Wrecked: Revenge Revisited (XBLA): "4 Player Racing Combat"

I would normally use this introductory paragraph to tell you about how I managed to get the game in question for review, or something along those lines. This time I'm going to do things a little differently though. To begin with I'd like to thank '505 games' for allowing me to do a review on 'Wrecked: Revenge Revisited'. Thank you so much! This is the first time I believe that I've contacted '505 Games' about a review request, and I was definitely glad to see that they were willing to give me a chance. I know I've mentioned this before, but the success of a reviewer greatly depends on those who support him/her. Whether you're reviewing DVDs, or video games the same rule always applies. If you don't have a decent following of supporters, or developers/publishers that are willing to give you a shot at proving yourself then you will ultimately fail. That's why I'm thankful for gaming companies like '505 Games' who are willing to give smaller review sites such as my own a chance. Now that I have all of that squared away I will present to you my review of 'Wrecked: Revenge Revisited'!

Most gamers, some time in there lives have played games like 'Super Mario Kart'. If you have played such a game then you'll likely feel right at home with the vehicular combat/racing that 'Wrecked: Revenge Revisited' offers. 'WRR (as I'm going to refer to it)' features arcade style combat racing with the usual weapon pick-ups, and race tracks that have an arcade style appearance. What sets 'WRR' apart from most in the combat racing sub-genre is the fact that the gameplay seems to be a little more unforgiving. This isn't a bad thing by any means. It just coincides with the competitive nature of the game.

When I first began playing 'WRR' I noticed that it had both a single player, and multiplayer mode. I actually expected there to be some sort of competitive offline single player races involving AI opponents, but I found out otherwise when I began playing. What the single player mode actually offers the gamer is a set of challenges (Speed, Weapons, Skill, Elite) that gets them used to how the game plays. There are six (6) different challenges per each challenge category. You can earn either a bronze, silver, or gold trophy as well as some XP points if you are successful in completing the requirements for the said challenge/s. The 'Speed' challenge is basically how it sounds. You'll be required to finish a one lap race within a given time in order to score a trophy/xp. Earning trophies also awards the gamer a set amount of xp. This bonus xp is higher in value according to which trophy you win.

The 'Weapons' challenge requires the gamer to collect machine gun pick-ups which are used to destroy a set number of AI vehicles before you reach a certain lap. Like the other challenges the difficulty increases with each consecutive challenge in a given category. Another challenge category is the 'Skill' challenge which is a timed race that requires the gamer to get as many pick-ups as they can before time runs out. The player will have to meet the proper pick-up requirements in order to snag one of the three available trophies in this particular category. The final challenge type is appropriately title 'Elite'. This set of challenges requires the player to complete a race course without running into anything. There is a bomb strapped to your car, and if you happen to run into any obstacle your car will explode abruptly ending the challenge. It is definitely the most difficult set of challenges within the single player mode.

The single player menu is not only a place to rack up some xp. It's also a place where you can access the garage. The garage in 'WRR' is just as it sounds. It's a place where you can use your hard earned xp for several different customization options. The first thing you can customize in the garage is your 'Car Model'. There are four different car models (Mirmillon, Retiarii, Secutor, Thracian) that you can choose from considering that you've got enough xp points to do so. The game actually starts you off with the Mirmillon car model, but the rest will take some work to earn. The next customizable feature is 'Paint Color'. There are a serious amount of available colors within this garage menu. In fact there's different shades of each given color, but like the other customization options you'll need to earn some xp in order to unlock the really cool stuff. The 'Paint Style' is the third garage option you will find on the list. There are only three available 'Paint Style' options including Gloss, Matt, and Pearl. You initially begin with gloss, but can unlock the other two options with your earned xp.

This fourth option's title seemed a little odd to me, but I understood what it was. In the 'Livery' option set you can find some really cool car graphics as you unlock them with xp. My favorite would definitely have to be 'Race Queen' which feature two large images of anime racing girls. The anime girls were placed on the hood, and side of the car. The fifth garage option menu deals with 'Wheel Type'. There are four different wheel types including Zeus, Apollo, Helios, and Poseidon. You initially begin the game with the Zeus wheel type, but like the other customization options you can unlock the better ones with earned xp. Coming in at the sixth, and final place on the garage options list is 'Wheel Color'. This is also exactly how it sounds. You will begin the game with the white wheel color, but can earn Black, Gold, and Silver if/when you earn enough xp. The good thing about the xp is that it doesn't deplete after you unlock something, so it won't take too long for you to unlock all that the garage has to offer.

