Reckless Racing 2 Review
PROS
- Broad and varied physics; handling feels spot-on, changing with the track surface, vehicle power, and type.
- Automatic difficulty tuning; also includes helpers such as race lines.
- Multiple routes for each track type; currently 24 in total.
- Alternate Arcade mode for quick action fun.
CONS
- Camera movement can make it hard to stick to a line; slight turns can trick you in to over/under-compensating.
- Tilt controls feel out of place; should use an alternate chase-camera mode to ‘feel’ right.
VERDICT
Reckless Racing 2 is bigger and better in almost every way and while it’s not a leader in terms of new gameplay, it’s still a benchmark for the platform.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Strangely it doesn’t feel as though much time has passed since Pixelbite first introduced iOS gamers to their Reckless Racing franchise, though this may be in-part thanks to a mid-year release of Reckless Getaway reminding players of what the developer can pull off. Reckless Racing 2 doesn’t disappoint as it blasts on to the App Store, showing just how top-down racing should look, feel and play on hand-held touchscreen devices.
From the outset the game feels rough and tough, throwing you in to a race with a vehicle barely capable of turning its way around the winding corners of the dirt-track it’s on. However, should you master its unruly sliding and gain a podium position you’ll be rewarded with cash - the lifeblood of the Reckless world.
As with other similar titles the act of racing exists as a motivational force for upgrading and purchasing a whole garage-full of vehicles, some better attuned for the terrain you’re racing on than others.
Early on you’ll find yourself pimping out the best car you can afford in an attempt to keep ahead of the curve, but thanks to an AI system that modifies itself based on your performance, higher skilled players will need to think outside the box entirely and consider purpose-built vehicles to keep up their winning streak. Win enough and you may even need to ‘tune’ your cars to pull out that extra bit of performance on an individual track.
Handling of the vehicles ranges wildly based on the type of vehicle, upgrades applied, the terrain you’re racing on and the controls you’ve chosen - all of which can be fine-tuned to perfection.
The fact that all of this hard-boiled racing action is happening in a gorgeously rendered 3D world, complete with tracks designed for multiple iterations, only makes it harder to put down. Alternate modes such as the challenge based Arcade and Multiplayer are cherries on an already delicious cake.
Reckless Racing 2 isn’t just a sexy sequel to a fun racing title, it’s the benchmark to which other top-down racers will need to judge themselves by in the future.
Screenshots
$1.99
