Racing Apex news

[buttersoft]

Lucky Mountain Games just sent out an email to subscribers about some sort of reveal on the 26th Feb, so in like 6 days time. Sigh. I wonder if they'll actually have a release date in there? I wonder if it's going to support CRT... and LAN play. I'll probably grab it regardless

Many thanks to the Racing Apex community for the ongoing support! We are excited to announce the unveiling date when you can all see what we have been working on!!

    Lucky Mountain Games, in partnership with @CurveDigital and @SumoDigitalLtd, is excited to unveil its low-poly, high speed labour of love. Tune in 2pm UK time, 26th Feb.
    Don’t miss the unveiling. Follow https://twitter.com/CurveDigital now!

[shakeheartbreak]

Liking the gifs that went along with the post!

[stf999]

Superb news !!!
If there was such an announce for 90’s Super GP / 90’s Arcade Racer I'd be more than happy !!!

[VirtuaIceMan]

This upcoming game looks neat too, a bit of a rival for the Virtua Racing style graphics!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1239660/Formula_Retro_Racing/

[shakeheartbreak]

Currently only listed as single player unless I'm missing something..

Personally I think I need a little more graphical detail than that, but maybe it'll have options on that front.

[VirtuaIceMan]

RACING APEX now called HOTSHOT RACING and has a Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/609920/Hotshot_Racing/

[shakeheartbreak]

That looks great.  And..

- Single-player
- Online PvP
- Shared/Split Screen PvP
- Online Co-op
- Shared/Split Screen Co-op

Nice!

[MrThunderwing]

Looks like Sumo Digital are involved too. That's certainly got me interested.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-02-27-sumos-latest-arcade-racer-channels-scud-race-and-other-90s-greats

[Howard_Casto]

I keep pushing money against the screen but the game isn't coming out.  Looks like outrun 2 mixed with a bit of ridge racer mixed in. 

[buttersoft]

nice work there, Howard

I love the look of this one - save that they've changed the design on the porsche, perhaps for copyright reasons. And it's great that they'r working with Sumo. I just worry that this is another reveal that didn't reveal anything. Release date of Q2 will hopefully be something they can meet, i'm tired of racing games that keep on revealing the same things and just never appear. I think we all are, at this point.

Which was perhaps unreasonably negative of me. I hope this one makes it because we're all looking forward to playing it

[MrThunderwing]

I think with Sumo being involved it feels like a game that will actually materialise at some point.

[Howard_Casto]

I think with Sumo being involved it feels like a game that will actually materialise at some point.

^This^  Sumo has been reliably releasing a new racer every year or so since outrun 2.  They shouldn't have a problem churning one more out.

[VirtuaIceMan]

You can read more about how Sumo were involved here: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-03-09-hotshot-racing-looks-to-capture-the-spirit-of-londons-trocadero-in-the-90s

[MrThunderwing]

Nice. Just skimmed through the article as I'm knackered and just about to go to bed, but it sounds like this Trevor Ley guy has the right sort of arcade racing pedigree for a project like this. Looking forward to this.

Also, and a bit off topic (soz) but as we're talking about old skool Sega games... Is anyone else hyped for Streets of Rage 4? The trailers look brilliant. Such a great idea to ditch any 3D polygon type models and go for the hand drawn 2D look instead. The inclusion of the local 4 player mode is one of the things I'm most excited about.

[Howard_Casto]

I think the new look is fairly hideous....I don't get why they'd give such a clean look to a gritty looking series like that.  I'm still excited to play it though. 

[MrThunderwing]

I think it looks great myself, I think the clean, hand-drawn, cartoon style visuals feels like a natural evolution of the 16 bit pixel art from the Megadrive games. Those games were gritty, but they were never sombre. I guess it's subjective though.

[Howard_Casto]

Not really, 16 bit art, particularly 16 bit brawlers used super deep shading and over-exaggerated lines.  The most similar art style today would be in rough colored pencil or heavy color pastels, not a barely shaded, flash game looking style.  The point is it shouldn't be drawn clean because the originals weren't. 

[buttersoft]

renamed to Hotshot Racing now, it looks like? Still coming Spring 2020, it says on steam.

[MrThunderwing]

There's another Virtua Racing-esque racer coming out that looks quite promising.

http://repixel8.com/formula-retro-racing/?fbclid=IwAR1QEUTVRCQToSFO-nrvpbl9CFtv2mTo7H3v6DLBTvGiAVRODFvkTUG0mZs

[2huwman]

Thanks, looks decent. And release date is in a few days!

