-Why this realistic pocket racer should be the next app on your iPhone
As an avid racing fan, I am constantly browsing the App Store to find new games suited to my high-octane gaming. The iPhone is well-suited for the racing genre, using a tilt-to-steer mechanism to create a realistic driving experience. Enter Real Racing. Real Racing is developer Firemint’s second game released on the iPhone, and it is not a stretch to say Real Racing is one of the best handheld racers, offering gameplay comparable to similar titles on the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS at a fraction of the price. Though it does not reinvent the racing genre as a whole, Real Racing does set the bar for racing games on the iPhone, providing quality game play and excellent graphics that combine to create one of the best games ever on the iPhone.
Real Racing has two modes in which to race: career and online multiplayer. Career has four classes of cars: hatch, sedan, muscle and exotic. The player begins with the hatch class and competes in events, unlocking cars from each class and additional events in which to race. The tracks are modeled similarly to real-world race tracks and the game contains a variety of unique courses to challenge the player.
After an event is completed, the player can repeat a race in the same event at a greater difficulty level (yes, I know this sounds tedious). However, Firemint programmed its AI to race more competitively and realistically at higher difficulties; this does not mean the AI simply follows a preset line, making them impossible to pass. They actually become more aggressive both against the player and the other AI racers, forcing the player to hone his or her driving skills in order to achieve victory. This increased difficulty actually creates a learning curve that makes the player more competitive in the online portion of the game. Frankly, the game becomes more fun at these higher difficulty levels due to the increased competition.
Real Racing features some of the best online features I have experienced with an iPhone game, and multiplayer works well with 3G and Wifi; EDGE, however, does not really work for online competition. There are two parts to the multiplayer — time-trials and leagues. Time-trials are simple — drive a fast lap and place your time on the world leader boards. However, Real Racing’s multiplayer shines with the online leagues. Leagues allow the player to race against players online to achieve a higher rank within the community. The leagues are supported by a full Web site, permitting players to compare results against others and join other leagues in which to race. The main flaw with the multiplayer is that the ranking system is a points-based rather than competition-based system. This means that the more a player races, no matter what the outcome, the higher the rank her or she will attain. However, this is a small flaw compared to the overall quality of the multiplayer experience.
Simply put, Real Racing’s graphics are among the best on the iPhone. The cars and environments are detailed with smooth textures, even at race speeds, and the cars’ sounds are very life-like, though slightly computerized. The cockpit view is very slick, adding to the realistic nature of the game. Though the game contains a variety of generic, computerized rock tracks, it does feature iPod support to allow the player to listen to custom tracks while racing. The tilt-to-steer mechanism works almost flawlessly, and should a problem occur, there are five steering settings and adjustable accelerometer sensitivity feature.
Real Racing is easily the premiere racing game on the iPhone. It raises the bar for iPhone gaming as a whole and is the new standard among racing games on the platform. Its $9.99 price tag should not discourage potential buyers, as the game offers weeks, if not months, of game play.
Graphics: A+
Sound: B
Gameplay: A+
Longevity: A
Overall (not an average): A+
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