The multiplayer in 'WRR' is based on 4-player races/combat (local/online). You can set various settings (speed, tracks, race length, point limit ...) within the 'create a match' menu, or join a 'quick match' which allows you join in someone else's game. There is also a 'custom match' option that allows the gamer to choose what kind of match the wish to join. It narrows down the search some, and may make it more difficult to find a match in the process. Aside from those options gamers can also invite friends via Xbox LIVE.

The multiplayer in 'WRR' plays a lot differently from the challenges in single player. In this game mode the races are much shorter since you actually have others trying to eliminate you. You'll find that in multiplayer the weapons will not be your only concern. When a multiplayer race begins there is an 'elimination line' that follows behind the racers. If you trail to far behind you will be eliminated by this red line. If one gamer gets seriously far ahead of the others they will almost certainly be caught up in this trap. Aside from the combat aspect of the multiplayer mode there is also the points/xp aspect. With each victory (when all other racers are eliminated) the lead player will be awarded (+1) point. The second/third place racer will receive (0) points, and the last place racer will receive (-1) points. The point limit can be set via the settings menu within the 'create a game' menu. Once that point limit is reached, or the game's requirements are met the gamer with the highest points will receive 200 xp.

Combat plays a huge role in 'WRR'. The game features a wide array of unique weapons with which to eliminate your opponents. Among these said weapons are the previously mentioned machine gun, various types of missiles, ball & chain, explosive barrels, flamethrowers, rail guns, and even shields to defend against such assaulting items. The weapons can aid you in your attempt to eliminate the other gamers/opponents. That's not all there is to combat though. You'll find that forcing an opponent over a cliff side will also help you to achieve an easier win. If you are the one to get eliminated don't worry, you can still get in on the action with the 'airstrike' attack. In order to do this you simply guide your color coordinated cross hair onto your target, and pres (A) to fire. It's a good way to eliminate someone who is ahead in points.

When it comes to the controls in 'WRR' they can be a little complicated in some respects. With that being said not all of the controls are difficult to pick up on. You'll find that the brakes, and acceleration are controlled by the the controller's top trigger buttons (LT = Brake/Reverse, RT = Accelerate). To steer you will use the (Left Thumbstick). In order to fire your weapons/airstrike you will use the (A) button. To discard a weapon pick-up you can press the (Y) button. This comes in handy if you see a more desirable weapon ahead of you. Aside from these basic controls the game also has some advanced ones. In order to perform a 'handbrake turn' you will need to press the (B) button while accelerating, and turning. To perform the 'sideways shunt' which is an aggressive maneuver used to push your opponents away or over the edge you'll need to push the (Right Thumbstick) to either side. There are also some special moves (believe it!) in 'WRR'. these involve super versions of turbo, and braking (Super Turbo = LT, RT, RT/ Super Brake = RT, LT, LT). In order to properly execute these special moves you'll need to press the appropriate sequence of buttons in quick succession.Those are the controls in a nut shell, but if you ever need a quick in-game reference the game offers that through a controller diagram.

I found the graphics in 'WRR' to be decent enough. While I wish the cars were a little larger in size the details on them were still somewhat recognizable. If you are expecting something larger in scale this game will likely not fit that bill. The cars in the actual in-game gameplay are what you'd call miniature in size. I would expect nothing less from a gaming company who worked on a 'Micro Machines' racing game. The main focus on the game definitely seems to be on the race tracks which feature a nice touch of fine visual details. In fact I'd say that most of the in-game details went into the track creation. On a side note, the game does feature close-up images of your car when in the garage menu. With that being said it's a little disappointing not being able to see my car's 'Race Queen' livery details while racing with others online.

In conclusion I found 'Wrecked: Revenge Revisited' to be a fun arcade style game. To begin with I was honestly like "You can't be serious!? This game is crap!". After playing for a while I began to really enjoy the game though. I will say that this game definitely takes some getting used to. The special moves aren't really that easy to execute, and controlling the car in general is quite a challenge sometimes. The game definitely feels more like a drift racing game, especially considering how loose the cars' handling is. During my playthrough everything went smoothly for the most part though. The single player was solid, but challenging and the online multiplayer wasn't suffering from lag issues. With that being said I did run into on glitch which cause my Xbox 360 to freeze up. It happened after another player pushed me into an already crashed car. After the incident occurred I couldn't reset my console through the controller, and the controller itself was constantly vibrating. It's definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. Considering all that I've experienced I still think the game is worth the asking price. Keep in mind though that it does take some getting used to.