[negative1]

There's another Virtua Racing-esque racer coming out that looks quite promising.

http://repixel8.com/formula-retro-racing/?fbclid=IwAR1QEUTVRCQToSFO-nrvpbl9CFtv2mTo7H3v6DLBTvGiAVRODFvkTUG0mZs

got it for the xbox one, and played a few hours.

mini review here:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,162817.0.html

later
-1

[MrThunderwing]

Hey, so I've been able to take part in a closed Beta of Hotshot Racing. Here are my early thoughts:

[buttersoft]

Cheers, MrThunderwing! I loved the suggestion they pick up 90's Arcade Racer too

[Howard_Casto]

Hot Shot is impressive going by your videos... it has a lot more Mario Kart in it than I thought it would... not that it is a bad thing.

[MrThunderwing]

Interesting video that the YouTube algorithm suggested for me, discussing The 90's Arcade Racer and what complete and utter failures Nical-arse are. Well worth a watch.


Edit: ---fudgesicle--- me sideways, I hadn't see the last third of the video when I posted it. The bit about Nicalis' April Fool's joke, is something I was unaware of. The ---smurfing--- nerve of these wankers. Here's a link to the article that calls them out over it.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/50186/nicalis-2019s-april-fool

[BadMouth]

Interesting video that the YouTube algorithm suggested for me, discussing The 90's Arcade Racer and what complete and utter failures Nical-arse are. Well worth a watch.


Edit: ---fudgesicle--- me sideways, I hadn't see the last third of the video when I posted it. The bit about Nicalis' April Fool's joke, is something I was unaware of. The ---smurfing--- nerve of these wankers. Here's a link to the article that calls them out over it.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/50186/nicalis-2019s-april-fool

Thanks for posting.  I enjoyed.  Some of the criticisms of the head of Nicalis were weirdly personal and unrelated to the game.   I was disappointed they didn't include the racecar on Nicalis website that won't start when you click on it.

Hard to believe it has been so long.  It would be nice to get our hands on the game and fix it ourselves.  (although all I can do is play test and critique).  I paid something like $80 to have a BYOAC logo in the game.  Never did spot it in any of the videos.

[Boomslang]

It's still coming....

https://steamdb.info/app/260830/history/


last update 17 hours ago, they have been working on it pretty steady for last couple months or so now

[Howard_Casto]

LOL Can't wait for that Wii U port

[negative1]

saw that they posted the achievements for the xbox one version.

looks like there's boosts, and also destructable elements on tracks.

unfortunately i won't be able to test the online racing, because i don't
have an account.

other than that, the usual come in first in most races.

will see how it all turns out, no price listed yet though.

later
-1

[nipsmg]

I really wish these developers who are putting out arcade racers would develop with Wheel/FFB support in mind.  I'd think it'd stand to reason that gamers who are really into racing games would probably have a racing wheel.  Given I only play racing games in my racing cab, there's no way I would buy this without wheel / FFB support -- but I really want it.. it looks amazing.

[MrThunderwing]

Hotshot racing has got a definite release date now - it'll will launch on PC and consoles 10th September!

I agree, it does seem like a bit of a weird omission to not include wheel support in an arcade racer.

[negative1]

Hotshot racing has got a definite release date now - it'll will launch on PC and consoles 10th September!

I agree, it does seem like a bit of a weird omission to not include wheel support in an arcade racer.

Will be free for gamepass users on the xbox one:
https://www.trueachievements.com/n43015/hotshot-racing-xbox-game-pass

I'm not bothered with force feedback or wheel support. It's too niche for console users.

Arcade standup/sitdown units ok. But home console games, unless its a major franchise,
they probably don't have the budget to add support.

later
-1

[Howard_Casto]

I really wish these developers who are putting out arcade racers would develop with Wheel/FFB support in mind.  I'd think it'd stand to reason that gamers who are really into racing games would probably have a racing wheel.  Given I only play racing games in my racing cab, there's no way I would buy this without wheel / FFB support -- but I really want it.. it looks amazing.

Most of these games are budget titles and force feedback support is difficult to program well.  That being said I think they could all manage a simple sine wave "rumble". 

