Motorama: Classic Racing – Review
Race games are usually judged by the size of their garage and the amount of polygons in each vehicle. Therefore, indie developers have a distinct disadvantage in this genre, as they simply don’t have the extravagant budgets of large studios. This doesn’t necessarily deter passionate developers, however, as 251 Games shows by paying tribute to the 1950’s racing scene with Motorama: Classic Racing.
Story
As with most racers, Motorama doesn’t have any real story line, which is actually strange considering the prominence of the main character in the introductory menu screen. You play as a stereotypical greaser, clad in black leather and jeans, who dreams of becoming the greatest driver around Sierra Lake.
In order to achieve this goal, you need to win against a handful of opponents. Instead of at least providing a bit of amusing smack talk between the racers, a picture and a name for each “boss” apparently are deemed enough. Not that this should have been the next “Grease,” but any story would have at least helped a bit to set the mood the devs are trying to set.
Graphics
As is to be expected of any indie racer, Motorama’s visual fidelity does not hold the smallest candle to its big competitors. It runs on the Unity Engine, which limits not only the graphical capabilities, but also the needed cash flow to develop the game.
Take this information into consideration, however, and the first minutes into the game are fairly impressive. Classic car models such as the ’53 Cadillac Eldorado have been replicated authentically, although they haven’t been licensed and therefore carry unofficial names like “Belvedere.”
Once the races actually start, the visuals prove to be massively underwhelming. The vehicles seem to glide on the tarmac and the environments are vacant and almost painfully repetitive. Add to this equation the plethora of glitches I have encountered and it is hard not to lose interest after a few races. A small redeeming factor is the possibility to tune the aesthetics of any car in your possession – if you have the dough, of course. However, this alone is not nearly exciting enough to keep the average player’s attention span alive.
Sound
“A true rock & roll soundtrack, great!” I thought as the game started for the first time. Then, however, the title music started to appear not only in the title screen, but also in the menus, the car selection screen, the garage, and yes… Also in every single race, there is but one song throughout the entire game, and it gets old faster than a progeria patient.
This should be fixed pretty easily by just muting the background music and blasting your own soundtrack through your speakers. For some reason, though, the audio volumes reset themselves after every race. During the matches, the player is spared, but the weak engine sounds are equally boring. What should have been a homage to the 50’s car scene, ends up being a subpar attempt at a cheap racing experience.
Gameplay
Motorama’s gameplay is as original as its name. The challenges vary from normal races to sprints and knockout races, which could be enough if they were at least slightly fun. The driving experience itself, however, is underwhelmed by the physics engine. Steering is an arduous task and for some reason, the opponent’s cars always accelerate faster than our own. To make matters even more unfair, they can just drive through traffic, resembling ghosts, while you of course crash and bounce around like a frenzied pinball if you scrape the side of one oncoming car.
The driver A.I. seems disinterested in the game. In the first races, it should be absolutely impossible to win as the starter cars are extremely underpowered. However, the A.I. frequently crashes into walls and other obstacles, even on straight roads, giving you a chance to snatch the victory while simultaneously robbing you of any real sense of achievement. It’s like stealing a Grammy: you get a shiny trophy, but is it really worth anything?
Conclusion
However admirable 251 Games’s attempt at old school racing may be, Motorama: Classic Racing sadly isn’t the rough gem that should be expected of a budget title. The race tracks are void of any atmosphere and full of glitches. If only it were the other way around.
It’s always risky for a race game to exclude any form of multiplayer, especially so when the A.I. opponent’s driving behaviour is worse than that of a lobotomised toddler. This game took that risk and crashed right through the guardrail. To the developer’s credit, they are working on patches to address the most pressing bugs and glitches, but there’s still a long road ahead. On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha…
Motorama: Classic Racing - Review,
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