[Review] Speed Busters

[Love Pulse]

 

 

Ubi Soft's past efforts in the racing genre have sat on opposite sides of the spectrum. The sophisticated F1 Racing Simulation is a far cry from POD, an arcade racer with a science fiction theme. Now comes Speed Busters: American Highways, a game that falls closer to POD in terms of its simplistic nature but still tries to incorporate some realistic handling and physics issues. The result is a game that has all of the right moves but some design elements that make it an often-frustrating ride.

 

 

 

The premise behind Speed Busters takes inspiration from the golden age of Burt Reynolds films. Think Smokey and the Bandit; think Cannonball Run. A police officer has won the lottery and lost his marbles. He's hosting a series of races in various locales, and the winner gets lots of his money. You also earn money and ranking based on how fast you drive past the radar detectors located on each track.

 

 

Speed Busters features seven tracks (one of them hidden) and any number of cars and upgrades. It follows a basic arcade racer formula. In championship mode, you begin with three available tracks and unlock the rest as you proceed. You cannot race on tracks in arcade mode without unlocking them in the championship (though you can access them in multiplayer).

In championship mode, the game takes you through each track, and you use the money you win to buy upgrades, repairs, nitro refills, and even new cars if you so desire. Upgrades include spoilers, faster engines, bigger nitro tanks, and better tires. Other items for sale include road assistance (little arrows will appear onscreen during races to indicate upcoming turns) and car insurance (which makes all repairs free for the next race). You can take these upgraded cars into arcade mode, in which you must hit a series of checkpoints as you race around.

 

 

 

The game itself plays much like most arcade racers. You simply move forward as fast as you can. You have brakes, a handbrake, and nitro to make you go faster and slower where appropriate. The strategy of playing really relies on you mastering the handbrake, and learning where and when to apply a nitro boost is also important. The illusion of speed is pretty impressive, and when you hit the nitro, your car zooms ahead a bit, giving the impression of a massive speed burst.

 

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by #Mr.Devil