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Rating : 7 / 10 Developer : Creat Studios Availability : PlayStation Network |
Anyone who likes to drive their remote controlled cars around, Smash Cars is the game for them. Racing across a small Mediterranean island through various routes, you will buzz down, crash things, and flip over jumps all race long.
Smash Cars consists of 3 car types and both on road and off road racing. You have the monster truck which is great for off road dirt and sand racing, the sports car for on road tiles and wooden plank speed, and the buggy as an all rounder.
However, whist the sports car is great on road, the road itself is its own worst enemy as the racer is also very sensitive to the environment driven on due to the low handling; this is especially noticeable on the wooden planks along the pier.
I personally found myself using either the buggy or sports car for the speed and control depending on the race type and route.
After selecting a race track, you hit the garage where you have the car type, mentioned above, and then a body. Each body will have slightly different specs to suit your needs.
Although you can change the patterns, you can repaint your cars to suit your personal preferences.
Races come down into 3 modes: lap race, time attack, and knockout challenge.
All three modes are pretty basic where you need to win the race, beat the time, and avoid being last place or you get knocked out, respectively.
However, online multiplayer is currently restricted to only one more; lap race mode, which is very disappointing.
To give racers all an edge when used properly, N2O is available and a small amount is replenished after each lap. Doing stunts and tricks like driving under a car, grazing obstacles, smashing through objects, drifting, or hitting people, will also replenish some boost. What gives the most replenishment are the aerial stunts when you leap off a springboard and flip around to rack up star points. The more you do, 5 maximum per launch, the more boost you’ll get. Flipping is very easy as you can flip forwards and that’s enough to gain you the stars you need, as long as you land flat or on your hind wheels, you should have a small drop and go. One issue is the sensitivity of the launch though and although you may be driving straight up the ramp, half the time you will find that the car has somehow slightly twisted to the side which can either cause problems during the stunt or on landing.
Every now and then, you may even lose track of where you’re going, not just because you’re going too fast, but the environments and textures are beautiful. The resolution is high and the details are fairly sharp. The game runs buttery smooth but on the occasion you will find a slight drop as it loads up a great view.
The sound is great also with the engine running, boost blasting, sand and dirt grinding, and people screaming in pain when you hit them. However, there are probably only 3 or 4 tracks in the game itself for the race, and menu.
During the course of the race, if your hit too many large objects or walls which you can’t smash through, these little RC cars will eventually explode.
Whilst you have boost, you will also need to keep an eye out for shortcuts to help you catch up and gain that small extra lead; even taking small jumps to gain the little extra boost to keep your lead.
So all is great, but when you have some friends or family over, don’t bother trying to find a multiplayer for this game; it is solely single player and online multiplayer. For such as small game and lack of content also, loading takes longer than you’d think.
DLC is promised to come so we’re hoping for multiplayer and also more race tracks and modes enabled.
All in all, if you’re looking for a small, quick, and tense racing game, Smash Cars is a great addition to your Playstation library; although it costs a lot more than what its really worth.
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