Recent reviews by Ray

Pros:

* Nice relaxing music
* Nice use of color

Cons:

* Difficult to play on keyboard/mouse (especially the fighting mechanics. It is a pain to "drift" around and fight enemies).
* Story is very nebulous and makes you interpret everything. Doesn't make any sense to me at all.
* Felt like I was back tracking a lot.

Finally I reached a point that I did not know where I needed to go next, so I gave up. Didn't feel like back tracking through all these levels to solve a puzzle in order to proceed to the next step.

Pros:

* Cool pixel graphics
* Decent dialogue
* Fairly dynamic character set (in terms of graphics, background of each character (such as a nerdy scientist VS a street tough type)
* Good sounds and music

Cons:

* Very linear - not a feeling of "exploring," more just following a path
* Combat system is not intuitive. Each character has a special move which occurs every 2-3 turns that significantly boosts damage, etc. Unfortunatley it's 100% up to you to keep track of which turn will result in a power move. The system does not tell you this - why - I do not know.
* Not good explanation of what different features do, such as "Charisma." Had to look a ton of stuff up.

Overall, the game went on for too long and I felt like it was more of a chore to finish the game than an enjoyment. Would not replay.

Purchased this game as I was a huge fan of the original Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off-Road Arcade game. After having played it, there is little in common with the original style or gameplay. Namely:

1) Racing feels slow and kludgy.

2) Controls lack precision. Very easy to spin out and lose races. It feels like you're steering the Griswold's 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire Station Wagon - you have to turn the wheel a full rotation just to make the tires turn a little bit. Driving on a track feels more like snowboarding down a slope.

3) Upgrades don't make sense (there are several categories, such as exhaust, engine, etc). There are only limited slots you can use - but many categories of items that can fill these limited slots. No explanation whether a muffler or exhaust manifold (for example) would be better in those slots, nor any performance explanation after you fill the slots with different components. (For tires, one of the items is tire bolts. Does this mean I'm driving around without tire bolts without this upgrade?)

4) Nitro isn't like original, where you push it and get a nitro blast. It's more like a nitro squirt gun, where you hold the button down and as you hold it the truck goes faster. (This was a big dissapointment, as one of my fondest memories of the original arcade game was banging on the nitro button, getting enough nitro blasts to win a race)

5) Sound effects are weak. You can acquire certain prizes during the race (such as a wrench, which lowers damage, or a money bag which increases your coin by an unknown amount) - but the sound effects are so soft that when you hit the icon, you can't tell if you even got the added bonus or not

6) Boring chellenges. Example: A bunch of concrete barriers are laid out in a pattern. You need to drive your way through the maze in a certain time. If you don't achieve the goal, the goal is made easier automatically. (Adds more time for you).

7) Graphics, UI and ambiance feel like something out of the late 90s. It reminds me a lot of San Francisco Rush on the N64 (only graphically, sans the fun gameplay).

8) Must use a combination of Xbox remote and keyboard. There is no way to just use the Xbox remote to navigate through menus, etc. (If there is, it is not easy to figure out, and the game will make you program your remote prior to working in the menus).

I really wanted to get into this game, and I tried, to no avail. Unfortunately cannot recommend this game. Although it was inspired by Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off-Road, there is zero likeness to it other than the fact that it has trucks in it.

I enjoy the sceenscapes, the sound, and the gameplay. It is a challenging game at times. But nothing that can't be overcome with a bit of practice. 8.5/10