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Low Grav Racer Review
One that copies or closely resembles another, as in appearance or function is the definition of clone, and on face value Low Grav Racer sure does look and sound like a Wipeout clone which there is no doubt that this game was conceived from. However in this case im not sure the word clone is the appropriate description.
Low Grav Racer is set in the distant future where extreme racing has been elevated to the next level. Its describe as a sport where pilots can make a name for themselves or die trying. You take the roll of an up and coming pilot looking to make a name yourself and the only way to prove your worth is to compete and win the championship.
The game is controlled entirely by tilting the device left or right while pressing the onscreen break button to slow you down for a brief moment. New pilots are going to want to learn to use the breaks correctly as it will help immensely navigating around tight corners.
Your ship is always moving forward so there is no need to tilt forward or backward as this will do nothing to increase or decrease your speeds. However scattered throughout the maps there are a variety of boost to help speed you along the way.
There are two game play modes included in the game. Single Race where you can practice or race any unlocked level from the competition mode or the competition mode where you will complete against five computer controlled pilots while trying to make a name for yourself.
The gameplay is very reminiscent of the PlayStation series Wipeout. You select your ship from the 4 available classes Alpha, Beta, Gamma, or Delta. Each class has a unique set of skills that will need to be mastered to take master these ships. Alpha class is the best all around class for control handling, and speed while the other classes may grant you better acceleration speed or higher top end speeds, but these increases also carry a cost making them either harder to control, or reducing some other ability of the vehicle to balance them out.
Once a class is selected you are than presented with 3 different ship selections for that class which further break down the ships skill sets.
Choosing the right ship for a selected track or race event is something you are going to need to pay attention to if you want a chance to win during the competition mode.
In competition mode there are 12 tracks to master. Once you select your vehicle you are presented with an overview of the race, and some helpful tips to winning that particular stage.
Once the game starts you will astounded at the level of detail and professionalism that Low Grav racing offers. It’s suffice to say that screen shots do not do this game justice. It’s a beautiful sight to behold, and while it might not be actually PSP quality I can tell you it’s leagues better than anything the DS can offer and just shy of the Playstation offerings. Oh and you get all this for about a third of the cost of one of those versions as well.
From Brightly light and colored animated backgrounds, to sparks flying off the vehicles as they bump, or the trails off the rockets that are fired the game oozes of quality. You also have the ability to play the game in cockpit mode which I find to be a fantastic view of the game.
On the audio side the game is packed with plenty of firepower as well. Excellent techno themes music, and weapon sound effects really add to the over quality of the game. I really felt I was play a console quality title.
As you make your way around the laps you will encounter different obstacles scattered about the tracks that will help or hurt your current position in the race. Some of these are speed boosts, single and multiple missiles, 3 types of mines, and shields to name a few.
Speed boosts and shields are activated upon touch while missiles and minds are loaded and armed waiting for your command. These weapons are identified on the screen as a button placed on the right hand side when armed. To fire them you simply aim your ship and press the button. You can only collect one weapon at a time so as the old saying goes if you got em smoke em.
You will need to finish within the top three of the races in order to continue on however this is not an easy task as the AI is pretty stout and cuts you no brakes along the way. You will have to earn your way into the championship with this game.
Now before I let my final thoughts and utter love of this game out of the bag, I thought I would let you know a few of the negatives I found along the way. These are basically nit picking but I think these tweaks would make the overall game experience even better.
First there is no sensitivity settings, so be prepared for some steep learning curbs on some of the vehicles as they are ever so touchy.
Secondly I would love to see some variations in the vehicles looks during the races. Every other vehicle looks almost identical to mine even down to the exhaust. How about having different colored exhaust for different class vehicles? Or a few different skins or paint jobs for the computer controlled ships?
There is also is a slight stutter on some of the longer maps, nothing that will mess you up but it is noticeable for about 1 second ever lap. I take it the game is loading in more data?
There is NO online ranking system which would be great to compare my scores against others on the tracks adding additional replay value to an already great title.
An last but not least there is no online play. This would be a huge addition to the game and I’m hoping this gets added or that Low Grav Racing 2 includes these features from the start!
That said I would have to say this is one of my favorite apps on the iDevice. It’s earned it’s place on my 1st page and it’s going to take some minor miracles for someone to push it off there anytime soon.
As I said in the beginning of this article some people might look at this game as a simple clone of Wipeout and they would be partially right. I think the added element of controlling the game via tilt adds an extra dimension to the game that is missing when I play the console versions now. So calling it a clone doesn’t seem right. Lets call it an evolutionary title instead.
If your remotely interested in racers, the wipeout series or just plain great games you must give this game a try and while some might complain because it’s listed at $5.99 I need to tell you stop complaining. This game is worth twice as much and I wouldn’t hesitate to buying it for another day. This is going down as one of my must have iDevice apps and highly recommended to all our visitors.
The Good
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Excellent graphic and music presentation
console like gaming experience
fun and challenging gameplay
The Bad
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Similar looking ships
No tilt control sensitivity settings
No online play or leaderboards
