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Midtown Crazy Race Review

by Daan Koopman - August 4, 2014, 12:55 am EDT
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2.5

Crash and burn.

Midtown Crazy Race started as a mobile phone game and was released late last year on these platforms. Now the title has come to the Wii U eShop and very little is done to make it suited for the system. Midtown Crazy Race is pitched as having immersive 3D racing action and real physics, but it falls apart rather quickly.

The game offers three modes: Practice, Countdown and Be The First. In Practice you can drive around freely and explore everything the open world has on offer. It turns out that there is very little as you drive through bland environments and listen to some mediocre music. There is some traffic roaming about, but the city mostly feels really empty. Luckily, you are kind of distracted by the unpleasant controls in Midtown Crazy Race. In a move that is weird in its own right, players are forced to use motion controls. You move the Wii U GamePad from side to side, while using ZL to brake and ZR to accelerate. It wouldn’t be a problem if it worked decently as games like Mario Kart 8 proved it can work. However, you will spin out of control very easily, causing constant frustration.

The other two modes are extremely similar in many ways. The key difference is that you participate in races in Be The First, while Countdown is just a glorified Time Attack. In both cases, you will have to drive through checkpoints and get to the end as fast as you can. While Countdown is totally doable and has its moments, your AI opponents are a bit too clumsy in the racing options. They will constantly slam you into walls, ruining their own chances to win the race as well as yours. One AI opponent will always slip through the cracks and get way ahead, which makes it difficult to win in many instances. What makes manners worse is that the 25 tracks, which are set in the same boring, open world, are repeated in both modes. There are no separate designs to leverage the power of either side, making the game feel like a waste of time. The game does not feature multiplayer or leaderboards in any form, so there is nothing to keep you entertained.

Midtown Crazy Race is an overly disappointing game. With controls that a majority won’t enjoy and game modes that are not very inspiring, it is hard sell for any Wii U owner. The game does try to deliver upon a world that is welcoming to drive through, but it feels mostly bland and empty. For a racing game on the Nintendo eShop, you could easily do a lot better than this.

Summary

Pros
  • Alright music
  • Countdown has its moments
Cons
  • AI opponents are mean buggers
  • All feels bland and empty
  • Controls aren’t really pleasant
  • No multiplayer or leaderboards

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Genre Racing
Developer Jose Varela
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: Midtown Crazy Race
Release Aug 21, 2014
PublisherJose Varela
RatingTeen
eu: Midtown Crazy Race
Release Jul 31, 2014
Rating3+

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