Reckless Racing

 
Developer: Pixelbite Games

Steam Release: Not Available On Steam

Hours Played: ~12.0

Similar To: Bang Bang Racing / Death Rally / Little Racers Street / Mantis Burn Racing

Rating: 5/5 Parsnips

*NOT AVAILABLE ON STEAM

GAMEPLAY

As far as top-down racers go I'd put this one right at the top, edging out Little Racers Street for the crown. It's a smooth, well animated racing game with an excellent A.I. that really brings the thrill of racing to life. It looks and plays in a very similar vein to the more well-known Death Rally but is more gentle on the eyes and does away with combat giving it a more classic and refined feel. Also, rather than pushing up the left stick to move, the trigger on the Xbox controller accelerates your car while the left stick gives you direction... but you can also go the keyboard route as well. The tracks are varied and beautifully rendered with the cars handling well on the surface as well as round corners. 
 

BALANCE & PACE

Pure racing and time-trials is the order of the day here - as it should be. Like Little Racers Street, as you play, you'll win cash to spend on cars and upgrades such as for engine features, handling and tyres. These upgrades will push up your P.I. score which determines which race that car can enter. Each race puts you at the back of the grid but with decent acceleration you'll usually breeze past three or four cars fairly swiftly. However, the options allow you to select Dynamic Difficulty which basically makes sure the A.I. doesn't make things too easy for you, giving you a proper challenge. This doesn't mean an obvious rubber-banding mechanic but a genuine feeling that you're up against humans rather than bots.  
 

PRESENTATION & DESIGN

RR is a pretty slick production which runs like melted chocolate on my mid-range system. It is stable and solid to boot, pretty much load-screen free and has never crashed or blipped. Also, unlike a shed-load of games where developers don't think it matters, the Xbox controller is actually able to navigate through the menus with smart, ninja-like efficiency. The visuals are solid too with environments ranging from lush green hills to dusty canyons and deserts. Additionally, unlike Mini-Motor Racing where the quality of tracks vary wildly, the tracks in Reckless Racing all play out equally well. The U.I. is also clear yet unobtrusive with times shown in the top left and a subtle mini-map displayed at the top.   

 

PROGRESS SYSTEM

Progression in Reckless Racing is excellent. You get three choices of how to play: (1) Career mode gives you 20 cups where you compete in races accumulating points - the winner being the racer with the most points at the end. (2) Arcade gives you 50 challenges where you're given a car and an objective. Smash the objective for a gold star and get a silver or bronze for a worthy effort. (3) Single Events offer three alternatives where you can race, do a hot-lap or go for an elimination. Personally, I like the hot-lap option where you're doing time-trials against your best time. Here, you'll be honing your driving skills while running limitless laps and competing against your ghost-car for that all-important record time. Good fun!  

CONCLUSION

To my mind, Reckless Racing is the complete package and the current market leader in this field. The gameplay is sharp and crisp, the look and feel is pleasing to the senses, and the decent choice of events keeps sessions dynamic. What's more the intuitive interface and menus offers a deep and rich sense of progression without overwhelming the player - keeping things manageable and casual. Finally, although it may have the odd equal, I can't think of any other A.I. that does a better job in ensuring that other racers feel like they're "human." All we need now, is for the game to come over to Steam and for the multiplayer to take off making it the go-to game for all arcade-racing enthusiasts.