Re-Volt

The Good
For truly.....and I mean, TRULY realistic R/C car action on the computer, Re-Volt can't be beat! The game actually gives the player choices regarding the level of realism available. There're plenty of fun tracks, and loads of amazing cars. The AI of the computer-controlled cars is something to see...they're brutal, even to each other!

The Bad
Sometimes, the car's spin-ratio seems a little unrealistic....like when I hop off of a curb and turn, even slightly, at the same time, my car always seems to land and immediately do a 180-degree flip-around....a little weird. It's really a minor thing to get used to, and is only annoying until you learn to expect it, and adjust your playing methods accordingly.

The Bottom Line
For a fun, R/C racing game, that offers advanced realism, in addition to one of the most amazing career modes you've ever seen in a racing game, check out Re-Volt !

The Good
Pretty darn near everything. The interface is good for an arcade-style game, the graphical quality and speed is excellent, the settings are perfect, and very well represented, particle effects are used in all the right places, the control system is very simple, the physics are the best anywhere, the sounds are great, the music (while it can get annoying after playing continuously for many hours) fits the levels well, and the AI is top-notch. Most of all, the cars and tracks are almost infinitely editable!

The AI really is this good: Imagine you're driving towards the finish line in second place, and you're almost there. The car in front of you hasn't yet crossed the line, so it stops, turns around, fires three rockets at your car, and backs over the finish line, winning the race. The rockets send your car spinning into a wall, pointing the wrong direction. Just as you're about to right yourself, the 3rd place car comes up from behind, and instead of zipping past you to take 2nd place, it turns, fires a pulse wave pickup at you, throwing your car 5 feet into the air and off the road. That car takes 2nd place, and by the time you're back on track, you're in 5th. This happened to me, in several variations, more than once. It really is that good.

The Bad
The story. It was a last minute Acclaim addition, and is lame. Re-Volt is an arcade racer, pure and simple. Just ignore the story.

The Bottom Line
Worth the money, every last penny. Hands down, the best arcade racer available.

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.