Reckless Racing review

After months of playing second fiddle, it would appear that Android is finally gaining some degree of parity with Apple’s iPhone when it comes to notable gaming releases. Reckless Racing has been launched almost simultaneously on both platforms, signifying just how far Google’s mobile OS has come in the past year or so.

And make no mistake; Reckless Racing is a huge title. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it’s one of the best-looking games currently available on Android.

It boasts gloriously detailed tracks, awesome-looking vehicles and neat effects such as reflections in pools of water and sparks whenever two cars trade paint.

Reckless Racing takes its inspiration from top-down racing titles such as the NES/Mega Drive classic Micro Machines and Namco’s ancient arcade game Rally-X. Your objective is to complete a set number of laps ahead of your opponents, and pretty much all of the cars available showcase an insane amount of drift.

Getting around a corner almost always involves putting your vehicle sideways, and the thrill of pulling off a perfectly-placed slide is not to be underestimated – especially if said slide also puts you straight into the lead.

The single player element of Reckless Racing is over a little too swiftly. You have three modes to contend with – the standard race, a ‘hot lap’ option and ‘delivery’ – the last of which is very much like Sega’s coin-op Crazy Taxi. You have to collect packages and drop them off in the fastest time possible.

This trio of game modes will barely last you a day, which is a real shame. Thankfully, Reckless Racing’s brevity is mitigated by the inclusion of online leaderboards (so you can contest track times with other players) and the all-important online multiplayer.

You’ll need to sign up for an account, but once you do there’s literally nothing stopping you from taking on the entire world.

The multiplayer mode isn’t faultless – there’s no way of hooking up with friends or arranging races, and it’s only at its best when you’re connected via Wi-Fi – but it adds to the game’s appeal immeasurably. Being able to face off against living, breathing (and entirely unpredictable) human players makes the shortcomings of the solo campaign seem almost insignificant.

We’re also sure that Polarbit will look to augment this portion of the game in the future with the ability to track friends and arrange meets, and maybe even incorporate OpenFeint support.

The increased demands placed by Reckless Racing’s awesome visuals mean that it’s only really suitable for Android devices that sport 1GHz processors or above; even on an Android 2.2-packing Nexus One the game suffers from occasionally bouts of slowdown.

Alas, this is going to become a more common complaint as Android gaming slowly but surely pulls itself up to the standard of its iPhone rival – older devices are unfortunately going to get left behind in the dust.

Despite its minor failings, Reckless Racing is a highly recommended title and should be at the top of any self-respecting gamer’s wish list. There is simply no finer way to burn rubber on Android right now.