4D Sports Driving

Stunts (4D Sports Driving in Europe) is a first-person 3D racing game that was developed by Distinctive Software and published by Brøderbund in 1990.

Brøderbund is not someone new to the spotlight, as they were pretty successful in their previous titles (Choplifter, Lode Runner, Karateka, to name a few). 4D Sports Driving should not be considered a simulator, in fact, it is not very realistic. On the other side, it's accessible and engaging, thanks to the excellent controls. I have previously played games similar to 4D Sports Driving, such as Stunt Driver and Hard Drivin', but this one stood out from the rest the moment I started playing.

At the time of the release, the Amiga version had problems of framerate, which was barely acceptable. A 68040 accelerator card was highly recommended to have a smooth experience. Thank god now we have emulators. We know that the Amiga was not as good as the PC in terms of 3D graphics.

The game's structure is quite different from other racers as you can race along. The track editor allowed you to create tracks with standard roads with specialized trick areas on them, tunnels, loops, corkscrews, pipes, half pipes, "slalom" roads, and corkscrew ramps, these were all able for users to play around with. You can even add scenery such as trees and ships, buildings, and even a tennis court, which I found to be very entertaining as building the perfect track was an art.

The PC version was much smoother than the Amiga, but the Amiga had a better sound system, connect an amplifier, and you literally had an engine running in your room! Graphics-wise the game was pretty similar to most games of its time, nothing huge, but it had beautiful 3D polygon designs with a unique dashboard for each vehicle.

The game allowed a wide range of cars for the player to race with, from 4WD's to turbocharged Formula One racers. Of course, each vehicle had certain characteristic advantages, but it was pretty neat knowing that you aren't limited to a generic set of cars. You can even choose whether to opt for automatic or manual transmission.

Even though I found the AI of the game to be pretty weak, the game was super entertaining to play around with. The replay buffer, the custom tracks, and the fantastic sound, coupled with its perfect controls, made this title one of the best racing games of the time.