Games for Lunch: Baja: Edge of Control

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0:18 When I go off the track for a few seconds, the game resets me way back on the track. Come on! This is off-road racing! Why can't I drive off the pre-set track a bit?

0:19 I finish in seventh place. So far, I'm not really impressed with the sluggish pace or the sloppy controls. I have to constantly re-correct my heading after even simple turns. We'll see if things get better...

0:23 I'm doing well in the second race, on a muddy track with a beautiful, dark sky, until I hit a pylon in the center of a track split. I go from a close second all the way back to fifth. I'm getting used to the steering controls, but I'm still not a fan of the overcorrecting. My fifth-place finish earns me 1925 credits and 12 XP this time.

0:24 "Learn to use the handbrake coming into a turn and the clutch on the way out," says the loading screen. I don't even know which buttons do those things! Maybe I should take a closer look at that options screen.

0:27 Course 3 is an open desert course with a brilliant sun poking out from foreboding dark clouds. A few hairpin turns send me flying into the sand. Fighting with the subtle bumps on the track is surprisingly enjoyable. This is growing on me...

0:29 I finish in sixth place overall. I pump my meager winnings into some better tires and brakes, which seem key. Let's try the Oakley October Rush league next.

0:32 The loading screen recommends I race in first-person for an extra sense of speed. It also says I should do something called a "Suspension Pre-Load." I'm getting the feeling this game is made for a much more serious car nut than me.

0:34 I like how the computer opponents aren't afraid of a little bumping. But why do they insist on staying on the track? Cutting out corners is much faster. Like I said, it's ALL equally off-road!

0:35 I take a turn too fast and go flying off the track. From second to fifth again. I'd hate to see "Hard."

0:37 Do designers test these games on standard-definition TVs? Two gauges have popped up showing my brakes and H₂0 levels, but they're so small I can't read them!

0:38 I finish in third! I'm getting the hang of this! The new tires seem to have REALLY helped with the steering. I got 3,107 credits and 27 XP! What oddly uneven numbers.

0:39 The loading screen explains the clutch -- I have to hold it to gain power after a low-speed turn, then let 'er rip. This game has more depth than I thought at first blush.

0:40 Grrr... A red car nicks me on the turn and ends up sitting perpendicular to the track and right in my way. Now we're both way behind! Way to go, Red!

0:41 I just noticed the ticker in the upper left that shows, in real time, how many seconds I'm running behind the cars in front of me. It's a nice touch.

0:42 Whoo! A blazing downhill straightaway is followed by a massive jump that ricochets me from seventh to fifth. It's like a roller coaster here!