Video Games

Chapter Nineteen

As we’re instructed to drive off of the hovercraft, I can’t help but feel nervous. This is my game, but I’ve never driven anything other than a bumper car in my time. From emerging from the hovercraft, I can’t tell what this track is. Tynoco seems to recognise something about this track; it is familiar, but I cannot put a name to the display of the location in front of me. Tynoco looks excited about something, but also afraid. This is probably a track that he has played in the past – as have I – that has nice memories but something that could destroy us in this version of the game.

Brown mountains surround us – that is literally it. Granted, there are a few differing shades of brown, but for the most part, the track is monotonous. Then again, I find most mountain ranges are extremely boring and consist of nothing. These mountains do have holes in them, but I doubt any of us would fit between the gaps, not even Ithai. Then, this crashing noise occurs and I realise I know exactly where we are. The eleven of us are on the track Choco Mountain – what an original name – and that the noise was one of those boulders falling from the heavens.

As a kid, I always told myself that I would taste the track if I was to come here. Now that I’m here, the only thing I can taste is vomit. Driving up to the start of the line – we’re now in ranking order of the last track, meaning that I am ahead of everyone – I feel my palms sweat as I grip onto the wheel. This is so nerve wracking; I am going to die if I don’t make it. Holding onto the wheel as hard as I can, I see my knuckles go white and I feel the blood drain from my face. I won last time – I can do it again because I know these tracks like the palm of my hand. These tracks are why I’m here – I have to win.

The mountain in front of us – the one with a hole in that we can all fit through – towers over the ones surrounding us and blocking us from going anywhere. See, these tracks have been programmed with a little door that allows us to enter and leave, but it shuts once we’re all in so that no one can even try and escape. The traffic light, oh so cleverly programmed, floats above us – I don’t think they got the design of Lakitu quite right so they didn’t bother to add him in. It starts to signal; I hear engines rev when the first beep starts. Will they ever learn? As the second beep initiates, I rev my engine and I hear Tynoco behind be start on one – he’ll get the tiniest boost ever.

As the green light appears, I shoot off and leave the others for dead. If I remain ahead and try not to think of my competitors as people, I’ll be able to win with ease. If you tilt the kart in a certain way, like you would for a drift, you can fly slightly further when going over bumps. Obviously, you have to time it right or you’ll remain on the ground – or worse, you jump up the hill and lose momentum, causing you to slide back down. These karts aren’t exactly as powerful as other vehicles, surprisingly. The things you can do with them kind of makes you think that it’s possible to do nearly anything on them. That definitely isn’t the case!

My car basically flies compared to the confused people behind me. People are probably wondering what they did when they modified my car. I wonder if Tynoco felt this way when we played Tony Hawk; I wonder if he felt this power because he knew all of the shortcuts and special tricks. This is my game and I know basic things that allow me to gain speed when I need to go fast. The first item box comes into view and I skid through it, going into a drift as the fake item box shows up on my screen.

Wow, I’m guessing that they’re using the old items for older tracks too. Fake item boxes are the bane of my existence – I can always tell where they are, but I will still run into them. What annoys me about them is that they don’t look anything like the item boxes where the real items lie. I’m so glad they’re not in the newer games – now they just need to get rid of the bombs. Well, bomb-ombs are fun when you use them well, but I always mess up and hit myself with them.