Category Archives: racing

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Game Review: Sonic & Sega Allstars Racing Transformed (PS3)

SonicTransformedSonic’s first kart outing was a massive surprise. It was slick, beautiful, competitive and quite frankly the definitive racer for fun family four player action so far this gen. Then suddenly we had LittleBigPlanet Karting, F1 Race Stars and then Sonic Transformed all pop out within 7 days. It’s been a karting dream but before Christmas comes along I want to tell kart racing fans one thing – this is my favourite of the trio! Here’s why:

S&SAT firstly has three types of racing thanks to the transformable vehicles (hence the name). The game has been built with this in mind and tracks incorporate not just karts on land, but boats at sea and planes in the sky. Each of the 20+ characters pass through way points and their vehicles seamlessly twist into their new guises. This opens up the game immensely. Suddenly we have tricky wave sections to ride on, and the plane sections can see the maps open out with various routes round and through the landscape. The tracks are built around this mechanic and are very creative – usually de-constructing as the race unfolds ala Motorstorm Apocalypse. That made Motorstorm Apocalypse my favourite of that series, this helps make Sonic’s kart game the best in this genre. You can go from driving around the Skies of Arcadia circuit only for it to be bombed by sky pirates and all you’ve got left is to fly through the ruins!

Secondly the handling is spot on. F1 Race Stars handles like a fat cow after Christmas dinner. LPBK has not quite the same sense of speed. Here speed and turning go hand in hand and that’s down to the drifting mechanic which feels responsive and balanced. I had some friends over for some four player split screen and all of them said “You know this game feels like a real kart game should. I know exactly where I’m going.” It’s a strange comment perhaps in its concept but actually, it is integral as to why the game is fantastic.

Then we have the multitude of characters, two from various Sega games past and present plus Danica Patrick?! I was delighted to see Pudding there! The tracks see just one returning track from the previous game. You also get mirrored tracks and battle arenas too. There’s drift and ring challenges, boss battles that throw things at you whilst you try to blow them up and of course multiplayer locally up to four and online up to ten. Online works excellently and local suffers from little slowdown or loss of detail. We had an absolute blast.

Lastly for the single player, there’s tons of fun to be had because the AI is mega quick. It doesn’t resort to cheap missile attacks constantly on the harder modes – they just know all the shortcuts and make every drift count. It’s been a real challenge and a pleasure to try and win on Expert mode (I’m still not there yet).

Negatives

~Fantastic control system

~Creativity in track design and layout

~Genuinely excellent single and multiplayer modes

~Very high production values

~4 player local FTW!

Negatives

~Erm… it has to end?

Conclusion

I seriously cannot recommend this game enough. Easily one of my favourite games of the year and my favourite karting game of this entire generation. This is the golden boy. I can’t wait to see what else comes of this superb franchise.

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Game Review: F1 Race Stars (PS3)

An F1 Karting game?! Whatever next! F1 Race Stars is a new concept and the first pure arcade type driving experience for the F1 franchise (aside from the PS1 F1 Arcade in 2000) but this takes things completely into the fun karting world. Think Mario Kart. Think weapons and powerups. Think 4 player split screen!

All 24 drivers of the 2012 season, plus two made up teams with some female drivers are included and 11 tracks fit the initial bill although I’d image track DLC will be milked. The 11 tracks is a somewhat disappointing number but I will say each track is about two minutes long a sumptuously filled with hazards and crazy corners galore. Initially I was also saddened that not all the drivers are on the grid either – 12 is the limit. Once things are going though you can see why it’d be difficult to have more for the time being – everything moves quickly and screen tear free.

There are three big differences that F1 Race Stars has to other kart racers. The first is that unlike most other games – you have to still brake! There are corners that are very tight or that have several lines and usually braking gives you the best run through. This is made all the more tactical as the karts handle like a cow. They understeer badly and so braking gets you back on track again. The second difference is that there’s no drift mechanic at all. Instead boosts are done in KERS zones which are usually tight corners where you pump the accelerator to charge your battery which then boosts you forward in one of three charge levels. The idea is novel and works better on some tracks than others. The final difference is that your kart can be damaged. The power ups which are bubbles to shoot at others or rain to make the track slippery, or the safety car to slow the leaders down can usually damage your car. That means you’ll need to use the several pitlanes around the track to repair. This is critical when racing on the harder difficulty as the AI certainly gang up on you and bundle you on the last laps.

