Bug Riders

Bug Riders is a game which involves a bug-riding race to determine who will replace the dying emperor of the planet Entymion. To accelerate, the player strikes their bug with a crop. Careful rhythm is demanded, as using the crop too frequently will cause the bug to cry out in pain and slow down.

Bug Riders received generally negative reviews, primarily because of the system for controlling the bugs. In particular, critics overwhelmingly detested the cropping system used to accelerate, finding it overly difficult to master. Shawn Smith argued in Electronic Gaming Monthly, "Let's just stick with a standard 'press the button and hold it' acceleration that practically EVERY other racing game has. It's what we're used to as gamers.

When something like this comes along, we don't know what to do." Most critics also found that the bugs having minds of their own, allowing them to fly without input from the player and sometimes resist the player's inputs, proved to be frustrating.