BallisticNG
Review updated after release
BallisticNG is an homage to the old PS1 generation WipEout games (the original, 2097/XL and 3). For those who haven’t played them, you pilot a jet=powered anti-gravity ship across crazy tracks, using weapons and piloting skill to reach the finish line in first place.
The game really does feel exactly like a WipEout game. The handling is a nearly perfect clone of Wip3out, the teams clearly bring to mind the eight Wip3out teams and even the announcer is straight out of Wip3out.
– Real player with 7977.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Racing Fast-Paced Games.
BallisticNG is a fun game.
There is a certain satisfaction you get when you manage to weave your way through a complex and tight track in a hover car going at blisteringly fast speeds. Other racers fly with you, leaving their colourful trails in their wake as they try and blow you and each other up in a hectic battle to get first place. The ships you pilot are striking and recognisable and all feel satisfying to pilot once you’ve learned how to fly them properly.
The game has a very simple control scheme, and the game itself follows the concept of “easy to learn, hard to master” to a T. The response to input causes the ships to swing around and really brings out the feeling of weight from the ships you pilot The faster you go, the skill ceiling gets higher and higher as you discover tricks and skips and improve your airbraking and steering skills to help get faster lap times. True tests of skill come often and the difficulty doesn’t often feel cheap. The game is compatible with keyboard and XInput controllers out of the box and you can switch between them seamlessly, as you can have both plugged in at the same time and be able to switch input on the fly.
– Real player with 396.5 hrs in game
Extreme-G 2
This is a game that requires patience in learning its quirks, the sometimes wonky bike physics and controls, but rewards you immensely if you persevere. And this is coming from someone who plays using a keyboard and is fundamentally bad at racing games.
There are a few bugs here and there (nothing game-breaking: just don’t decline a save when you’re offered one, or the game might stop offering), and I should elaborate on the wonkiness. The bikes are very fond of turning sideways or even backwards upon collision with a badly shaped wall or other bikes. Sometimes you might grind along a wall no problem, and sometimes you might snag on something and get turned around. The controls for left and right like reversing themselves at this point, as well as the gas pedal just kinda breaking, but you learn to deal with this very quickly (hint: it’s good to let go of all buttons briefly and then try moving again).
– Real player with 15.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Racing Arcade Games.
For the 2.50€ I paid for it is probably worth it. Mind that the controller support is still the worst of any steam games that I own and took some digging through the forums to find an acceptable solution. Not a decent one, but an acceptable one.
Well, I suppose that on the plus side the game actually works with decent frame rates and the WHOLE soundtrack catalogue from XG1 - 3 and both N64 and PC versions of the soundtrack is present. The soundtrack alone may justify the price tag.
But the controller support is bad, euphemistically speaking. There is no controller support in the menus, so no relaxed gaming on your TV. To get my XBone controller working, I had to set all executables to “run as admin”, then select the controller in the pre-game menu (which I have to start around 3 times on win 10 to actually start the game), then navigate to bike selection, press space bar and config my controller buttons. Shoulder Triggers are not being recognized. It’s a hassle that reeks of a lazy port. Like, every N64 emulator does this better and the only reason this version may continue to exist is stable framerates.
– Real player with 12.2 hrs in game
DethKarz
Great old game. Happy to be able to play it again. Stumbled upon it just by accident and just had to give it a try after all these years and it’s still great. Sadly it also has all those old quirks. Sometimes it crashes which is especially sad considering how championships work (you can’t save the game during championship season). Also almost every single race it glitches once. Usually that means you end up falling off the road. Not sure why it’s happening but at least it happens to bot cars too so everyone his hit by it somehow. Even with these issues it’s still a great game I would recommend.
– Real player with 22.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Racing Cyberpunk Games.
Absolutely amazing game.
-Ok graphics
-Good music
-Good sound
-Good controls
-Polished and thought-out gameplay:
-The speed is pleasant, but not too fast for the sharp turns you have to make
-The power-ups, while not too easy to understand at first, provide strong but not overpowered buffs and weapons
-The maps are interesting, fun, and beautiful (Except for the hardest one that is meant to be stressful and hard)
-The mashup of shooting and driving genres work perfectly and complements one another (To be better than your opponents you can either be faster, or deadlier than them)
– Real player with 10.9 hrs in game
Distance
Developers
The developers are very active within the community and are an easy bunch to contact if need be. There is no downside I can speak of when talking about the developers in the time I’ve participated in the community thus far - they are an amazing team and I’m glad they are the ones to be making this great game. Anyone active in the Distance community has probably talked to them at some point, whether it be about a bug report, feature suggestion, or just discussing some of the many community workshop tracks. Occasionally they will host a livestream event to show off some of the community-created tracks on their Twitch and we have some great fun asking questions while they host a multiplayer server. All of their contact info is in the bottom-right corner of the Distance homepage .