Single player is fun even if you are ganged up on clearly by the AI but multiplayer is fantastic, both local and online with several different modes available including the unusual petrol races that require you to collect fuel cans to keep your car going, but having too much fuel slows the car down!

Positives

~Some unique gameplay mechanics

~Great graphic design and direction

~Great use of sound

~4 player local -YES YES!!!

Negatives

~Not enough tracks/content compared to LittleBigPlanetKarting or Sonic & Sega All Stars Transformed

Conclusion

A great game that appears to be firmly aimed at the kids but is certainly a worthy addition to anyone’s racing catalogue. It is lighter on content then LPBK or Sonic Transformed though so if you want battle modes etc, go for those games first.

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Game Review: F1 2012 (PS3)

Creating a game for such a split market is no easy task and you have to feel for Codemasters – they’ll be slammed for making an ingenious genre defining sim , they’ll be slammed for making an arcade gem. F1 2012, like the previous outings falls firmly in the middle, although it does feel this time round things have moved slightly towards the sim end more than 2011′s version.

The first biggest change is the vastly improved graphics and smoother frame rate. This was my biggest problem with last year and its happily far better this time round. The graphics top 2010′s glossiness too. Also improved are the fibres, damage pieces and general grubbiness throughout. It really does enhance the experience ten fold when you’ve not got to think “those buildings are moving slower than my eye can notice”.

The second big change is the handling. Unlike previous versions, here I’m finding set ups and trigger button pressures really matter more than ever now. If you’re used to flooring the accelerator you’ll be spinning off at the first turn. The emphasis, as shown in the new New Drivers Test day (a tutorial of sorts), is now on smoothness of the steering and pedals. This then in turn brings set up to the fore a bit more. I found this was where the tutorial was really lacking. Maybe for future updates if this stays it’d be great to show exactly what each function does in a side-by-side comparison. Quick set up’s normally gear you towards a lower downforce set up to keep up with the AI down the straights. I found leaving the set up as default would see me up to 2 seconds off the pace on Legend difficulty yet moving it up the scale just one notch suddenly had me on the pace.

The third change is the extra modes for the single player. Champions mode is a six event scenario mode to challenge each champion in increasingly difficult missions. This is a nice extra to sit alongside time trials and single lap leader boards. Also here is season challenge which targets you to pick off rivals and move to their seats over an arcade style championship base. It harks right the way back to Ayrton Senna’s Super Monaco GP in its set up and is a very welcome addition. It also forces a one-shot qualifying system like F1 had in 2003-5. Of course the 5 year career mode is still there with some minor tweaks.

As a whole the single player mode is massively improved. The AI is much better this time round, having their own accidents, the occasional engine blow up and the tyre simulations mean you’ll often find yourself on a real balancing act as everyone strategy comes alive. This is exactly what we want. Props too for the new weather mechanics that really do shake races up.

So what on earth has happened currently to the online events? It’s here currently where F1 2012 absolutely falls down. When building a custom race as soon as more than 8 players have joined, the game freezes upon entry. When the host leaves or the players drop to 8 or below, the race kicks off. This doesn’t happen on quick race strangely. The AI also suddenly reverts back to an old style of driving through you and causing stupid incidents online too – yet works wonderfully offline. I’ve also had several occasions where races start with drivers getting penalties, the game getting stuck in the pitstop and a lot of crashes in the in game menu system. Everything but the latter is online only. Hopefully a patch can sort out the issues but until then a custom race, or custom online championship is utterly out of the question. If you follow the predetermined modes, be prepared for penalties galore as I’ve yet to find a decent set of racers by picking random’s that doesn’t include someone driving like its destruction derby all over again. The game will disqualify repeat offenders but its unavoidable that you’ll probably get a penalty for being whacked in the process.

It’s a shame as you can clearly see a lot of labour has gone firmly into this version and it really shows but the online section at the moment is half broken.

