Gallop Racer 8 Live Horse Racing

 

View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX site.

NCS Game Notes
* The intro to the game is a simple one with just a title screen and the roar of the crowd before the "Press Start Button" prompt appears while trumpeting music plays in the background. It's the sport of kings - simple and elegant.

* Before a race, the complete roster of up to 18 horses is shown on a listing and then various steeds are shown being paraded around a track. An overview of the race course appears followed by animation of horses with their jockeys as they gallop on a grassy field. The stats of the horse and rider are shown in a data box on the bottom of the screen as each couple rolls through. If so desired, all 18 horses and jockeys may be viewed or just press START to begin the race.

* During a race, the camera swivels around the action while the DIST, TIME and LAP are shown on the lower left corner. On the right side of the screen, the positions of the horses are shown as circles with the corresponding number and jockey clothing color. As the horses race around the bend and near the finish, the crowd roars and the camera switches views for an overhead pan, a head-on view, and back to overhead. The winner is shown up-close galloping to victory.

* After starting a standard game, players are greeted by a red jacketed guide and prompted to enter their name. Next, select a jockey uniform color and adorn it with pink and purple stripes if so desired. The color of boots may also be selected. Once taken care of, it's off to Gallop Racing Square where players may elect to purchase a horse (recommended) with the capital available and outfit it with gear and a jockey. Horse barons may also scope out the action at the various tracks and check out the purses that are up for grabs.

* When a race starts, all horses and jockeys are in their respective stalls. Once the timer counts down, it's literally off to the races as the thunder of hooves reverberate through the speakers and the Dual Shock 2 rumbles with each hoof fall. Use the L-Analog, R-Analog, or trigger pads to maneuver the camera around to view the other riders and check relative positioning. Keep an eye on the horse's exertion gauge on the lower-left portion of the screen and make sure to never use the speed burst too early. Use the D-pad to move the horse left or right around the bends and hit the "O" button to give it a whack to force it to thunder even faster. As mentioned earlier, putting too much exertion on the horse will cause it to peter out before the race is over. Pushing up on the D-pad will goad the horse faster while pushing down causes it to brake slightly and slow its galloping speed.

* The first few races are easy but progressively become more difficult as the stakes increase. In the first race, push up on the D-pad and smack horsie a few times to overexert the horse and leave all other contenders behind. They'll never catch up. The second race is a bit trickier however and it is easy to tire out the horse. NCS Advice: Keep with the crowd for about 3/4 of the 2400m race. When there's about 600m left, whack the horse twice and push up on the d-pad to burst to the finish line. This strategy will ensure that none of the other jockeys will catch up to your steed.

* After each successful race, the gal in the red jacket will greet you with a smile and peppy applause.

 

Region Lock-out
Please note Japanese Playstation 2 games will not boot on USA or European PS2 consoles due to the inherent region-lockout on Playstation 2 game discs.