European Street Racer

PC preview by James Frazer - Monday 1st October 2007

The street racing market is becoming almost as flooded as the WWII shooter market these days, but none of them really appeal to a European audience. Need for Speed has the States covered, and every inch of Japanese highway has been covered in games there, but what about that continent in between those two? European Street Racer, from indie developers Xider game and Team 6 is of course set entirely in European cities. London, Berlin, and other recognizable locations are now tracks to race your shiny, shiny rides around.

ESR isn't a massive budgeted game, and it shows. The graphics are rather blocky and flat, although that isn't to say that it's ugly. In fact, plenty of care has been put into the design of all of the tracks- there are lots of landmarks to remind you of exactly where you're driving, which is a nice touch. The cars themselves aren't very detailed, but there are some nice presentational touches, like a motion blur and bloom effect that kick in when you hit a certain speed. There is some semblance of a story to be told in ESR, but it's really only a paragraph to read in singleplayer mode before loading a track. It doesn't help, but it doesn't hinder. It's easy to see that a lot of effort went into the polish of ESR.

The actual gameplay is fast, twitchy, and fun. ESR's driving model is simple and easy to get into, although since it's a driving game it is best experienced with some kind of peripheral. Players compete in quick, speedy races along busy roads, and you're awarded points for coming close to- but not hitting- oncoming traffic. At the end of each race, you can buy new cars, or repair your old ones that have taken a beating. The latter is a fairly unique mechanic that will make big crashes something to avoid, unlike other racing games that simply reset you. The game is not super detailed, but rather, an easy to pick up arcade racer. PC owning racing fans who appreciate budget titles and are looking for a good, cheap fix may be pleasantly surprised when ESR hits shelves September 21st.