Positives

~Vastly improved frame rate and graphics

~Single player modes now make it a joy to play on your own

~Much more grounded driving experience

Negatives

~Custom online modes are currently broken (as of version 1.01)

Conclusion

Best of the three F1 games by far but the online modes require some serious patches, as does the general front end of the game too. There’s no use making an absolutely stonking single player experience if the game likes to crash when you invite your mates along.

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Game Review: Dirt Showdown (PS3)

I’ve purposely let a bit of time slip over from my initial reaction to Dirt Showdown in order to review this properly. The title itself really appears to have divided the Dirt franchise fans. I think the easiest way to deal with it is pretend it’s not a Dirt game and that it just borrows heavily from some of its influences. Initially I found this and Showdown as a whole to be a fantastic product. I was raving about it. The longer I’ve spent with it though, the sheen has very quickly worn off and now I feel like it’s a bit of a half way house.

Marketed as an absolute smashfest, I was expecting Destruction Derby. Instead we get a game that feels like the heaviest Dirt 3 vehicles left to ram each other with a boost button round several bland circuits. We have normal races which infuriate due to the fact that the rubber banding on the AI means no matter how good or bad a job you’re doing, you’ll get rammed regardless. It eventually means that you get no real rewards for doing a great job and on single player, just rev it like mad at the end and ta-daaa – 1st place. The same goes for 8-Ball events which are tracks with tons of cross over sections. These are more interesting and infuriating in equal measure depending on your view on luck. Domination (winning points on getting the fastest sector) is hampered by the rubber banding. Do really well, they’ll suddenly boost and catch up and you’ll be last! Also marvel at the bland circuits that you race forwards, backwards and between day and night. The track choice is decidedly uninspiring and limited. We then move onto the crashing events which form about a 20% section of the game. Getting in a bowl and smashing into each other is great fun, however the collision detection for scoring appears to not register quite often and sometimes a massive hit gets little points and the smallest tap gets a huge points haul.

Taking the game online with friends does iron out some of the kinks as effectively the rubber banding is effectively gone and the crash detection is the same for everyone. There’s also some great party games including the return of transporter and some great checkpoint finding modes or holding onto the parcel games. In this area Showdown absolutely excels and I’ve nothing but praise for it. As soon as it comes back to the core racing however, because it doesn’t commit to its smash-up vision properly and feels like a clunky sim – the two elements don’t mix particularly well. I felt like it needed to go completely arcade in driving physics and style.

Positives

~Fantastic online modes which run perfectly smoothly

~Good presentation

~Can be genuinely fun if it clicks

Negatives

~Collision detection is slightly off

~Rubber banding is so bad it ruins the single player experience

~Dull and uninspired cars and tracks

~The most cheesiest, annoying voice over commentary committed to this gen

Conclusion

I’ve spent the vast majority of the review pointing out my misgivings with Showdown. It is still fun to play. It’s got the usual Codemaster’s sheen all over it. It just feels a bit of an empty experience unless you’re with friends online and it also feels like it’s not fully committed to what it’s trying to be either.

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Game Review: Bang Bang Racing (PS3)

Something that has really gone awol this generation is the classic cutesy top down racer genre. Wrecked is ok, TNT Racers is better but now I’ve something to fill the gap and that is Bang Bang Racing.

The beauty, aside from the lovely graphics, with Bang Bang Racing is that there’s no weapon power ups so to speak. It’s about pure racing skill and that marks a refreshing change. Each of the 8 tracks can be raced forwards, backwards, with and without shortcuts and also in a short course form  (think National tracks). Instead of power ups however there are barrels dotted around the circuits. Some of them once hit spill oil, some spill water and some will explode. The oil and water ones if they’re hit will end up meaning you have to alter you lines in and out of corners as they make you slide and slow down. The explosive ones hurt your overall speed which you can sort out by driving in the pit lane. You can also replenish your boost this way each lap too.

Suddenly though tactics come into play. Get the other cars on the outside, ride out wide and push the other car onto the oil slick and gain an advantage – or if the same is happening to you, do you back out and then save some boost for the straight or have a go at hanging on. It just means that infuriating last-minute missile attacks are gone and the focus is on fun close racing.

