Impulse GP Review
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Impulse GP Review

Our Review by Campbell Bird on July 27th, 2015
Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: SPACE BIKES
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This speedy racing game looks and feels great, but it's a little limited with no multiplayer and dopey AI.

Developer: EcoTorque Systems
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.01
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Game Controls Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Impulse GP is a futuristic racing game with a great sense of speed (think WipEout) in which players race on hoverbikes through colorful environments filled with boost pads, loops, ramps, and more across seven tracks. While it may not be for everyone, thedemanding pace and difficulty are satisfying to racing fans looking for a hefty challenge.

Although Impulse GP shares some similarities in aesthetics with WipEout,it's100% focused on speed - specifically increasing it throughout the course of a track. This means that the only powerups of any kind are boost pads, which come in one of two forms: green pads that players have to tap and hold to generate boost, and blue pads that are collected and activated like more traditional racing games. The key to winning races is through collecting and using as much impulse and boost as possible while sailing through the obstacles in each track.

At first, speeding along to victory is pretty easy. Impulse pads on early tracks are longer and allow more time to generate a higher percentage of boost, and there are very few obstacles to contend with. Once players reach the last couple tracks though, this relationship inverts so that they need to be quick on impulse pads while preparing to dodge forcefields and barriers. Players can compensate for this to a certain extent through earning money to unlock newer, better bikes, but for the most part they need to memorize courses and train their nimble fingers to succeed. The AI is actually pretty weak, so the choice to create a difficulty curve primarily around individual track difficulty was a clever way to compensate.

Also interesting is the structure ofprogression. When players unlock any track, they have to pass a time trial before actually being able to race against AI opponents - and each track has modes for time trial, race, and a drag mode, in which players shoot along a straight line and have to time their taps to gather more impulse than a single opponent. Once they've cleared all of the tracks in race mode they can revisit everything in Pro Race mode, which is a faster version of the initial Quick Race mode. These multiple modes add a lot of longevity to Impulse GP, though - as mentioned before - the AI leaves a bit to be desired.

All of these points would be moot if Impulse GP didn't control well. Thankfully, it totally does. Regardless of preferred method of controlling mobile racing games, ithas a whole suite of control modes that should be able to satisfy just about anyone that picks it up. The only real bummer about Impulse GP is its lack of multiplayer. This is exacerbated by the totally unexciting AI that generally just get in the way during races.

That being said, players that want to test their mettle by memorizing tracks and chasing faster lap times will find a lot to be happy with in Impulse GP.

iPhone Screenshots

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Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 1 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 2 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 3 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 4 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

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Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 6 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 7 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 8 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 9 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 10

Apple TV Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 11 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 12 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 13 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 14 Impulse GP - Super Bike Racing screenshot 15
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