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Thrilling game that lets you roar through metro streets and landscapes

Thrilling game that lets you roar through metro streets and landscapes

Vote: (146 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Vanilla Live Games

Version: 1.0

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(146 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Vanilla Live Games

1.0

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Simulates four European cities
  • Has free to play online play

Cons

  • Has micro-transactions that affect the game
  • Graphics and sound subpar
  • Physics can be annoying

Big City Racer is an arcade-style free-to-play racing game. It uses four cities in Europe as its setting. This is not a true street racing game, as each city has had all traffic and pedestrians stripped out- they are more like city-themed tracks. The cities included are Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and Rome.

The good news is that the core elements in this game are free to play, at least at first. The player starts out with a hundred in-game credits that can be spent to enter races. Placing high earns more credits, while placing low loses them. The paying aspect comes in when the player runs low on credits. They can be purchased using real money to replenish the losses from doing poorly in races. This is a bit of an odd system, because it punishes the new players who are not as good at racing.

Aside from the credit system, Big City Racer does not really have any unique elements. The graphics are subpar for the genre. The sound effects can get irritating after a while, and the physics and handling of the cars is spotty. Arcade-style gameplay does not have to entail poor coding or a just plain bad experience. The player might often feel that the physics and the collision with obstacles and other cars is inconsistent and that they sometimes need to fight to keep control of the car.

The credits can be used in an upgrade system for the in-game cars. This means that people who are more willing to put money into the game will get better cars to race online, putting users who only play for free at a disadvantage.

The problems with the physics of the game might be forgivable if Big City Racer was no more than a free online racing game. But the credits system and the real money payments also mean that players will feel obligated to pay money to stay competitive online, and that is unacceptable for a game of this quality. Although it might cost more up front, a real racing game that charges up front instead of through micro-transactions will probably provide a significantly better game without penalizing players who don't want to pay.

Pros

  • Simulates four European cities
  • Has free to play online play

Cons

  • Has micro-transactions that affect the game
  • Graphics and sound subpar
  • Physics can be annoying