Riptide GP2 Review

Riptide GP is a favorite racing title of mine because it brings intense action to hydro racing. Every inch counts in every race and performing successful tricks is mighty important to gaining boosts in order to surge past opponents. This same style of excitement has returned and has also been heavily improved upon.

Riptide GP2 features two gameplay options only: a career mode and online play. The career mode is eight cups long, providing plenty of hydro-jetting fun. Each cup has different types of events within, including regular races, elimination rounds, and fastest laps. So the game does its job at offering a decent change of pace throughout. It’s also increasingly difficult with every step forward because it’s not easy to bring home the first place prize without upgrading or purchasing a better vehicle.

Players begin with a basic hydro jet to race with, which is good enough to win the first few races and then earn some quick cash to put towards the purchase of options like top speed, acceleration, and boost. Every single race comes down to inches and players must always be upgrading their vehicles if the money is available, otherwise they'll begin slipping to second and third place finishes. It can seem to be a bit of a prolonged process to earn enough cash for the big upgrades. This could push players towards buying in-app purchases full of money, but it’s certainly not worth it if players have just a little bit of patience.

Each track looks great with nice layouts, including a good number of big and small ramps for players to jump in order to pull off a large number of unique stunts. Many stunts are unlockable by leveling up, so players will spend points on buying new stunts each time they level up.

The gameplay feels as natural and smooth as it should with the simple touch controls: tapping on the left or right side of the screen to turn either one of those directions. Tilt options are also available for those who prefer that route. But the overall race is fast, wet, and full of excitement with every single turn. Riptide GP is a great game and the sequel improves on it mightily.

Riptide GP2 is not without a few issues though, including the lack of online leaderboards. Where are the time trials that allow us to compete with friends for the best times? I love that the game keeps track of stats, but why doesn’t it keep record times? I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the music selection this time around.

Riptide GP2 is still a fantastic upgrade over Riptide GP and is worthy of its asking price. It’ll keep players entertained for hours while splashing around tracks, pulling off mega stunts, and earning enough money and upgrades to improve their ride.

[gallery]