Re-Volt

The Good
Re-Volt, created by the now defunct Acclaim Entertainment, is the game I go to these days when I'm in the mood for a fast paced arcade racer. The RC car physics are surprisingly realistic, and the atmosphere has that nice small scale feel to it. Actually it does remind me of playing with tiny remote control cars. The graphics are also excellent, even today. Lots of cars and tracks to choose from and unlock as you play through the Championship mode. There are lots of gameplay modes, including Single Race, Timed Trial, Practice, and a challenging stunt arena. The racing gameplay is a bit difficult, but quite fun nonetheless. Toss in Mario Kart style powerups, challenging but rewarding achievements, and multiple physics modes to suit your style, and you've got what is, basically, one of the best racing games for the PC. And thanks to the vibrant modding community and cult following that continues to this day, there are tons of extra cars and tracks to add to the game, and even a patch available that fixes some bugs. (which is included in the GOG.com release)

The Bad
Let's be honest, the gameplay can be quite unforgiving until you really get the hang of it, and the difficulty of the tracks that you unlock as you play will increase dramatically. The included track editor has lots of room for improvement. And, unfortunately, you can't customize your car, like in POD: Planet of Death, so you're stuck with the settings that come with the car you choose.

The Bottom Line
Re-Volt is absolute gold in the racing genre. If it's not the best racing game of all time, (which it probably isn't), it certainly is in the top 5. I recommend picking it up on GOG.com if you're particularly fond of racing games, like I am. You won't be disappointed.