Rocket Racing is very similar to the classic WipEout but from a different perspective. Visually, the game is very clean, in a retro sort of way. The 16-bit graphic look and the cheesy music will really take you back.
The controls are very simple: d-pad to steer, X to accelerate. There are no brakes but you have the ability to grind against the sides of the track, increasing your speed and earning you points in the process. Simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy though – maybe it’s the fact that I suck at racing games in general, but it seemed to take me ages to get to grips with the controls.
There are four different game modes; Campaign has six “stages” to complete, each containing a number of challenges that must be beaten to progress to the next stage. The first gives you tutorials on controls, grinding, racing for position and racing for points, setting you up for this and the other game modes. The challenges are varied, a combination of racing and time trials. You can choose which order you do the challenges within each stage.
Grand Prix allows you to select track types and difficulty, then pits you against other racers where you have to finish with most points over a series of four races. Quick Race is self-explanatory while Party Mode assumes you have friends and allows each of you to play in turn to see who can win the selectable challenges.
To sum up, Halfbrick’s Rocket Racing is well worth the £3.99. While the controls can be quite frustrating at first, once you’ve got the hang of grinding, the fun really starts.
Rocket Racing is available now at the Playstation Store.
[rating:4.0]
