I can't be the only one who's first reaction to a new real-time 3D game is where can I break it, what can I drive behind, fly under, poke about in. So my hat is off to any game design that allows noodle heads like me to drive around pushing cones, barrels and road dividers, even other cars in front of my souped up hot rod or entices me to fishtail past the grandstands, honking & waving. Well not waving but you get the idea Its like high school, I just got my first car and officer I didn't really mean to get sideways in the rain, honest? And what do you mean its against the law to tear up the school lawn doing donuts? (Great flying bits of grass by the way!)
Or playing bumper tag with another driver completely disregarding the timer, score and rules. This is really what hardware acceleration is all about: real-time 3D that creates unique play opportunities with other players beyond the original game design. Nobody in their right mind "designs" a sandbox, they just fill it with sand, some toddlers and a shovel or two. The kids figure out the rest.
Playing inside these virtual (meaning fake) worlds with a buddy is not just a testosterone laced competition, but a sandbox full of unexpected possibilities…sometimes its the Taj Mahal, sometimes its a face full of sand! Its not the oh-so-many-shades-of-brown that make Quake2 so fun, its the UNPREDICTIBILITY of playing with another carbon based life form. Now where did I put that soapbox…
Unfortunately for innovative game designers, the necessity of keeping within a recognizably marketable genre is imperative so the extra bits have to be added in on the side. But somebody at Digital Illusions crammed in an awful lot of extra bits. A closer look reveals a silly-sick sense of humor. The bogus billboard adverts for Australian undertakings and oddly named soda drinks feels a bit like I've lost something in the translation - I don't really understand the inside joke but I do feel vaguely hip at being invited to attend the party.
Not to downplay the racing bit at all, those Swedish porn star pals of Anders have done their homework here, but this really is getting close to a real-time 3D environment that happens to be a bunch of race tracks. Playing highspeed shuffleboard with the road signs is just a natural outcome.
So actually, (soapbox retracted) the most important thing after speed is the vehicle. A total of ten different cars are available once the player earns the right to have the choice. The first cars available are pretty much dogs but that is a good thing because it takes some practice to work up to handling the Serpent with maximum speed and acceleration. Next fave is The Kobra with well balanced speed/acceleration and lots of grip.