The one thing that does take a while to get used to is the rotating camera which follows your car but acts like a swingman’s camera, constantly rotating around about a second behind you so initially you think you may taking the hairpin tightly but actually its a false camera perspective. Once you’ve got used to this, the camera works perfectly though and its nothing a few laps practice on each track doesn’t solve. The handling too is absolutely spot on. I felt at home within two races and while each class you progress through means braking and sliding (pressing L2 to brake whilst still accelerating with R2) become more prominent, this is where you can show off and enjoy yourself.

If there’s one downside aside from perhaps not having enough tracks (although plenty of variants of the same circuits help to a degree) it’s that its only 2 player split screen locally and no online play whatsoever. 4 player would have been fantastic and online is a shame but this is definitely a game that comes into its own in multiplayer locally so you can scream at each other! The AI is fine but as with a lot of games these days, rubber banding means you’ll never be left alone, nor really suffer for driving badly.

Positives

~Handles predictably

~Fantastic visuals and sound

~Emphasis on the racing means it feels fresh, skilled and takes away the last-minute frustration of things outside your control

~First racing game in a while that I simply could not put down for hours – even on my own!

Negatives

~Could have had a couple more tracks

~Only 2 player local (may be innaccurate)

Conclusion

Fun, cute and skilled – combined into one fantastic action bundle called Bang Bang Racing. I absolutely recommend this for anyone who is looking for a fun mini racer, anyone who remembers playing Super Skidmarks and wonders why the series isn’t going now and anyone who still enjoys local multiplayer challenges.

(Also available on PC/Xbox360)

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Game Review: Motorstorm RC (PS3)

Remote Control racing games aren’t always the popular choice yet is done correctly they can be fantastic fun for all ages. Motorstorm RC takes it four previous entries, shrinks them down to tiny racers akin to something like Super Skidmarks and throws you one of the most insanely addictive games to grace the PSN in a while.

Visually the tracks are distinctive enough to define each of the previous games and the game is well priced too for its content. The single player experience is all about getting the fastest time in a challenge be it over a 3 lap race, a one lap time trial, an overtaking trial or by racking up drift points. Each challenge is awarded trophies depending on your time and everything is compared to your friends online or anyone else’s times that can be downloaded. How the game hooks you in is by overlaying other peoples time with a coloured arrow showing their route and pace. Suddenly half an hours gone by as you struggle to work out how your mate managed to shave a few hundredths off their time. There’s also the pitboard which constantly tells you which friend has just beat your time and who you’ve just trumped. Competition against each other indirectly is really what spurs the game on.

There is just a couple of flies in the ointment and the most apparent is the games very unique handling. It takes a very long time to get to used to the cars available in Motorstorm RC. Some are simply too fast for their own good but most are too heavy on the rear and so when you break you’ll loop the back of the car round. It’s annoying, it’s infuriating, it’s shout at the screen and rage quit in a can. While everyone has the same problems, what can sometimes be a shame is that the tracks appear to be heavily mottled and so sometimes it feels like it’s ganging up on you when you’ve driven what seems the perfect lap and it’s a second slower because you’ve landed on uneven ground slightly awkwardly and you are heavily penalised for it. It takes a lot of time and patience to get the most out of each track.

With the recent update however I must add there has become a very frustrating save bug which fades your screen to black to tell you there’s been a saving error. Since the game seems to save almost every two minutes, you’ll find this ruins a fair chunk of your runs and currently, I’ve left the game alone for a bit while it’s sorted.

Positives

~Great twist on the series and great fun entry to the genre

~Lives the mantra easy to pick up, hard to master

~Hits online leader-boards and time trial competition against friends down to a tee

~Great graphics and sound

Negatives

~The save bug can render the game unplayable if it’s having an off day

~Rage quit inducing handling may alienate some

Conclusion

It will throw you from euphoria to rage and back again within the space of five minutes but I cannot deny there is a charm and hypnotic craze about Motorstorm RC which has me hooked – while the game is stable. Fun, frenzied and great for a quick ten minutes gaming when you can – a welcome addition to the franchise indeed.

