Racedrome Offroad (XBLIG): "Decent Offroad Karting For Only 80 msp!!!"

If I remember correctly I have reviewed a couple XBLIG racing titles in the past here on my blog. I can't honestly recall what they were though ... I used to be into racing games back in the Playstation, and Xbox days. I even spent some time on some Nintendo console (GC, SNES, NES ...) racing games. As time has passed I have lost almost all interest in the genre, but games like 'Racedrome Offroad' kind of rekindle that lost flame. I'm definitely glad that 'Rendercode Games' didn't give up on allowing me to review their game. I had Initially got behind in reviews, and had to turn them down. This is something I definitely don't like doing since I have great respect for XBLIG developers, and their review requests. The good news is that I've been caught up with reviews, and now I'm able to deliver to you my review of 'Racedrome Offroad'. I hope you enjoy the insight I offer on this XBLIG racing title.

'Racedrome Offroad is an indie game that offers more bang for your buck. While it's somewhat simple in nature it still has a lot to offer the gamer. When you get the game you'll notice that it has both single player (Single Race, Time Trial, Arcade), and multiplayer modes (Local, Xbox LIVE, System Link). Within those modes you can tweak kart settings to best suit your gaming style, and even various racing settings. There are options for color (Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, Magneta, Silver), Autobrakes (on/off), steering sensitivity (Low, Medium, High), and Rumble (on/off). Aside from the kart/vehicle options there are also 15 tracks on which to race! Some of these tracks must be unlocked through the 'Arcade' mode, but once they are unlocked in 'Arcade' they can be selected in any other mode. In retrospect it's options/features like these that make a one dollar (80 msp) worth picking up, and playing.

In 'Racedrome Offroad' you'll find that the goals in the available modes are pretty much all the same (besides 'Time Trial'). The objective for Single Race, Arcade, and Multiplayer is to complete the set number of laps (1-20), and finish within the top three spots. In 'Arcade' mode you will be awarded points according to how well you do (1st = 3,000, 2nd = 2,000, 3rd = 1,000). You must complete all 10 tracks within the 'Arcade' mode in order for your score to be counted though. The points you earn in 'Arcade' will increase in value according to which difficulty setting (Easy, Medium, Hard) you choose to play on. It's good to keep that in mind when shooting for top spot on the leaderboards. The 'Single Race' mode is another available offline racing mode. It allows you to do a quick race on a single track. This is a good option if you only want to spend a little time with the game. In 'Time Trial' you'll find that you aren't racing against other karts, but instead against a timer that is keeping track of how long it takes for you to complete a set number of laps. Within 'Racedrome Offroad' you can set a variety of settings including track selection, vehicle setup, the number of laps, reverse/mirror track settings, and even the difficulty. Some mode types offer fewer options than others though.

Unlike some of the other kart racing indie games out there 'Racedrome Offroad' does offer some interesting/unique features. Included in this game is a handbrake system (A) that makes the racing a little more intense. This feature also makes the game a little more involved than most XBLIG racing titles. If you need to make that sharp turn the handbrakes will definitely come in handy. In that respect the handbrake feature is not unlike that of a drift/street racing game. Aside from the inclusion of handbrakes the game also features three different P.O.V. (Point of View) options. One view is more of a distant third person perspective, another is a little more close-up, and the third P.O.V. angle allows you to see from the driver's perspective. The game's heavy metal/hard rock soundtrack gives it a sort of gritty edge that suits the offroad gameplay. It's the type of in-game music that really gets you hyped about what you are playing.

When it comes to controls I found that a lot of them could be ignored in this game. I mainly stuck to using the handbrakes (A), the (Left Thumbstick) for steering, and the (Right Trigger) for acceleration. With that being said the controls can be more involved than that if you choose to use them all. For example you can look around as you race by pressing the (Right Thumbstick) in a certain direction. You can also look back by pressing the (Y) button. If you wish to change the P.O.V. perspective (which I didn't) all you need to do is cycle through the different views via the (X) button. One cool feature I did forget to try out during my playthrough was the ability to rewind a race back 30 seconds. I'm not sure why you would want to do this, but if you would like to you simply need to press the (BACK) button. Like I mentioned previously though it is not necessary to use all these controls in order to win a race. Ultimately you can make the game as complicated, or as simple as you like by how you choose to utilize the controls that are given to you.

In conclusion I found that 'Racedrome Offroad' had a significant amount of features to offer for it's 80 msp price tag. There were three offline modes, and even an online mode all of which featured 15 possible tracks to race on. The available vehicle color options were icing on the cake. Being able to tweak the color of your kart added a personal touch to the gameplay. The overall graphics in 'Racedrome Offroad' were decent, and the attention to detail on the karts was pretty impressive. The fact that I got to play as my own Xbox LIVE avatar made the game seem even more personal which is always a plus in my book. I mentioned earlier in the review that I really liked the soundtrack, and I do for the most part. The only problem I have concerning it is that there only seems to be one track playing throughout the entire game. I could be wrong about this though. If I am it's only, because the tracks sound so similar which would still be sort of a let down. Aside from that minor complaint there's nothing else to really fuss about. The game is solid for an 80 msp ($1) title. If you like racing games, and especially offroad racing games then you can't go wrong with 'Racedrome Offroad'.