Battle Riders Review

There are simulation racing games, there are arcade racing games, and then there are car combat games. No one really pays attention to how accurate the driving physics are while getting blasted by hood-mounted machine guns. Battle Riders is a slick, well-made take on vehicular manslaughter, but it’s a little too tame.

Like in any other racing game, Battle Riders has players driving laps around the competition. But while speed is certainly important, combatants can even the playing field by blowing each other away with guns, missiles, and mines. Players customize their arsenals and can even dual-wield weapons. During the race itself they drive through ammo pick-ups to restock, and weapon power doubles for a limited amount of time by restocking twice in quick succession.

The game’s default controls even seem to emphasis fighting over racing; there’s a brake button, but most other inputs are for managing guns. Cars accelerate automatically so all players really need to do is smoothly go through turns and boost pads. Even the currency is tied to bloodshed. Players earn credits to improve their ride post-match, but if they get shelled too many times mid-race they can sacrifice some credits for a quick repair. In all, it’s an action-packed and satisfying set of mechanics.

But the game itself could be a little more visceral. Graphics are technically superb with a great sense of speed, powerful lighting, and cool, detailed car models. But the tracks themselves are sparse, simple, and boring. They feel like the flat, no-nonsense courses of serious racing games instead of the glorious battlefields of car combat. There also aren’t enough of them. Battle Riders' lengthy single-player portion features everything from regular races to elimination rounds to time attack. But when so many events use one dull track - or even worse: that same track but backwards - it starts to feel padded. The sheer thrill of fighting and racing alleviates the repetition somewhat, but it’s still there.

Battle Riders isn’t quite as mean or lean as it should be, however it’s still a very well-oiled machine.