Mexican Motor Mafia

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:55 pm

http://mexicanmotormafia.com

Why couldn't they have spelled "Tequila" right? God DAMMIT. They'd already have my $17 if they'd spelled one of the key trading commodities in the game right.

Here is a game where you fight with cars and guns. And then when you win against the other cars, you take their cash and their shit, and then sell the shit to make more money, to buy better cars and guns. With which you can kill even more cars, and then get their cash and their shit, to sell for even better cars and guns.

Seriously, what is not to like?

As far as I can tell from the (generous) demo, there are two types of missions you can accept throughout the entire game. MISSION 1: Go blow up this car. MISSION 2: Collect a bunch of "tequlia" (ARGH!). Since those are my two favorite things to do in real life, I haven't gotten as bored by those two missions as others might have.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS GAME SO FAR
===========================

The style is fantastic. Set in Mexico, with a brilliant blend of dusty Texas blues-rock and deep-Mexican Flamenco music providing the score. Hand-drawn illustrations take the place of rendered CGI scenes or FMV to tell the (admittedly paper-thin tale: "Your cop brother was murdered by four bad guys. Go get them, while blowing everything else up on your way.") The maps, while relatively meaningless to the gameplay, are (I hate to say this) "lovingly rendered" and nice to look at. The cars drive fun. You shoot things with them. And they explode.

And then you take their shit and their cash and go buy better guns, wash, rinse repeat.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THIS GAME SO FAR
===============================
1. The aforementioned misspelling of perhaps the most luscious liquor on the face of the Earth.

2. Yeah, well. I mean. It is a tad repetitive. Fight cars, get better cars, fight more cars, etc, etc. Follow the meaningly storyline. Etc, etc. For some reason, though, the repetitiveness doesn't bother me (yet), somewhat because of the well-doneness and the stylistic considerations, but really, mainly because of...

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS GAME SO FAR
===========================

...the car fights themselves.

"Why do I like this?" I kept asking myself. You just drive around, shooting the other cars.

Ah, but wait. You can't shoot out the front or the back, cuz there are windows there. No, you have to shoot out the sides. Yeah. So? So what? And, so why does this feel familiar?

You know what it is?

It's Age of Sail, sped up 1000 times. It's every fighting sailing ship game, just put into mega fast forward. The object of these games are all the same: "Cross the T". Bring your broadsides to bear along the enemy craft's fore or stern.

In Age of Sail, this process takes several minutes, sometimes hours.

In Mexican Motor Mafia, you have to do it every second or so, or you're toast.

This process... this dance -- which is what it really is, with two able competitors -- is really the magic of these games. Anyone can shoot out the front. Hell, Galaga was doing it 25 years ago. But just that one little switcharoo turns a mind-numbing clickfest into a really exhilirating, tactical challenge.

Just cuz you're doing it in a souped up Camaro with shotguns and uzis instead of elegant, lumbering ships with cannons doesn't make it any less compelling.

And there is all that "tequlia" to be collected.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:28 am

UPDATE: I've been assured by the developer that the spelling of "tequila" will be fixed in the next version, which is scheduled to also include multiplayer.

I am the savior of independent gaming.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 6:38 am

How did you even find this game? It sounds awesome. Multiplayer?? That's the worst news a Trash junkie (get it?!?!!) could ever hear!

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 7:25 am

This game was GameTunnel's BEST GAME O' THE MONTH for June.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:58 pm

WARNING: Turns out that if you're any good at it, this game is VERY SHORT.

I bougt the game at 4:30 PM, and at 5:30 PM, I was done with the storyline.

Granted, I am EXTREMELY GREAT at this game, as if it feels like it was what I was born to do, but still, the demo takes you virtually halfway through the game.

I am hoping that with further expansion and other stuff, it will become the true classic which it feels like it has the potential to be.

But right now, I'd kinda like my $17 back.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 8:32 pm

Reminder to self: gain more free time so you can play this game.

Thanks, self!

Vitriola · Post by **Vitriola** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 4:46 pm

Since when do you not have hours of free time per day?

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 5:56 pm

To learn Mexican? Since I graduated high school.

Sammy Hagar · Post by **Sammy Hagar** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 6:05 pm

Sammy Hagar say!!!

MAS <s>TEQUILIA</s> <s>TEQILA</s> <s>TEQULIA</s> BITCHES!!!