– Real player with 2894.8 hrs in game
[Review date: Dec. 2nd, 2014; one week before Early Access]
[Edited on March 16th, 2015]
Alpha Backer here
First and foremost: For a title that just now hits Early Access the game is working surprisingly well. The implemented gamemodes work, offline and online Multiplayer works, leaderboards and steam workshop work too :3
- postive
- negative
o neither, but wanted to mention
Gameplay / Controls
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Car controls nicely
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Lots of obstacles to avoid. Placement of obstacles can make for great flow in levels, ranging from hectic dodging to smooth precision driving.
– Real player with 657.4 hrs in game
Galaxy’s Extreme
This game has a lot of potential. I would love to see replays implemented, as well as after the race machine cams, kinda like F Zero GX has. The game runs great, looks amazing, and has super tight controls. I highly recommend this game to any fans of F Zero, Wipeout, or if you just like fast racing games.
– Real player with 0.9 hrs in game
Very polished and futuristic racer. Soundtrack is very atmospheric with a hint of 90s dance! Played for about 20 minutes and there are lots of tracks and many ships to unlock which i guess the more you play and advance through the game you can unlock.
The graphics are impressive and the speed is fast but you don’t find yourself crashing into the side of the track a lot trying to control the ships! When you do crash you don’t lose a lot of time trying to catch up to the other ships and trying to gain back your position.
– Real player with 0.3 hrs in game
Nulldrifters
Fun graphics, cool music, and cheap price. Except the controls are terrible (and never explained, you have to figure them out), there are no options to change settings/key bindings/etc, and there is no multiplayer. Not to say it isn’t entertaining: the challenge of battling the game’s poor controls to try and get a good time is kinda fun. If you think $2 is worth an hour or so in a cheap racing game doing time trials, go for it. Otherwise, forget about Nulldrifters.
– Real player with 8.8 hrs in game
I completely forgot I wanted to give this game a recommendation.
It’s pretty barebones but it’s clearly well made and a labour of love for a really low price. If it had netcode and a small but dedicated community it could become a real cult classic.
– Real player with 2.5 hrs in game
Redout: Enhanced Edition
Game is good, and hard. Visuals are great and music is quite good too (and fitting). If you have questions/concerns, go to the official discord (search for redout). I can go more into that later. But, I would like to address certain inane negative reviews that are popping up. By not allowing comments, others can’t explain the issues that they bring up, which is pretty unfair for the game. Hopefully this will clarify some things.
How it Runs; Crashes:
My low end 2012 computer with onboard graphics runs the game decently with the lowest settings, but the problems are mainly from when there are a lot of AI racers with you, especially on parts of certain maps. I seem to get from 28-48fps if no weapons are used, AI probably taking a few frames off. Played off and on since late 2018, a lot recently. I tend to crash when I use Repair Drone (great for new people but shouldn’t rely on it) on certain tracks, and sometimes I crash during vs AI races, presumably because of them using said powerup, but this is usually rare (helps to get out in front of the pack I think). But my computer/gfx are bad, so. Download the demo. It is an old version and I think it ran slightly worse, and the physics are a bit different, but you can get an idea of how it plays, and if it will likely run well. If you’re worried about crashes/bugs, ask the Discord for more details on what can happen and how to avoid issues. I am not bothered that much by most of it, and I think I can avoid most all of it (other than Repair Drone crash on some tracks).
– Real player with 923.7 hrs in game
6/1/18: Although everything I wrote in this review is true, I NO LONGER SUPPORT REDOUT.
Thank you.
“REDOUT: Enhanced Edition” is (oddly enough) advertised as a futuristic AG (anti gravity) racer that’s a throwback to the “past” of computer games, perhaps because today’s DEVs feel players don’t want something new in their futuristic racing games. Fortunately, this reviewer/player is neither hampered nor guided by those comparrisons, and so this review (and reviewer) will ignore them generally, presuming experienced players are far more knowledgeable. However, since potential REDOUT consumers are clearly expected to know earlier racers well enough to base this purchase specifically on that knowledge, I will touch on gameplay only superficially, and place focus on where this game is less than perfect and may dissapoint players. (In many ways, REDOUT feels like a game BEGGING to be completed contextually.)
– Real player with 78.5 hrs in game
RingRaceR
Speed on blazing fast ringbikes through sublime, mathematically inspired tracks that are in symbiosis with players to dynamic tunes that evolve as you progress. Explore 10 different worlds with each their own theme and challenges scattered across 10 tracks each. Unlock the unique 11th track in each world that procedurally generates an endless race experience.
Compete with others locally, online and discover unique modes where you have to survive to win in an endless track or race to the middle. Race, shoot and stunt your way through in the fastest racer you’ve ever experienced.
