Developer: Gamepires
Publisher: Iceberg Interactive
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Tested on: PS4
Gas Guzzlers Extreme – Review
Nowadays many games often aim to be either realistic or ludicrous when it comes to racing games. We see a clear distinction between the simulation world and those that want to add cartoon characters to their lineup. While both types of games often work quite well, we still miss the days of the many vehicular combat games. These games were present on the PC in the early 2000s and also on consoles such as the Nintendo 64, PlayStation 1 & 2 and the early Xbox consoles. For some reason, this hype died down, and it evolved to other types of games in the genre. Recently we discovered that a console release for Gas Guzzlers Extreme was on its way and we were lucky enough to get our hands on a copy.
Story
Gas Guzzlers Extreme, of course, doesn’t have a story. You can play the campaign mode, clear courses and even unlock sponsors and sponsored events. The game doesn’t have a story to tell, and that’s just fine. We believe a game such as this doesn’t need any excess baggage to be fun.
Graphics
Graphically Gas Guzzlers Extreme isn’t an impressive piece of work, but the overall atmosphere is perfect for a game such as this. The extreme glossy cars, that show damage in an unnatural way suit the picture the developer is trying to paint here. You’ll instantly take a trip down memory lane to the damage system of Carmageddon 2 and other similar titles. The environments look fairly decent, but the textures the game uses are somewhat simplistic. Nonetheless, the design is ok, and a game such as this doesn’t need state of the art visuals in order to be amusing.
We encountered a few graphical glitches where we were stuck in walls and where items didn’t render properly. Also, we don’t know why, but the game didn’t fit our monitor. Even with the screen settings being properly set up for other games, the game still didn’t show everything properly and we were left with certain items from our HUD being out of view because of this.
Sound
The sound design is top-notch. The game has a rock(ish) soundtrack that gets you in the proper mood to bash some skull (or in this case, cars). You’ll also notice a lot of subtle winks to Duke Nukem, as the game throws many one-liners your way, in the same iconic voice as the aforementioned character (Of course, not the real voice actor). There are other voices to choose from, such as a parody of the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger and some we couldn’t place our finger on. Of course, the game does take popular lines from different franchises and gives it an original spin. The sound effects suffice, but the cars sound a bit identical and the gunfire feels somewhat generic.
Gameplay
Gas Guzzlers Extreme is a vehicular combat racing game. This game is actually a title that came out in 2013 and has now been ported to consoles. You’ll be going from one event to another, where you knock out your opponents, be it with guns blazing or by simply ramming them to bits. There are a few racing variants, but these often also involve using weapons. Overall things are neatly executed and you’ll be blasting your opponents after mere moments. When playing the campaign mode, you can follow the order of the events and unlock new cars and upgrade them.
The game’s controls can be described as typical arcade controls. You have your power-ups you can pick up, a nitro to boost, your basic guns and of course a proper drift function. The game handles well and is accessible for those who aren’t racing experts.
The Extreme Edition includes all the DLC packs, which is certainly a plus. The game is sold at an intermediate price, which is somewhat risky for a game that was originally released in 2013 and now ported to PS4 with minimal changes. Nonetheless, there is enough content to fill your gaming sessions for a while.
There’s one thing about the console version of GGE that feels like a missed opportunity and that’s the lack of a multiplayer mode. The game screams to be played in split-screen or at least online. Sadly, outside of the campaign mode, you can do a Quick Race and that’s about it. This game could have a massive online audience if properly marketed and of course, with a decent multiplayer mode.
Conclusion
Gas Guzzlers Extreme will not be winning the Game of the Year award any time soon, but it is a very fun experience for those seeking a bit of extra suspense. The game’s mechanics are solid, the visuals look the part and the overall atmosphere, mostly thanks to the sound design, feels spot-on. The game might not have that much content, and what you’re doing is somewhat repetitive, but the easy unlockable cars motivate you to keep playing. If you miss a classic vehicular combat game, this one will provide you with a few fun evenings.
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