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Game Review: F1 2011 (PS3)

Three letters determine this games fate for me. F.P.S. In full, that means frames per second. Often we hear of games tooting 50 or 60 and when you play racing games on a PC you see them over the 100 mark. Why is this important for a racing game? It’s because if the screen updates quickly then you get fluid motion, emersed in the cockpit and you feel better prepared in what’s going on up ahead. In short, it’s one of the key things that makes a racing game tick all the boxes for being an excellent success. I’m not sure what’s happened with F1 2011 but in the FPS department, this game is seriously lacking.

A racing game should never run at a rate that it struggles to keep up with itself. Last years entry struggled with the street circuits. This years struggles everywhere. Should you hit the tight section in Abu Dhabi, the midfield in Dehli (which is a great new track) or have rain at spa or all 24 cars in the screen, the game struggles to a stutter. It’s really noticeable and it’s really off-putting. Sometimes the game even freezes and it as frozen every single time I’ve left the pitlane to take to the track (although thankfully not in a pitstop). It’s such a fundamental flaw to the game that it’s clearly trying to run code it can’t handle, I’d rather take slightly reduced graphics and have it run a lot smoother.

It’s a shame that this problem leaves its mark everywhere in the game because elsewhere things have really come on leaps and bounds. The AI are more realistic, running you very closely but never ramming. They’re also much more aware of each other and I’ve had great fun watching them scrap among themselves as I try to hang onto their rear wings. The inclusion of DRS and to a lesser extent KERS really mean that you have your fingers and thumbs working overtime in the cockpit sometimes. Their implementation has been done perfectly with mappable buttons and as a result the racing is much closer. The handling has some really fun twists to it too. It’s much more predictable this time round and you can actually ride the curbs properly. You will often slip and slide if you power down too early but these slides are often saveable and result in heart stopping moments. The inclusion of the safety car works very well too as it regulates your speed once you’ve caught the pack up. The safety car only ever stays out for three laps though and runs very quickly. If you are on the wrong side of the track sometimes you’ve not even caught the queue behind it and its going back in again! Still its very much appreciated and always throws a spanner in the works.

The career mode is still where it’s at for single player and although the off track stuff is possibly worse than before (David Croft is so under used its unreal) its functional and inoffensive. There’s also a half-hearted time attack mode of six scenarios to complete for leaderboard places. Multiplayer split screen works well although graphics and frame rate is reduced understandably. The ability to run co-op for a championship is a great inclusion and is made easier to do by having a 3 lap option for the career and co-op modes. Online things have taken a change for the better too. Gone is excessive rank XP climbing of old, now it’s geared towards cleaner racing. You lose XP for each contact and penalty given and although some of the collisions you’re penalised for are blatantly not your fault, its good to see clean racing rewarded in what had become a real crashfest last season. With up to 16 players in a lobby too, you can organise some good championships with a lot of customisable rules.

Positives

~DRS, KERS and safety car are all great inclusions implemented well

~Handling is significantly better than last years installment

~Good online overhaul

~It’s still extremely fun racing at its core

Negatives

~Frames per second drop offs are awful and off-putting

~Weather flicks from wet to dry within the space of a lap and suddenly the track as dry from… now

~Several game freezes that put me off even trying a 50% or 100% race distance

~Still no spectator mode despite it being confirmed as being in the game (a very personal negative I feel though)

~Qualifying is still simulated and does not represent what’s actually happening on the track

Conclusion

It’s a case of two steps forward and one back for F1 2011. It does feels significantly different to last years and is a general improvement. The problem is that its come at the expense of baseline stability and that doesn’t sit well with me as a console game. It feels like I need to go into the options screen and turn down the graphics menu and that’s frustrating. I feel I’ve moaned too greatly though. F1 2011 is still at its core a fun racing game that offers up hours of playability and great multiplayer sessions if you can find like-minded clean racers. What it isn’t is the step forward I was hoping for.