IS THIS GAME FOR ME?
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Are you into anti-gravity racers, sci-fi racers? WipeOut, Extreme-G, F-Zero? This game is definitely for you.
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Do you like speed and excitement in racers? This game is definitely for you.
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Remember liking that cool racer called UniRacer(US)/UniRally(EU) on the SNES? You gotta give RingRacer a go. :)
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Do you enjoy music rhythm games? You just might love this one.
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Have you ever enjoyed skate games where you can do tricks? Give this game a whirl.
THE EXPERIENCES
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You’ve just beat all 10 tracks of world 1 and unlocked endless track nr.11. Endless whirls and and lights flash by as you race, and race, jump to the beat and speed to the track. You’re sure you started about 20 minutes ago, but then you look at the clock and it’s been two hours. You’ve slipped into a meditative trance.
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You’re number 3 out of 6 left from a 100 racers in a frantic survival race online. Number 2 released a poison cloud which you deftly avoided with a somersault. A hyperspeed lane is coming up and you’ve saved all your boost just for this moment to speed by them and become number one.
MODES
Campaign (Singleplayer)
Race through 10 worlds each with their distinct aesthetics, vibes and track design. Beat all 10 tracks in each world to unlock track nr.11 - a procedurally generated track in style of that world that ends only when you do. Come back to do it all again in mirrored mode.
Time Attack (Singleplayer)
Race against time, yourself and other ghosts in the mode where it’s all about beating previous records on a particular track.
Endless (Singleplayer and Multiplayer)
Race until you die in a procedural endless race that incorporates all worlds where you’ve unlocked track 11.
Survival (Singleplayer and Multiplayer)
Race in endless mode with countless others until there is only one left.
FEATURES
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Spline-based racing with unique ringbikes that can stunt, shoot and go into hyperspeed.
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100 sublime, mathematically inspired tracks to race through in 10 worlds, plus an 11th endless procedurally generated one for each world.
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Local splitscreen up to 4 players or online racing up to a 100 players!
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Living and breathing tracks that respond to your action, racing style and that of everyone else.
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Dynamic, layered music that evolves along with your progression in the race.
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Endless mode: procedurally generated racing until you die blending in all unlocked worlds.
Rise: Race The Future
HELLO! I have been waiting what feels my entire life to write this review and i cannot wait.
So about a year ago i found this game and i fell in love. It has so many things i like about it. For starters its a racing game that just feels really good. I dont like games that make me feel like im driving in a straight line all the time. This game has excellent level design. And the way the cars feel is unheard of. The steering feels so touchy when u first play it but once u get the hang of it its perfect. I really enjoy all the play i get with my controller while driving. I can get fancy with my stick movement, my gas and brake, and the handbrake is amazing. Some games the handbrake dosent feel right but here it has alot of respect from me.
– Real player with 34.7 hrs in game
System and Setup:
Windows 10 64bit
Intel Core i9 10900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER
LG 27inch 1440p 144hz monitor 27GN850-B
Oculus Quest 1
The game ran with max settings at 1440p, 144fps on the monitor without any notable issues. No complaints about VR either.
Opinion:
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The near-future car designs are nice.
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VR mode works well, even if there’s no proper cockpit view. A hood cam is the best you’ll get.
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Despite the store page not pointing it out, it does support cloud saves.
- No Achievements/Trophies
– Real player with 13.2 hrs in game
Ampersand
–-{Graphics}—
☐ Masterpiece
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Will do
☐ Bad
✓ Awful
☐ Paint.exe
—{Gameplay}—
☐ Try not to get addicted
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Nothing special
☐ Ehh
☐ Bad
✓ Just don’t
—{Audio}—
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
✓ Earrape
—{Audience}—
✓ Kids
☐ Teens
☐ Adults
☐ Everyone
—{PC Requirements}—
✓ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Minimum
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
—{Difficulity}—
✓ Just press a bunch of buttons
– Real player with 15.1 hrs in game
After completing the ENTIRE game, i can now give a review.
So the game starts off with Samuel D Jenson a long time mechanic who has always wanted to race. He was so sick of being in the pits of the race instead of actually racing. Well, this all changes. On Febuary 26th 2094 Sam gets his big break. in the middle of the Spacetona 500, sponsored by Sprint and Can-Am, the driver experiences some heartbreaking tragedy as his grandmother passes away and is announced over the comms inside the ship. Feeling undetermined he pulls into the pits and resignes as driver for the m&m’s car number 18. As the crew and managers scramble to find someone you volenter as the driver, and is accepted. Now the game starts when you are thrown into the race and you end up winning. 3 weeks later you find out the driver has killed himself.
– Real player with 7.8 hrs in game