Format: HuCard
Genre: Racing
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco

Playing Final Lap Twin is like driving little Micro Machines against vividly colorful backdrops-- it's wonderful! In fact, the aesthetic works much better than the poorly-aged, pseudo-3d looks of its arcade cousins. Menus and other interface elements are basic but clean and well laid out, while the RPG mode features some simple RPG tile art, all of which is crisp and vibrant. Interestingly, the game is always drawn in split-screen-- even in single player-- with the bottom half following the primary AI car if only one human is playing. Interestingly, this seemingly minor design choice adds a lot to the ludonarrative potential and tension of the gameplay.

Right from the game's title screen it's apparent that the title is going to feature some catchy and melodic music-- and indeed it does. There are several racing tunes that rotate through gameplay, and they are both upbeat and tense at the same time. The engine and tire sound effects work very well, with the "spin out" sound effect being especially impressive. As for the RPG mode, what its songs lack in moody ambience, they make up for in light-heartedness-- a style that was seemingly aped years later by Nintendo for their Pokemon titles.

Anyone who has played the Pole Position or Final Lap games will be immediately comfortable with this title's perspective and two-button control scheme, with up and down on the dpad controlling gear shifts. Unlike its arcade counterparts however, there are a ton of tracks in Final Lap Twin, along with several cars from which to choose. The RPG mode is a well-paced, several hour long adventure that is a tasty cross between One Must Fall: 2097's tournament mode, and Nintendo's Game Boy Pokemon games.

The only knock against Final Lap Twin is the truly frustrating collision mechanics, which literally propel the player's car right off of the road, but which don't have the same effect on the AI opponent, creating the sensation of an unfair double standard-- a sensation made even stronger by the fact that the RPG final boss race is built upon this annoying mechanic! Nonetheless, if all Final Lap Twin had was the single player arcade F1 GP mode, it would be a fantastic racing title-- but having full two-player support, along with the entire RPG mode in addition to the arcade races, makes this an unbelievably enticing game for anyone who is a fan of Namco's venerable series.