I’m purchasing an Xbox Live Indie Game every day, seeking out the quality titles that got lost in the shuffle and no longer appear in the top 50 downloads. Today is day #78, and today’s game is “Old School Racer”.
One of my favourite games on the Commodore 64 was Kikstart (and it’s sequel Kikstart II). If this is a game that invokes old school racers, those are the old school racers that come up for me.
Some may compare this to Trials HD and other games, and in some cases deservingly, but for me it’s all about a next-gen version of Kickstart. And that was more than enough for me to part with my 80 Microsoft Points. Money well spent.
First, from the developer.
“Old School Racer is a fun, fast paced motorbike game that will have you coming back for more! Upgrade your bike to set even faster times on the global scoreboard! With over 20 crazy levels and 13 dirt bikes to choose from, prepare to loose sleep!”
The physics and controls aren’t nearly as finicky and daunting as they are in Trials HD, and that’s not a bad thing. I’ve read reviews that compare this to games I’ve not even heard of such as Elasto Mania, but I’m not convinced that that game (released in 2000) is what the developers of Old School Racer thought was old school enough to use as a template. I think the deliberately simplified controls and physics are a much closer match to much older titles (I’m thinking ’80s), but with some upgrades, than they are titles as young as 10 years. This is speculative on my part, but it feels right.
If so, they perfectly hit the mark, and have created a product that one-time fans of *really* old school motocross racing games will appreciate.
Click here to download “Explosionade” and please come back afterward to review it.
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