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Game Review: New Star GP (PC)

New Star GP is a F1 Styled top down racer that is both fun and surprisingly deep at the same time. Modelled unofficially on the 2010 season, the game features bold and crisp graphics that remind me of MiniRacingOnline or an early Micro Machines game but styled specifically for F1. 24 cars and drivers are available to choose from and there are mods out there for different F1 seasons and correct name spellings for everything (Timo Glick anyone?).

The crux of the gameplay is simple – to win. The controls are arcade to the extreme, you’ll skid around most corners flat-out if you learn the track and can get the aiming right every time. The cars are however very prone to damage and with 23 other cards pounding round a track that can be completed in 30-40 seconds in most cases, your races will be extremely busy avoiding everyone else. Also available is fuel which noticeably makes the cars heavier and slower, tyre degradation and kers (a small power boost button). These along with a nifty and surprisingly powerful slipstream effect make the game frantic , very tactical and surprisingly deep. You’ll want to (and often attempt to) overtake as many cars as possible to start off with but usually you’ll be battered around by the other cars and have to limp back to the garage for repairs. You can also have the weather change during a race too and if you’ve decided to go for a 60 lap race you’ll more than likely have it rain once during the event.

Single player offers a career mode where you are rated based on your results and then offered different drives for the following year. Fantastically all the drivers move in the market so that can throw up some fun surprises for pretend 2011 teams! That said the career mode is shallow because the boss will only be happy if you win with the top teams, he’ll grumble at a 2nd or 3rd and then you’ll get offered a poor drive the following season. Still, it’s a welcome mode that adds another layer to the game. There is also an online race mode to team up against other races although I’ve yet to try this out in practice. I could imagine small leagues having a field day though.

For myself there’s only one down side to the whole game and that revolves around the fuel. You need to guesstimate how much you need per race on a bar graph that doesn’t fill up in tiny portions. Therefore you can end up significantly overfueled or just slightly underfueled and there’s not a lot you can do about it. That then feels very unfair when you realise you have to pit again because you’re having to blindly guess your fuel every time.

Positives

~Absolutely fantastic arcade  gameplay

~Surprising amount of extra features should you want much more depth to your racer

~23 AI competitors on a budget game is no meagre achievement

Negatives

~Guessing the fuel and weather is frustrating

Conclusion

Fuel aside, this is a classic top down racer. Along with Super Laser Racer, New Star have really produced two fine racers that deserve to be on any petrol heads games list. Grab the trial to see for yourself!

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Game Review: Monochrome Racing (PSP Mini)

I have yet to really play a PSP Mini that has had such a frustrating design flaw as Monochrome Racing. This is a top down racing game with its selling point being a monochrome track with 4 coloured cars to battle it out. In classic Micro Machine tradition, you must knock out your opponents and be the only one left racing on the screen either by nudging them off the screen or going so quickly they drop off the bottom of the screen and that’s it.

The design flaw? It’s over in literally five seconds.

Instead of trying to be the first to five points or something like that, it’s literally a one-off affair. The AI is nothing short of shocking. They spin in circles on the straights, fail to turn for corners and stop dead at random intervals. Admittedly there’s 84 tracks to unlock but in the fifty or so I’ve unlocked already I’ve yet to actually get round a lap of one because I’ve usually won by turn 2. Then there’s a loading screen and an awfully chunky un user-friendly menu system that takes an aeon to navigate. You actually spend more time in the menu’s than on the track!

When you’re on the track the handling is awful as well. The cars are on ice so everything slides or rather slips across the screen. It’s like watching melting butter drip off a knife and it’s just as fun! As a result of that even trying to race competitively in such small arenas is more frustrating that it ever should be and as a result you’ll put it down and go for either Rocket Racers or Super Touch Nitro Racing instead on the Mini market.

Positives

~84 tracks

Negatives

~Awful handling

~AI is so idiotic it ruins the gameplay for single and multiplayer modes

~Menu’s are difficult to navigate and there’s a loading screen every ten seconds

Conclusion

I could have tried to forgive the handling if I could actually get more than ten seconds of gameplay followed by ten seconds of loading screen. Isn’t it funny how one oversight at the basic level of game design has utterly ruined a game. Sorely disappointed, I cannot recommend this to anyone.

