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He’s back with yet another conversion from 4X4 Evo 2, and if you enjoyed the ones he’s done thus far, you’re going to love this one! I downloaded this track right after it was released, and as with every track, if it has a readme.txt, I open it up and check it out. Mal's done readme’s on all of his tracks I believe, and if not, he’s most certainly done them on all the conversions. At any rate, after scoping out the readme, I noticed he opted to omit why he chose to convert this one as opposed to some of the other great tracks available. Given his reticence to tell the tale, allow me to enlighten you! : )
Mal just signed on with SMP Creations Beta Testing Team, joining some other high-profile racers/track makers such as RIP_Maniac_, _AlG_, SLO_BRO_USA, SLO_Jumper, Phineus, and myself (towel/errand boy). SIDENOTE: Phin doesn’t like me to mention his name in reviews; he says it’s embarrassing. So if you don’t see the name “Phineus” too much from this point on, that’s why. Anyway, after sampling the first run of SMP Creations' newest beta, Mal goes, “Hey Cope, if you run to Burger King to pick up some grub for me, I'll...I'll....oh, I know – I’ll let you pick the next track I convert over from 4X4 Evo 2!!” At first I said, “no Mal, I’m sick of being your personal food cart” but then I said to myself, “what would Phin do.... hmmm” Hehe then it dawned on me, “who cares what Phin would do; he’s kinda weird anyway!” So I said, “come to think of it, that sounds like a deal!”, and that my friends, is how this track came about!!
Ok I kinda made most of that story up. Actually Mal, being the cool guy he is (sorta like Phin, but in a different way), allowed me to pick the next track just because. Needless to say I was very happy to be given such an opportunity, and let me tell ya, I had a tough time picking, too! I ran track after track after track in 4X4 Evo II...and then the next day I started in once again. I finally narrowed it down to 3 choices, but ultimately decided on Tibet Cliffslide because I loved the layout, and the graphics were simply incredible. For the record I’m not a Evo fan – at all. I keep the game for the sole purpose of comparing its tracks to Mal’s MTM 2 conversions. Not that anyone cares. Hehe
So that I don’t fall prey to repeating what’s already been written about Mal’s other conversions (Phin doesn’t like repetition), I’m going to quickly cite some of the more notable characteristics in this track that you’ve seen (or will if you get his others) in all of his conversions to date. Here we go: the graphics are spectacular, easily 2 to 3 cuts above what you’ll see in “home grown” MTM 2 tracks. The roads are typically narrow, which doesn’t leave much room for passing opportunities, but what it does do is give you a very intense sense of speed. Furthermore, the close-knit racing characteristics of these tracks require extreme judiciousness when attempting a pass. Mentally demanding and challenging? Without a doubt, but oh so much fun!!!
I’ve did my fair share of traveling while in the Air Force, but I never quite made it anywhere near Tibet. Now that I’m retired, this is as close as I’ll probably ever get!. In the pictorials I’ve been able to find over the Internet, the authenticity of what you’ll see in this track appears to be fairly accurate. No, Mal’s not responsible for that; again, he didn’t design the track, he converted it over to MTM 2. What Mal is responsible for are the subtle adjustments and enhancements that make Tibet Cliffslide truly a great ride - arguably the best one yet. Phin probably won’t agree with that since he’s kinda stuck on “Deadman’s Gulch”, which by comparison standouts out from the other conversions with respect to racing characteristics. But guess what? Phin’s not here right now, so it’s all about what Copey thinks that matters. Hahaha.
Definitely check this track out, and if you like it, you simply HAVE to get the others, and I mean all of them; they’re must have collectables in my opinion. Nope, don’t worry about sending Mal money; he’ll refuse to take it. I thought about sending the guy a $1,000.00 as a show of appreciation once…for like 2.6 seconds, but then figured he probably wouldn’t accept it. He’s just too modest. Shame. Hehehe
For the curious minded out there, this baby pegged the “Copey Rating” machine as soon as I rounded the first corner of the first lap! Now is that a great track or what? I love every one of them, every one…but I think I’m especially partial to this one.
Mal, super-duper job man, and once again, I can’t thank you enough for allowing me my choice of picks. You think Phin would’ve let me pick a track to convert…I mean, if he were doing these? Hehe—probably not after he read this review, huh?. But I’m just guessing. What are your thoughts on that, Phin? : )
[This message has been edited by SLO_COPE (edited 11-05-2002).]
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