Quantum Redshift
Score: 70% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Curly Monsters Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Racing
Graphics & Sound: Quantum Redshift is the 'head cheerleader' of the Xbox racing lineup. It's fast, easy, and nice to look at, but nothing you haven't already done. QR really shows off what the Xbox is capable of graphically. Each of the vehicles is finely detailed and even though they are inanimate objects, they really show a personality of their own. This is especially true once you see details such as reflections off their glossy exterior or the trails of dust being kicked up from as they zoom across the desert sands. Each of the tracks does an excellent job of reflecting their native countries. The polar areas look cold, the desert areas look like deserts, and the islands are full of water! Speaking of water, one of the best effects the game pulls off is water splashing on and dripping down the camera lens during races. Discussing the game's soundtrack seems pointless to me because of the game's custom soundtrack support. This is definitely one of the unsung features that more Xbox games should take advantage of. Just pop in any of your CDS, rip it to the hard drive, and select 'Custom' in the options menu. As far as sound effects go, the only notable thing is that the countdown before each race starts is said in that country's native language. The roars of the engines are overdone and there is little difference between weapon's sounds.
Gameplay: QR tries to set itself apart from other racing titles by adding a storyline, but ultimately comes off as a rehash of every other futuristic racer you've ever played. At the onset there are seven different racers to choose from, each with their own reason for being in the tournament. Some are looking to prove something while others are power hungry or greedy. As per the standard formula, each racer's vehicle has its own unique abilities and attributes. Some may be faster, while others may handle better. This allows each player to find the ship that is just right for their style, but it does little to make the game feel like something different. As you win tournaments, you win money which can be used to upgrade your ship, but even this option is limited and adds little to the game. Part of the fun of racing games is the ability to customize your ship and build it to your own unique playing style. However, instead of allowing you customize your ship's attributes, the game requires you to buy pre-selected upgrades. Upgrading your turbo gives you more of a boost, upgrading your weapons gives it power and eventually homing capabilities, and shields enable your craft to take more hits. After purchasing all of the upgrades, you can unlock the final upgrade that unlocks your craft's super weapon. Although you eventually get a much stronger ship out of the deal, it also lacks a personal feel and feels like every other ship. A system where you purchase new craft, better parts and weapons, or at least a new paint job for your ship would have gone a long way in making the experience that much better. The weapons you acquire during races (represented by glowing power-ups on the screen) are useless until you gain the homing ability. Much like the system found in SSX Tricky, each pilot has a rival. This is where the storyline is supposed to come into play. Between matches, a small clip will play featuring your racer and their rival gibbering at each other about something. The problem is the game does such a bad job at giving you a background on the characters that the storylines are pointless. Other than that, the only purpose rivals serve are to give you new racers to unlock and to reward you with more money if you destroy their vehicle in a race.
Difficulty: One of the more interesting aspects of the game is how it handles difficulty levels. Instead of allowing you to choose your level in the options menu, each difficulty level is presented as its own tournament. The game gives you four tournaments to enter: Amateur, Novice, Master, and Redshift. The only real difference in each of the tournaments is the number of tracks and speed of the game. Amateur is an easy stroll through the track while Redshift blasts you through at breakneck speeds. Regardless of how fast you're going, Quantum Redshift is easy and offers little challenge, especially once you start purchasing upgrades.
Game Mechanics: Quantum Redshift is a very simple game. You can brake, accelerate, boost and use weapons. As with most racing games, there is very little to learn. Of course, as with most aspects of the game, the control options are very limited and don't allow players to adjust things to their liking. I suspect most of this is due to the game's weapons system. Each weapon is colored and laid out to correspond to the controller's face buttons. This is helpful since it allows you to look at how much power you have in a certain weapon and use it just by 'feeling' it rather than looking down at the controller and taking your eyes off the action. Although this review sounds mostly negative, QR isn't a bad game. The problem is that it just feels rushed and lacks any sense of originality, making it feel like just another ho-hum racer. In my opinion QR would have been better off as a pack-in game with Xbox Live rather than a stand-alone game. Racing fans, especially those of F-Zero and Wipeout, will find the game enjoyable but even they may want to make this a weekend rental.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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