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In Hollywood, as well as in theatre (stage) there’s a saying that goes, “always leave them wanting more”. I can’t speak for stage productions, but in Hollywood not much homage is paid to that particular line of thinking. Sequels are pretty commonplace, and in fact, it would be kinda strange not to see “Such and Such 3” or “ The Return of This or That”. The idea behind “leaving them wanting more” is to make them remember it vividly, and wanting the story to continue. The trick is you just don’t give it to em! By now you’re asking yourself, “oooooook…where you going with this Copey?” Well read on and you’ll see! : )
You see quite a few sequels where add-on tracks are concerned, and I’m happy to say more often than not they’re better the second time around…as is the case with “Shark Bay Island 2”. ZR1_DkriderX recently wowed us with “Pirate’s Bay”, and if you liked Pirate’s Bay, you’ll love this one. Makes me wonder where he lives in a way…I mean, he seems to dig the tropics, so I’m wondering if it’s a result of too much tv…or if he actually lives somewhere like...in the Caribbean perhaps. Ok I just came from his website and found a few shots of Dk there. It’s the former; too much t.v. lol.
No matter tho – the youngster has thrown in a very nice effort here, and he’s definitely learned a thing or two about negating shortcuts, which was a matter of concern to him after the release of “Pirate’s Bay”. There is a shortcut (of sorts) to checkpoint 3, but the manner in which you have to execute it entails a risk...a rather significant one if you fail to negotiate it successfully. I like that. In my opinion that’s how shorts should be. The payoff is slight, with a yield of only about a :02 sec gain over the conventional route, but hey – in a heated race often times that’s enough to earn you a victory. Overall the track takes you on a series of short stretches with sharp turns and a few spots that give you a little airtime, so “frequent flyers” should be happy about that. Shortly after passing thru checkpoint 5, you arrive at split whereby you have the option of taking different paths to checkpoint 6. I’m not sure which is faster, but I do know the path to the left involves more risks - road barricades & attempting to go thru checkpoint 6 too fast, overshooting the road. Another feature I took note of was the lengthy stretch about halfway thru the track. The placement of it is nice in my opinion because it sort of divides up the track, and winds you up for the 2nd half, and ultimately the end of the lap or race. At the end of that stretch is a jump, and upon landing, you immediately have to start preparing for a somewhat precarious banked right turn thru checkpoint 9. Yep, that’s what I said – “banked turn”...on a DK track, no less! I’m kinda poking fun at the guy because in the review on “Piriate’s Bay” a made mention of the fact that you won’t see those kinds of angles in his tracks. It’s a small bank, but a bank nonetheless…and it’s well done, I might add! After the semi-hairpin turn thru checkpoint 11 there’s a short jump down into a small a body of water, which I also thought was smartly done and well-placed. It deflates the momentum almost completely, and then throws you back into the fray as you pass thru the finish for another lap! Of course, if you’re on the last lap, it’s boils down to “last one out of the water is a rotten egg!” Sure it’s childish, but so what : )
I suppose one could objectively critique Dk for not taking more creative risk and going for a new look, something different, which would probably mean this track wouldn’t be called “Shark Bay Island 2”. Personally I like what he’s done, but more importantly, he obviously enjoys what he’s doing, and he does it very well! I did find a few checkpoints that had different trip characteristics. His beta testers take a closer look at those for his next one. Also, there is one obvious floater right at the start of the race and a few more vegetation models that could have been “planted” better. Minor stuff, very minor things indeed.
The track definitely speaks for itself. It’s exciting, there’s plenty of space for passing opportunities, it’s smartly laid out, it’s fun...and it chalked up a well-deserved 9 out of 10 possible points on the “Copey Rating” scale! A well done, well thought out track on your part, Dk! Really looking forward to your next project bud. Keep ‘em coming!
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