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Game Review: Motorstorm Apocolypse (PS3)

Timed to release just when the real world had its own natural disasters, this high-octane grizzly racer packs one hell of a punch and deserves your attention.

The Concept

A group of nutcases decide to move the Motorstorm festival to a city that’s in crisis following a collection of Earthquakes that prelude “The Big One” which will reduce the city to rubble. Cue your usual Motorstorm on and off road antics while the course and world changes and self destruct around your eyes.

The Gameplay

You play as three racers, a rookie, a pro and a veteran and each one has their own goals to qualify for the next round (place 5th or higher for example). There are 13 types of vehicle to choose from each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Go for the bike and your nimbleness will prove to be useful in a tight spot but you’ll be easy bait for the Big Rigs that just drive over you but can’t corner worth a damn! In the story mode the vehicles are pre-chosen for you thus taking away your strategic options however online multiplayer and free play places the choice in your own hands.

Each track has its own theme and certain showcase events – very few will be a simple race through the carnage. Buildings will topple, ground will give way, trains derail and everything explodes! In the same way how Split/Second’s power plays changed the track layout and/or threw a curveball for you to try not to crash into – the Earthquake which usually happens in the second last or last lap of  a race, will throw all kinds of stuff at you. Think the city scene in the film 2012 and you’ve got the jist. Oh… and there’s 15 other racers all trying to do the same thing! Thankfully they’re all as failable as you are and fly off cliffs, crash into buildings and explode their boost systems. Boost systems remain unchanged and still play an important role in the game, but avoidance is the key here this time round.

What I liked the most was that this was the first Motorstorm game where I didn’t get annoyed at the handling of the cars. Pacific Rift (and the original) felt too cumbersome but here things feel much more responsive and agile. Braking is welcomed with open arms! The courses also take into account that sometimes you will be trying to get round a tight chicane in a massive truck and so give plenty of alternate routes for you to discover too. All in all its by far the most immediately accessible Motorstorm to date.

The Graphics

While I don’t have a 3D TV to see how that side works, the usual graphics are exceptional. There is some slowdown when you’re in an earthquake and everything is falling down around you but I’m not sure if it’s actually for dramatic effect or not! Sometimes the slowdown helps you out. Some of the big set pieces really do make your eyes stand on end – they’re that good (and I’m not spoiling them). What doesn’t work is the bizarre cartoon cut scenes between races which feel like a completely separate entity to the game itself. Trying to inject humour and distasteful situations to what is already a questionable premise just doesn’t add anything to the game at all.

RePlay Factor

The story mode is do-able in two days if you go at a steady pace. There are 150 cards to collect as you go round the tracks but they don’t really offer much of a reward back. 1-4 player offline is fantastic (although I’ve only played 2 player and it chugs along nicely). Online things are just as smooth and the usual ranking system is in place with an extra of placing bets to win more chips to increase your ranking quicker. If you like to platinum trophy games then most of your time will be spent getting to rank 40 online and trying to find the 150 cards dotted around the single player mission.

Positives

~On screen action all the time

~Fantastic Visuals

~Easiest to pick up and play of the series to date

Negatives

~Tries to be all tough and wacky and comes across a bit arrogant instead

~Once you’ve seen all the tracks two or three times you’ll know whats coming and novelty may wear

Conclusion

Fantastic racer! Ignore the added bolts and whistles and just jump straight into the game. While the course destruction isn’t as satisfying as Split/Second because you didn’t trigger it yourself, the sheer amount of on-screen eye candy and reflex action will keep you amused for a good length of time.

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Game Review: Nimbus (PC)

Nimbus is a delightful new PC game available on steam that mixes racing and physics based puzzlers to make for a intuitive and fun racing puzzler.

 

The Concept

Nimbus has no story. It’s just about you propelling a rocket that has no forward motion other than gravity from the start of the level to the end. You must use whatever you can find to push the vessle and do so in the quickest time.

