Plot: What’s it about?
Riptide GP: Renegade throws you into the world of underground hydrojet racing, where skilled racers risk life and limb to pull off the wildest stunts possible. In the campaign mode, you will race against the AI to complete courses and advance through the ranks of the elite. Riptide GP: Renegade is a game with a low asking price, but doesn’t perform like a budget title, instead it provides a polished, fairly deep experience. The racing itself is a lot of fun and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t love racing games, so that’s quite a compliment. The focus seems to be on fun and accessibility, so the feel is more of an arcade style instead of a slavish simulation experience. For gamers like me, that is excellent news, but even for more dedicated race fans, an arcade approach offers a nice alternative. The racing itself is quite good and defies the budget price, as I was never frustrated with the controls or felt like I lost because of anything other than my own actions. But Riptide GP: Renegade isn’t satisfied with just a straight forward race experience, as it offers a more diverse race experience.
That diversity comes in the form of varied race objectives, so you’re not always just trying to come in first. You might have to go head to head with a powerful boss racer or engage in a more combative experience, which spices things up. The game offers a decent nine tracks to race on, but the variations ensure you get more replay value than normal. A leveling system is also present, so as you race you collect XP and then use that XP to improve. The upgrade system provides the expected boosts to top speed, handling, and the like, so over time you will see a much enhanced performance. I was glad to see that even if you lose the race, you earn some XP, which should lower frustration levels. You can also ease that stress by pulling off some crazy stunts while race, another focal point of the game. As you perform these stunts, you fill a boost meter and once that meter is filled, you can unleash a potent speed boost to give you an edge. Knowing when to use those speed bursts can often greatly shift your place in the race, which encourages learning the tracks inside and out. In addition to the campaign mode, Riptide GP: Renegade offers local multiplayer and online multiplayer, should you wish to test your skills against the world. I also wanted to note that when you purchase this game for Xbox One, you get the Windows 10 version as well, a nice inclusion.
Video: How’s it look?
The game looks more than solid, with great graphics that look much better than the price might suggest. The visuals are colorful and bright, with a futuristic slant to the design. The tracks have good variety and nice attention to detail, but try not to wreck as you check out the various little touches.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The music is passable and never annoys, which is a welcome outcome. The various engine roars and race audio are fine as well, if not all that memorable. In the end, the sound design is back but it gets the job done.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This features no supplemental materials.
The Bottom Line
A solid, very fairly priced race game that delivers on basic gameplay and replay value. At such an affordable price, Riptide GP: Renegade is recommended.
