Just got done with the singleplayer, so here's a few impressions.
The Good
It has the best writing of any driving game I've played. Frenetic and funny, backed by fantastic voice actors with perfect comedic timing.
The story is very Remedy-esque. It's a bit cerebral, the same way Max Payne and Alan Wake are and it's a welcome change to the run-of-the-mill 'hey racer, gotta go fast' storylines seen in other franchises. It's best to go in spoiler free as there are a lot of surprises along the way.
Cutscenes are part pre-rendered and part in-engine, which is a really effective way of presenting them.
A decent selection of cars of all varieties.
Shift takes a while to master, but it doesn't take long to get into it and use it to your advantage. Best fun I had was in races where I'd shift into a truck and steer it over lanes to block the road ahead, then shift back into my original car and slide under its trailer leaving the other races to deal with the tanker blocking the road.
The driving model is fantastic. Arcadey to the point that you can drift for half a KM with ease, but also based in reality so you can spin out, handbrake will make you stop eventually, and all the cars handle like exaggerated versions of themselves.
Physics are consistent and aid the atmosphere tremendously. Jumps, bumps, slides, and roadside furniture all give a good payoff.
The missions are varied and while a good amount of story missions serve as introductions to various sidequests there are so many sidequests and so many missions that this is easily
First-person view is great fun, I played most of the game like this and it felt far more immersive, especially drifting around a bend and ending up in the oncoming lane where I had to straighten up and dodge the oncoming cars. Beautiful.
San Francisco is a fantastic city to drive around in and the sheer amount of traffic is a wonder.
The Bad
In terms of difficulty it doesn't suffer as bad as other Reflections games, but there are a few side-missions that are just punishingly difficult without anyway of knowing without trying them first. Side missions should be unlocked as you upgrade your abilities and your garage.
AI is decent, but I have a feeling their cars don't control the same way as mine. A few times I've tried to knock an AI car off the road and no matter how much I beast them they stick to their line. On the other hand, one slight knock from them will send me spinning.
Ubisoft software clogging my computer.
The Ugly
This game is hideous. There's no bones about it, outside of car models it looks old and dated and lo-fi. Thankfully, I loved Midtown Madness.
Overall
Yes, it's one of the most pleasant surprises from last year. Reflections need to make more games.
The Good
It has the best writing of any driving game I've played. Frenetic and funny, backed by fantastic voice actors with perfect comedic timing.
The story is very Remedy-esque. It's a bit cerebral, the same way Max Payne and Alan Wake are and it's a welcome change to the run-of-the-mill 'hey racer, gotta go fast' storylines seen in other franchises. It's best to go in spoiler free as there are a lot of surprises along the way.
Cutscenes are part pre-rendered and part in-engine, which is a really effective way of presenting them.
A decent selection of cars of all varieties.
Shift takes a while to master, but it doesn't take long to get into it and use it to your advantage. Best fun I had was in races where I'd shift into a truck and steer it over lanes to block the road ahead, then shift back into my original car and slide under its trailer leaving the other races to deal with the tanker blocking the road.
The driving model is fantastic. Arcadey to the point that you can drift for half a KM with ease, but also based in reality so you can spin out, handbrake will make you stop eventually, and all the cars handle like exaggerated versions of themselves.
Physics are consistent and aid the atmosphere tremendously. Jumps, bumps, slides, and roadside furniture all give a good payoff.
The missions are varied and while a good amount of story missions serve as introductions to various sidequests there are so many sidequests and so many missions that this is easily
First-person view is great fun, I played most of the game like this and it felt far more immersive, especially drifting around a bend and ending up in the oncoming lane where I had to straighten up and dodge the oncoming cars. Beautiful.
San Francisco is a fantastic city to drive around in and the sheer amount of traffic is a wonder.
The Bad
In terms of difficulty it doesn't suffer as bad as other Reflections games, but there are a few side-missions that are just punishingly difficult without anyway of knowing without trying them first. Side missions should be unlocked as you upgrade your abilities and your garage.
AI is decent, but I have a feeling their cars don't control the same way as mine. A few times I've tried to knock an AI car off the road and no matter how much I beast them they stick to their line. On the other hand, one slight knock from them will send me spinning.
Ubisoft software clogging my computer.
The Ugly
This game is hideous. There's no bones about it, outside of car models it looks old and dated and lo-fi. Thankfully, I loved Midtown Madness.
Overall
Yes, it's one of the most pleasant surprises from last year. Reflections need to make more games.
