to play the game without passing out. These games do not adhere to any sense of logic or realism, much less sanity. The first of this type of game that I ever came across was City Connection.

The best way I can describe City Connection is a platformer/racer with Pac-Man elements. No, I'm serious - bear with me. As you race back and forth in your hot little riced-out car, each "mile" that you pass lights up. These "miles" are actually little squares about three pixels wide. When you're finished lighting up all the "miles" in a given level, you move on.

Of course, it's not quite that simple. You'll have to avoid the fuzz. Cop cars will chase you across the screen or just drive around randomly. If you touch a cop car, your car will explode and turn into a bunch of pretty little hearts. Yes, I said little hearts - what else would happen when your car explodes? Now, you can avoid this by tossing cans of oil at them which causes them to spin out upon impact. While the cars are spinning out you can knock them off the screen by running into them. Brilliant.

Oh, you'll also have to watch out for the pigs. No, not the cops - the "oink oink" type pigs that hang out in each level. If you run into a pig, it will float off into the sky slowly and play an annoying song. Nothing happens to your car, but you lose a life anyway. I also feel I should point out that the pigs are larger than the cop cars. It would only make sense.

What's that, you ask? How do you traverse the three tiers of each level in a mere car? Well, my friends, this is no ordinary car. This car can jump and fly for short distances, not to mention turn around in mid-air. It's a beautiful thing, really. There is a slight bit of strategy involved, however, because when you land from a jump there is a brief moment in which you aren't able to jump again. You will know when the car has built up enough courage to take to the skies again when it pops a wheelie - as most cars do, I'm told.

At this point I may have made this game sound like a vile trough of refuse, but it's actually very enjoyable to play. In fact, I've played so long before that I could see the little car jumping back and forth in my mind. That doesn't happen with every game. Once you learn the ropes, you'll get disgusting amounts of joy by plowing through a row of three or four cop cars and leaping through the air over a giant pig.

The only thing that really irks me about the game is that, on the top side of the cartridge (where the title should be), it just has the name of the publisher: Jaleco. This really throws off my NES collection because, of course, I have City Connection in the "C" section. That big "Jaleco" stares me right in the face and haunts me in the form of nightmares and fits of lethargy.

Anyway, the game is a little uncommon but not too hard to find, should you look hard enough. It's definitely a worthy addition to any NES collection, especially if you love quirky stuff. Plus, it's always good to throw on if you like to give company bouts of vertigo or want them to leave.

This game is recommended for: people who like silly or quirky games, or any open-minded platformer fan.

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