3D Racing Evolution

Do you like testing your limits and consider yourself the next Jeremy Clarkson (or should that be Stig)? Well if so, read on, there’s something that may well really interest you...

3D Racing Evolution is a game which any petrolhead will be automatically attracted to. You can get behind the wheel of a variety of suitably fast and hot looking cars (which are in a variety of bright colours). Your task is simple, be the first out of four cars on the course so you can unlock new courses and better vehicles to race around in. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this task, the other cars on the track are up to the challenge of pushing you until the chequered flag.

There are six courses in all which are set in a variety of locations, from the vast deserts tracks to the downtown city tracks. Every track has its own challenge, from longer distances with slow and winding turns to short circuits which will test your cars handling (and your reactions) in equal measure.

To help you cruise into pole position, your car is gifted with Nitro boosts which you can trigger at any moment to give you the edge over your opponents. However you may wish to use them wisely because if you tap them at the wrong moment, you will only end up going faster into a corner and if you misjudge it, you’ll kiss the curb or crash to a full halt – which can cost you the race.

One of the most visually appealing aspects to this game is the ability to see your car ‘drift’ as you take a corner at full tilt. By doing this, the camera zooms out and you get to see the car move in all its glory as you power around the track, leaving your competition in a trail of burnt rubber. If this wasn’t satisfying enough for you, then you can always switch the view to inside the car for an equally impressive and very realistic appearance.

If there was anything negative to say about the game, it does get to a tipping-point in where you can afford to use the fastest cars and will more than likely leave everyone far behind you. Otherwise, this game provides a fantastic array of courses and cars to keep you playing again and again.

Overall, this game offers a much needed shot in the arm of the mostly tired racing game genre. The graphics truly set this game aside from just about any other driving game I’ve played. If the tyre tracks you made were kept for the entire duration of the game, it would have been a cherry on the top, but still it’s a damn slick game. The other thing that definitely raises the game profile further is the one press ‘look around’ option, where it briefly pauses the game and shows all of the track behind you (including the opposition).

Rating 90%

Positives

Great appearance and realistic car controls

Fast paced action with a variety of courses to keep you challenged in different ways

Highly addictive

Negatives

The game can get a little easy if you pick the fastest cars

The game can get a little too hard to win when you’re using the slowest cars