Smash Cars review

It’s a teeny Burnout! Or a giant Micro Machines. Sort of, anyway. Smash cars is a simple ‘boost, stunt, and jump’ racer with fat-wheeled monster trucks and bright shiny graphics. The handling is lo-fi, but fun (think the RC car minigames from Grand Theft Auto) and the stunt system is dead simple – jump at the top of a ramp and then push the left stick up and down for end-over-end flips, or left and right for barrel rolls.

Nail the landing (easy, thanks to the slo-mo trick-time) and you’re awarded stars which translate into boost, while mixing flips and rolls will give more complex and valuable pirouettes and reverse-spins. All good, except for the size and price of the thing – the tracks recycle the same areas in varying configurations, making the whole game feel samey, and the price tag is thrown into sharp relief when you consider the masterful WipEout HD is the same price. Ouch.

Sep 28, 2009