Ultimate Racing 2D

I reviewed a game a few weeks ago called BAFL: Brakes Are For Losers, which turned out to be an overhead racing game inspired by arcade classics like Super Sprint and Super Off-Road. I liked the nods to the older games, but wished the developer would have done more with the idea. Ultimate Racing 2D is pretty much everything I wanted Brakes Are For Losers to be. It has tons of tracks, all kinds of classes, a treasure trove of weird vehicles and even online play. If you've been waiting for somebody to take the top-down racing genre seriously, then you're going to want to buckle up for this review.

Normally I'm opposed to generic titles, but Ultimate Racing 2D perfectly sums up what you get from this $10 package. This is a game that essentially takes Super Sprint and gives it the Gran Turismo makeover. This is a surprisingly large racer with 35 different racing classes, hundreds of cars, more than 45 tracks and the kind of robust career mode that is normally reserved for more expensive racing games. It's as if the developers wanted to see how far they could push this type of top-down racing game, and when it comes to sheer content, Ultimate Racing 2D is going to be tough to beat.

Like I said when I was rattling off all those numbers, there are 35 different classes to race. I'm talking about go karts, sports cars, formula 1, monster trucks, speedway bikes, muscle cars, stock cars, limousines and even forklifts. Each of these classes has several different tracks to race, along with three difficulties and a bunch of cars to choose from. The gameplay loop is to race for money, buy better cars and then place high enough to unlock the next class. Rinse, repeat.

This is an admittedly simple career path, but it was just enough to keep me playing Ultimate Racing 2D. It helps that the game is quick to change things up between classes, such as giving cars a turbo boost or making you keep track of tire wear and tear. Some of the events are bite-sized with only a couple laps, while others are much longer and more drawn out. You'll also find that some of the classes will run faster and there are some important gameplay differences between the different cars.

If we look just at the numbers, there's no question that this game is loaded with content. But after you spend a few hours with the game, it's clear that the developers cut a few corners along the way. The graphics are one of the best examples of this problem. I normally like this kind of throwback look, but the presentation is lifeless and boring. Worse yet, every single location (no matter if it's in Russia, New Zealand or Mexico) looks exactly the same. Every course uses the same color scheme, to the point where I found myself wishing for a night event or some rain.

Another problem is the progression itself, which forces you to buy expensive vehicles in order to compete. Sure, you get a free car when you open up a new class, but it's completely useless. Even if you race the laps with robot-like precision, you're still only going to come in fifth or sixth. You can't really vie for the top prize until you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a better vehicle, which means grinding through a lot of events in order to afford a car you'll probably only use a few times.

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This is a problem I'm starting to see more often with these throwback racing games, and it needs to stop. It's especially egregious here, since it limits what vehicles are actually viable. You may get a choice between ten cars, but most of them are completely useless. I feel like it takes away some of the challenge when you can basically buy your way to victory. I want to get back to a point where the cars are balances and it's more about learning the course and mastering the gameplay.

That said, I like the way this game handles. The cars feel a little squirrely at first, but it won't take long before you're busting around those corners with the best of them. The expensive cars are like a dream to drive, and I like how long the tracks are compared to most top-down racing games. On the other hand, I do wish there was a little more to the gameplay. We get a turbo button from time to time, but would it have killed them to add in an emergency brake? Drifting around sharp corners is one of the few things missing from Ultimate Racing 2D.

Although it's missing some gameplay elements and I have a few issues with the progression, I ended up having a good time with Ultimate Racing 2D. I like that it takes the simple top-down racer formula and just keeps adding to it until there's almost too much content. This is a game that makes a lofty promise with its title, and I think it comes close. I'm just hoping that if there is an even more ultimate version of Ultimate Racing 2D, they spend some time adding in different looking tracks and weather effects. This game is fun, but a little bland looking.