Can 2MHz Turbo Save Bad C64 3D Racing? Hard Drivin' vs Stunt Car Racer On C64U

Can 2MHz Turbo Save Bad C64 3D Racing? Hard Drivin' vs Stunt Car Racer. Does more power always make a game better? The Commodore 64 Ultimate gives me the perfect way to find out. In this video, I compare two early 3D racing games on the Commodore 64: Hard Drivin' and Stunt Car Racer. Both games push the machine with 3D graphics, and both become much faster and smoother when I switch the C64 Ultimate from its standard speed to 2MHz. But the results could not be more different. I start with Hard Drivin', a conversion already famous for all the wrong reasons. At the standard C64 speed, it feels like it is running at around three frames per second. But the low frame rate is not even the biggest problem. The steering is terrible. Once you move away from a straight line, the car seems to develop a mind of its own. Even when the steering indicator returns to the centre, the car still wants to leave the road. From that moment on, you are constantly correcting, counter-steering and zigzagging across the track like you have had ten litres of alcohol. Then I switch the Commodore 64 Ultimate to 2MHz, reset the computer and load the game again. The difference in speed is enormous. Hard Drivin' suddenly moves at a speed that feels much closer to a 16-bit conversion. The 3D graphics are faster, the action is smoother, and the terrible frame rate is no longer the main problem. Unfortunately, the steering is still just as bad. The turbo fixes the performance, but it cannot fix the game. Before switching it off, I come to the only reasonable conclusion: playing Hard Drivin' gives me about as much pleasure as having root canal treatment at the dentist. Then it is time for Stunt Car Racer. Even at the standard C64 speed, this is already a great game. The frame rate may only be around six frames per second, but the controls are perfectly matched to it. I still feel that I am driving the buggy. I still feel in control. After a test lap, I switch the C64 Ultimate to 2MHz and restart the game. Now the transformation is spectacular. Even the 3D preview of the track becomes much smoother as the camera moves around it. Once the race begins, the game runs faster and more smoothly, just like Hard Drivin'. But there is one enormous difference. Stunt Car Racer is still a great game. Yes, I have to react faster. Yes, I sometimes put a wheel over the edge of the track and send sparks flying. But I can react, pull the car back onto the track and continue racing. I always feel that I am the one controlling the car. I may not be good enough to beat my opponent yet, but that does not matter. The racing feels so good that even losing is fun. And I know that if I learn the track and keep the car on the road, I could win. This experiment proves something very important: More power can make a good game even better. But more power cannot automatically save a bad game. Hard Drivin' at 2MHz becomes a faster bad game. Stunt Car Racer at 2MHz becomes a better great game. Which Commodore 64 game would you like to see tested with the C64 Ultimate turbo next? Let me know in the comments! If you enjoy retro gaming, unusual comparisons, classic games and seeing what old software can do with modern hardware, please like the video, subscribe to TheGamingGeezer1965 and join me for more gaming adventures from the past and present. #Commodore64 #C64Ultimate #HardDrivin #StuntCarRacer #RetroGaming #C64 #Commodore #3DGaming #RacingGames #RetroGames #GamingGeezer #TheGamingGeezer1965