As the sequel to the original California Games, California Games 2 offers five extreme sports style events. It is a 1990 release by Epyx, and follows closely the game play of its extremely popular predecessor.
California Games 2 gives the gamer the choice of practicing or competing in five events. The first event is snowboarding. After piloting a helicopter to the top of a tall mountain, the competitor must negotiate obstacles as he speeds down the slope. There is great potential for wipe out and a poorly timed jump from the helicopter will result in the character rolling all the way back down to the bottom of the mountain to land in crumpled heap.
The helicopter can also be crashed.
In bodysurfing, the character leaps from a pier, catches a wave and tries to avoid more obstacles in the water. Miscalculations will result in a funeral dirge playing in the background as the character washes up on shore. “Get a virtual life, dude” will be the tongue-in-cheek command issued by the “Game Over” screen.
Gain big points in hang gliding by doing spins and other aerial acrobatics after leaping from a tall cliff. The game makes some comical references to death if the woman wipes out and lands in the water. Keep an eye on the comments displayed on the scoreboard. The score could show up as the glider losing to the cliff by a score of one to nothing.
Skateboarding
puts the character in an endless half pipe where a variety of tricks, such as board slides and hand plants, can be performed to gain points. As with the other sports, a loss will draw fire and a cut scene will display a gravesite with family and friends mourning the loss of the dearly departed. Judging by the amount of blood that appears on the screen when the player slams into the wall of the pipe, it is no wonder the athlete dies!!
Finally, there is jet skiing, which offers an experience different from the others. All the games are two-dimensional except jet skiing, which comes in the form of a first-person, three-dimensional run.
Of course, the graphics are great and colorful! There is the competitive challenge of beating high scores and beating other athletes. It’s worth downloading!