The Gameplay

Each level has a drop point and a place to crash into that’s chequered like a chequered flag. To propel yourself about each level is full of cannons. Your job is to navigate yourself from one to another. There’s also locks to find keys for, travelators to ride on and lots of objects to bump and grind out the way. Each level adds more complex notions but the goal remains the same. Don’t crash, finish fast. Each level also has a gold medal to collect if your feeling brave.

The physics are well thought out, almost like guiding a leaf around a maze. The controls are easy to pick up and you immediately understand how to keep your rocket going as long as possible. Its genuinely fun to work with and youget real satisfaction when you complete the levels.

The Graphics

Nimbus features a warm cuddly graphical style, almost fabric like but more akin to its namesake, a fluffy cloud. I particularly like the whisp that follows your aircraft around as if your making art in the sky too. Everything is crystal clear and that’s crucial for a game of this nature.

The Sound

Nimbus’ soundtrack is also as fluffy and delicate as its graphics. Not catchy but more elevated than mood music, its fits into the game perfectly.

RePlay Factor

Nimbus is intially about the challenge of completing the puzzles. Once you’ve done that, you’ve got 68 gold medals to collect too. If you manage that its all about the leaderboards. I was all excited when I charted in the top 100 on one of the levels so if you can master the shortcuts and string together perfect driving skills, you’ll be battling for the top for a long time.

Positives

~Easy to pick up

~Leaderboard loving

~Crystal clear graphics and easy mechanics make for great drop in/out gameplay

~Perfect learning curve

Negatives

~Currently has a bug where if you’ve got more than 10 friends on a leaderboard it crashes to desktop

Conclusion

Once the solitary bug is fixed, Nimbus will become a classic game that challenges your dexterity, brain power and precision. A fantastic indie game that deserves a lot of peoples attention, give it a whirl and make pretty patterns in the sky.

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Game Review: Buzz! Ace Racers

Buzz! has its own junior series that originally on PS2, were then transfered into smaller games on the PSN for £3.49. Buzz! Ace Racers is one that (as of today) has not been converted. Is this because its just a one trick pony no one’s interested in or is it a hidden gem in the mini-game world? Let’s have a poke about under the bonnet…

The Premise

There is one? Four drivers, four coloured buttons on the Buzz! Buzzers (not that you use them). This is all about finding uses for the peripheral outside of a quiz game.

The Gameplay

This game really uses just one button – and that’s the big red buzzer button. There are 25 tracks plus 5 bonus games. Each track is relatively small and follows a car/plane/boat cycle. Your steering is completely automatic a bit like a race on rails, however the buzzer button controls when your accelerate. Press it, you go full pelt. Stop and you slow down. The whole game revolves around managing your speed so you can race as fast as possible. If you take a corner too fast you spin and lose time. That essentially is it! It’s so shockingly simplistic yet it has a feel all of its own and if you’ve four people knowing exactly what they’re doing, the races can really be quite close and fun. It still feels a bit… too easy though.

The Graphics

The graphics in race are from a 2.8D view. You can see 3D objects, but you can usually be almost top down watching the race. Every track is beautifully presented and when you win, you get to see all the detail as the camera swoops down to follow the winner on their victory laps. The plane levels are least impressive as its almost like a PS1 side shooter but apart from that, everything is really quite lavish.

The Sound

Music here is great. Each type of environment as its own theme and while its all very playful, it does get you really into the racing spirit. The voice overs, as in all Buzz games, are top notch too and really add to the atmosphere.

The RePlay Factor

This is all down to how many players you have. The AI can actually really give it some whelly on hard and will provide plenty of challenge but these games are always better with friends. 4 player racing is always a bonus and everything runs smoothly. There’s a nice collection of tracks, most with their own specific danger that you need to avoid. The mini games are similar to ones lifted from all the other Buzz! Junior games too.

The Positives

~4 player mayhem

~So easy to pick up, a little tougher to master completely

~Excellent presentation

The Negatives

~Many will wonder where the actual challenge is in just pressing one button

~Is in essence a one-trick pony

The Verdict

It’s very strange just how much enjoyment can be had just pressing one button. While a chunk of gamers will not appreciate its pure simplicity in design, its a great drop in, pick up, play and put down game, especially for the little ones, and makes for a change of pace between all those quizzes you’ve been doing!