A lot of kids who grew up with RC cars turned into today's gamers. That's a dangerous blanket statement to make, but you can't argue there isn't some overlap. After all, isn't driving a radio controlled car around the living room kind of like a video game? And didn't playing with RC cars and video games make your parents mad? Looking to bring those two worlds together, Paladin Studios, the team behind Momonga Pinball Adventures, has released Nikko RC Racer, a wild and untamed arcade racing game that's about as close to driving the real thing as you can get.
Nikko RC Racer features around ten cars, two of which are included in the free download, the rest must be purchases or unlocked via promo code, along with ten tracks to drive through. The basic goal of the game is to race through the environments hitting each checkpoint as quickly as you can. Just like in real life, though, you'll probably want to drive around and explore the landscapes, which you can totally do. The tracks are remarkably open and stocked with neat things to see. Some of them even arm you with different power-ups you can use to find shortcuts.
Nikko RC Racer comes across as a very simple arcade racing game. Too simple, in some respects, as the main drawback is a lack of any binding elements that give your high score challenges a sense of overall purpose. Beating your own best times is fine, as is driving these responsive, unique RC cars, but sometimes you want to feel like you're working towards a greater goal, even if that's just a cheesy ending screen with "you won" written across it.
If you've got a soft spot for RC cars or are looking for a nice and casual arcade racing game, you can't go wrong with Nikko RC Racer.
NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on the iPad 3. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.
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