High Speed 3D Review

Anannya Sen’s Review

Is this the new standard in racing games?

This review is late. Very very late. But that's becuase I've been playing the game so much. Brilliant gameplay, cool features and great graphics. Ok, so it's not quite as visually stunning as an iPhone game, but it comes darn close. In case you hadn't realised it's a racing game, and then some.

There are many good things about racing games and many bad things. Highspeed 3D has taken mainly good things. For a start, the graphics are stunning. Maybe not as smooth as some Fishlabs games, but a very close second. The lighting effects are sometimes so good, they distract you from the actual race! Backgrounds are also sufficiently detailed and not just random lumps of polygons. The cars themselves have been given a decent 3D treatment, and although the choice of decals seems a bit limited, the colours are pretty comprehensive.

Sound isn't catered for quite so much with a rather annoying upbeat tune and effects as a choice. Or you could go for no sound. And by effects, I mean the whine of some Noz kicking in (for those unfamiliar with this term which Fast and Furious made more mainstream, it's nitrous oxide to you and me), or the sound of you sliding around on the track, not that you do it much. Oh, and you crashing into someone.

Because, you see, Highspeed 3D races take part on populated roads. So there is plenty of traffic both oncoming and preceding (is that right?) to contend with. This traffic moves at a variety of speeds and has a variety of sizes. There are normal cars, trucks and even coaches to avoid. As well as the other drivers of course.

In that sense, the title of the game really lives up to the gameplay. As you play throught the tracks, zipping around at high speeds (it's blasphemous to use anything but the bumper view), the backgrounds fly by and the cars get very large awfully fast. So you will no doubt find yourself either squirming your way on the outside of vehicles, or, driving like I do, in the oncoming traffic lane. Most of the time this is clear, but at some speeds you don't notice the cars until very very late.

Which can often lead to collisions so it's a good thing you have a damage bar to see how much you've taken. Graphically it's reflected on the car too, which is cool. As with all car games, you can buy new cool cars and mod them if you have the cash. Which you get by winning lots of races and doing jobs.

Jobs I hear you say? Well, highspeed 3D has a bit of the GTA about it. In career mode there is a storyline where you take your brothers place on the race circuit to battle the infamous Raven gang. There's a good mix between racing standard races in championship mode, and doing other things in street racing mode. The variety and plot line really keep the game interesting. In one level you have to get to the hospital in time to see your brother, in another you have to deliver a car within the time limit without hitting anything (no mean feat at those speeds). This can be even more tricky when you realise on most courses you go off road for a bit and the signs aren't very helpful. But it's usually only for a few seconds and then back onto the track. If you're not careful though, it can get confusing.

The developers have even added the drifting element, although this isn't present on the races too much. So far, I've had one drift requirement which was fairly easy (and a lot of fun to do). One area where the game falls down a little is in the difficulty level. I consider myself a racing game specialist and even I had to play the first few levels quite a number of times before clocking them. This unlocked more levels (based on the quality of car I owned) and once I got better at the game I was hooked.

I am currently playing through a license course a few times just so I can buy a wicked car for the next set of challenges. However, some of the level requirements are so tricky or precise that you may well play them a number of times like I did. For instance, the level I mentioned where you can't take damage while delivering a car. It's cool driving at high speed, but if you misjudge or don't spot the oncoming traffic even slightly you will have to play the level again and maybhe shout out in frustration like I did. Just don't do it on the train like I did though.

Still, having said that, the difficulty does give you a sense of satisfaction when you achieve what you want. Especially when in some races you have to race near perfect to win or hope the cars ahead of you bunch up so you can catch up to them. And doing up your car is cool. I'm 26% through and am about to get a B grade car for £190K. And playing time for this took about a week on and off. So there is a LOT of longevity. And there are two sets of controls for right and left handers!

What is also very cool about this game, is you get to play as yourself. You put your name in, and if you have a camera phone you can even take a pic of yourself to use during the information scenes (in between races). How cool is that!! And you can upload these stats and your avatar to online scoreboards to compete with other people. Great fun!

Ok, I've been rambling on a bit, and really should wrap this up so I can keep playing. I have given the game a gold award instead of ice cold, as it doesn't really offer anything substantively new to the genre (apart from the pic thing) but what it has got on offer has been done very very well. Highly recommended.