To start with, it can be immediately noted just how zoomed in the camera is on the car. Always a plaguing problem: just how can a sense of speed be portrayed when the cars are so tiny and the environments so comparatively large? The solution had always been to keep the camera situated as far as it could reasonably get, but Creat Studios has a better idea: give each car a boost gauge (triggered by holding down the L1 button). Realism be damned; so long as it’s enjoyable. The boost is not only necessary to reach ridiculously fast speeds, but is also used in conjunctions with ramps, rocks, and other such ledges that stunts can be performed off of, which refill your boost gauge and reward the player with extra money at the end of the race.

One of the self-proclaimed features of the game is the open ended gameplay, meaning that the tracks are vast and wide with plenty of branches and shortcuts, along with interactive environments that are constantly moving all over the place, ranging from balls, animals, and aggravated bystanders. Normally, the key to success in racing games is to find the shortcut and exploit them for a few laps, surmounting an enormous lead, but in Cars, that is not as simple since the shortcuts are always more treacherous than the actual road and one mistake in these paths can bump you down a few places. Wide tracks often serve little purpose and usual isolate the player, making for a dull and boring ride. Not so in this game since crashing into other racers garners you more boost points and extra money in the end. So not only is it sadistically obnoxious, it’s actively rewarded. All of these elements combine for fluid and dynamic races, encompassing a mad absurd ballet of midair flips and show stopping crashes while careening along at well past residential area speed limits.

Several modes add a fair amount of replay value: besides Championship mode and single races, there’s more unusual faire such as Hot Pot (find all of the hidden items on the track though this is more memorization than challenging), Stunt Race, and Dark Horse (a very fun one; take a dive by making sure the “Dark Horse” racer takes first place). There are also around a dozen cars to unlock, which doesn’t necessarily make all of the preceding ones obsolete. Heavier cars are more suited for rocky terrain and driving other cars off he road while the smaller ones should be used for levels with smooth, straight passages and stunts.

If there’s any fault that could be held against Smash Cars, it’s that the game is rather square. While other R/C racing games are swimming in and celebrating the charm of these diminutive cars, Smash Cars eschews it all by trying to be a bit edgy and with tepid techno music. The staples of the genre - levels that take place on a neighborhood street, toy store, or supermarket - are nowhere to be found, which is a shame since these are the levels that exude the most color and creativity. Even the people that populate the tracks are in no mood for shenanigans, with soldiers actually firing and wasting precious bullets on the toy cars and trying to ruin everyone’s good time. According to how the sport is portrayed in Smash Cars, R/C racing is not only a crime; it’s also criminally fun.

· · · Sqoon