Fumes Stunt Racer Review
PROS
- Classic Stunt Car gameplay on the go.
- Detailed control options.
- Native iPad support.
CONS
- Challenging, but not impossible physics to master.
- Audio clipping issues.
VERDICT
Fumes Stunt Racer breathes new life in to a classic game, however more than a splash of paint and tilt controls are needed to make it appealing to a broader audience.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
I was never a huge fan of Stunt Car Racer (SCR) - yes, yes, 'blasphemy' I know - but I was having too much fun butting my head against games like Impossible Mission to master a title as subtly complex as SCR. Fumes Stunt Racer (FSR) by Sector3 Games is a spiritual revival of the seminal racing simulator and for once I'm glad I'm not dealing with rose-tinted glasses.
FSR is not a title that forgives people for just jumping in and blasting away; no, players will need to come to grips, figuratively speaking, with the fine balance of physics required to stay on the track while maintaining a high speed. The edges of the track are extremely slippery and should be avoided at all costs lest you enter a deadly under or oversteer, but the main track itself can be just as unforgiving and excessive braking or not pulling off the accelerator will also result in quickly going out of control. It may sound like chaos, but the balance is preserved carefully to force players to learn how to drive their car instinctively and the use of tilt and/or braking assist helps immensely in coming to grips with the semi-realistic gameplay.
The Retina and native iPad support only seems to take the edge out of the game's 3D visuals, leaving the textures to look muddy and washed out, but players will have little time to complain when focused on staying on the road.
For now there's not a lot to FSR, with only fifteen tracks and OpenFeint leaderboards, but future updates are set to add features like AI drivers, selectable lap counts and GameCenter Achievements. Die-hard fans of SCR might want to jump at the chance to play Fumes Stunt Racer, but it may not appeal to the more casual crowd just yet.
Screenshots
$1.99
