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Xenon Racer delivers a drift-based futuristic racing game with a fun, retro vibe, but its nostalgia trip is held back by slippery controls.
futurist racing game were once among the world-beater of the racing game music genre . Series likeF - ZeroandWipeoutprovided the kind of high - octane racing that other titles failed to leave , and although major publishers have been hesitating to repay to this kind of racing , there has been a revivification in the autonomous vista . Xenon Raceris the latest form of address to try and showcase how motorsport may look in the future .
That said , Xenon Racerdoesn’t stray too far from advanced day in term of its timeline . Set in 2030 , it seems as though a lot has changed in 11 year , with flying vehicles becoming the norm for transport and major cities turning into the neon - tinge metropolises that 80scyberpunkfans have been dreaming of .
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Rather than the jet - fueled speed ofWipeoutthough , Xenon Raceris more undercoat - literally . Within the framing of the game , Xenon Raceris the last hoorah of traditional racing . Four - cycle vehicle , boosted by xenon gas , make it to breakneck speeds as they hasten around roads now disused due to technological advancements .
Because of this , Xenon Racer ’s core gameplay in reality feel like a hybrid of the aforementioned likes ofF - Zeroand another staple fibre of the 1990s geological era of gaming . gallery racing car likeSega ’s fantasticDaytona USAare a serious influence here , with succeeder inXenon Racerrelying heavily on being able to pluck up the title ’s drift shop mechanic .
This is n’t required solely to make it around the game ’s once in a while cruel quoin , either . Xenon Raceralso tasks players with keep tabs on their ERS meter , which permit them to boost at effective moment . The boost meter is refilled by driving over rise panels , but also by efficient use of drifting as well , get the more that the player is able to drift around corners successfully .
When it come down to it , this is a becoming approximation for a portmanteau word of different racing subgenres . At its marrow , Xenon Racerfeels the most likeRidge Racerif Namco ’s series had a futurist face lift , keeping things interesting by introducing this encouragement management mechanic . Given that adequate drift racer are hard to come by at the moment , it ’s a very utilitarian itch forXenon Racerto scratch .
When it come to deliver on this promiseXenon Raceris found a little spot wanting . Despite its strong premise , the game lacks that demand top tier sense of restraint that the best arcade racers have to proffer . Instead , Xenon Racerfeels a footling bit slippery , its cars swim across the track without the grip needed to differentiate between drift and boost .
This exact aside a little from the game ’s swell apparatus . fail to hit corners at the right angle will end up be participant ill in term of damage to their motorcar , and it ’s not help by the occasionally awkward rival racer AI that send off them careening into the player at inopportune moments .
On top of that , Xenon Raceris once in a while quite a difficult biz . It ’s a title that expect players to have some experience with drift racing and eminent speed boosting , so veterans of ninety racing will hope that they ’re not too out of practice . Xenon Raceris nowhere nearDiRT Rally 2.0levels of trickiness , but for those look a breezy arcade experience , think again .
Xenon Raceroffers pleasing visuals , feeling like how those 1990s racing game were imagined were it not for the special technology of the time . It keep a decent framerate throughout on PS4 , and those Nox - time level in particular really show off its prominent use of colouring material . On top of that , it has a fantastic dance soundtrack that feel like it descend straight out ofWipeout .
Overall , Xenon Raceris strong . Its awkward moments when it make out to control take away from the experience reasonably , but it ’s a decent pick for those after a nostalgia stumble for a bygone era of racing . It ’s not a world - auto-changer , but nonetheless has something to propose for authoritative racing fan .
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Xenon Racersis available for PC , PlayStation 4 , Xbox One , and Nintendo Switch . Screen Rant was bring home the bacon with a PS4 download codification for the purposes of this recapitulation .
