Can EnjoyUp Games Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing Capture The Old School Adrenaline Fueled Top Down Gameplay Of My Youth?
When it comes to racing games I like them simple and old school. Super Sprint, Super RC Pro Am and Ultimate Super Skidmarks immediately spring to mind when I think of top down racers that I loved back in the day. So when I heard about Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing with its top down old school style I got a little excited.
As soon as the game had finished downloading I booted it up and got stuck into my first race which ended horribly so I tried again and again and again. The AI in this game is bloody brutal/stupid depending on your point of view. Right from the second the lights go green any car that is behind you just rams straight into the back of you which will cause you to either smash straight into a barrier or you can just quickly steer out of the way which inevitably means you will just drive straight into a packed grid and just get taken out by a different racer. This happens over and over again. The slightest bump and you're car will just spin out of control. I thought this was suppose to be an F1 style arcade racer not destruction derby?
The game isn't designed for you to just complete easily, you will have to work hard for your victories here and nothing comes easy. There is an upgrade system where you can improve your Speed, Acceleration, Brakes, Turbo and Tyres and you'll want to upgrade all aspects of your car ASAP otherwise you will just be left at the back of the pack as the other cars speed off into the distance. You earn upgrade points by completing races and the higher you finish the more points you get. If only it wasn't such a chore to finish a race. The upgrade system is completely flexible and I like how you can change your setup from race to race unlike most races where you spend your upgrade points and whatever changes you make your stuck with for the rest of the game.
As I've mentioned before the AI is brutal/stupid. I can't remember the amount of times I saw cars just sat in the middle of the racetrack doing donuts again and again with seemingly no idea what they are doing. Cars will spin out or crash into the race wall and just sit still wherever they end up and don't move which is just a complete nightmare because if you crash in this game your race is effectively over. And God help you if you need to reverse out of a crash because reversing takes forever and a day and you'll probably be hit several times during that manoeuvre just to make matters worse.
So that's how bad the AI can be but there is another extreme when they are utterly amazing. They will fly off the starting grid and never be seen again because their cars stick to the racetrack like glue and they can take corners at incredible speeds while you will just spin out. In one race I had been lapped just after I had finished my first lap and I hadn't even crashed which was an achievement in itself. There are a few modes of offer for you to play with. An online leaderboard so you can compare your times with your mates and the global community, grand prix mode, four player local multiplayer and a time trial mode which is self explanatory.
Graphically Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing does exactly what it needs to and pulls off its 1980’s arcade style graphics well. But after a while everything begins to look the same and the colour palette stays exactly the same from one race to the next and it quickly becomes boring. There is also an announcer who is constantly shouting encouragement at you during the race. The first time you hear him it's kinda cool but then his record gets stuck and he's constantly shouting the same phrases over and over again and I've yet to find an option to turn the annoying bastard off.
Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing is one of the most frustrating racers I have ever played. I'm all for a challenge but when a game's AI constantly targets you in a racing game something is seriously wrong. EnjoyUp Games deserve some praise for their upgrade system and old school sensibilities. But that's as far as my praise goes.
Publisher: EnjoyUp Games
Developer: EnjoyUp Games
Modes: Single Player/4 player Local Multiplayer
Grand Prix Rock 'N Racing will be released on Friday 13th May for £5 on the Xbox One with a 20% launch discount until 19th May. (Ends May 19th, normally 6.39)
Review code supplied by EnjoyUp Games