[negative1]

the pc version will be $15.99 and out on the 10th.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/609920/Hotshot_Racing/

the xbox one version is out on the 9th at 11pm.
it's on sale for $14.99 (down from $19.99, which is too expensive)
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/hotshot-racing/c11hcjpqfhh7?ranMID=24542&ranEAID=VUa1h8pAD80&ranSiteID=VUa1h8pAD80-LGs3gqj8.utImClP9jXVqw&epi=VUa1h8pAD80-LGs3gqj8.utImClP9jXVqw&irgwc=1&OCID=AID2000142_aff_7593_1243925&tduid=%28ir__yyvubwdfz9kft06ikk0sohzg2u2xiqnfftpgszo200%29%287593%29%281243925%29%28VUa1h8pAD80-LGs3gqj8.utImClP9jXVqw%29%28%29&irclickid=_yyvubwdfz9kft06ikk0sohzg2u2xiqnfftpgszo200&activetab=pivot:overviewtab

i've tried it out, and i like it so far.

haven't gotten into the drifting, or the advanced levels, so i don't know what the ai is like.

will be playing it for a week or so, to get a better impression of it.

so far i like it better than the other virtua formula racing game.

there are more options, more drivers, and more polish too it.

later
-1

[buttersoft]

Thanks for the info! Please let us know further impressions after you've been playing it for a while

[negative1]

I will be posting a more thorough review shortly. Still playing the game.


Quick take:
============================
Graphics : A
Excellent 60 fps/high res/ great variety, no popups or crashes, or lag. Total homage to Sega tracks

Sound : B-
Again, decent, but not outstanding. Very sega time extension/checkpoint, voices are decent

Control : B
Very floaty cars, but solid enough, takes time to get use to turns and handling

AI : B
Normal is fine, Hard is hard, and expert is very hard to beat

Gameplay modes: C
---------------------------
Grand prix, single trial, time trial - all work fine
Cops and robbers - fun enough
blow up and drive - ok

pretty standard modes.

even though there are 16 tracks, all are very short, (you can change laps from 3-7)
which is too bad, because they could be a lot more challenging.

Handling/Boosts/Drift/Drafting (Slipstream) functions - D+
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is where the problems about the whole game come into play.

Drifting is attached to a control. There is no skill involved in using unlike other racers, where you learn how
to do it. You press a control, and the car drifts, making it too easy to play.

Boosts - again, another crutch that makes it too easy to play, instead of getting good at racing, and learning
skill to beat opponents, you are given boosts (through using drifts), that allow you to easily pass other cars
whenever you need to. you get a maximum of 4 though.

Drafting is fine, but not really much of a factor.

It's nice that they tried to implement these functions, but they are too much of a compromise
for racing fans, that are looking for a challenge.

==================================

Overall C- , not recommended unless you are ok, with a watered down racing experience.

Did not try the multiplayer local or online, since I don't use those functions.

later
-1

[buttersoft]

Cheers for the report!

[MrThunderwing]

My experience with this is very different to Negative1's. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of arcade racers. See, I hate Sim racers with all their overly complex reliance on having to slow to an absolute crawl at most turns and then trying to get your racing line absolutely perfect. I like my racing games where you just tap the brake and that initiates a drift that slides you around the corners at 200 mph. That's basically the formula that Sega Racers have been using in one form or another for years, from the more complex variants on it like Scud Race to the more intermediate level, automatic transmission, drifts of Daytona USA to the easy drifting awesomeness of Outrun 2. This is also the drifting formula that the Ridge Racer games use.

To me Hotshot Racing feels exactly how I want my arcade racer experience to feel. This is my first time playing the actual retail version of it since my weekend trial on the PC game's beta back in July. I've now swapped from the PC to the PS4, because at present the PC doesn't have any wheel support (although apparently it's being considered) so the PS4 version made more sense to me for simple pick up and play gameplay over the PC game. I can confirm that the PS4 game looks every bit as nice as the PC beta did. In fact it's actually a bit better...

One of the things I'd noticed in the PC Beta was that the frame rate dropped at times when things got busy. Whether that was just down to the nature of the game still being in its beta stage or a byproduct of the video capture software I was using I'll never really know, but I'm happy to report that the game maintains a rocksteady 60fps on my PS4. I think the music's great too, perfectly encapsulates the sort of Hi NRG type feeling of a racer from the 90's.

The drifting also seems a bit slicker to me in this compared to the beta, although that could just be in my imagination or down to the cars I'm using. By slicker, I mean that in the beta there were a few times I felt a bit like I was in danger of oversteering when I was initiating a drift, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

One thing that doesn't seem to have been addressed, which irked me a bit in the beta, is the fact that sometimes you'll end up with a CPU car right on your arse and if they clip your rear bumper in a certain way, it can end up making your motor suddenly pivot 90 degrees sideways, normally straight into a wall. The game is easy if you play it on the normal mode, I was able to get first place in all the GPs on my first try, but if you stick it on Expert level it does offer a substantially harder and faster challenge, where you have to play tactically.

Don't let that put you off though, I think this is a great game, especially for the price (cheaper if you're a PS Plus member). It ticks all the right nostalgic arcade racer buttons for me and all the little visual tributes to Sega Racers in the tracks are a very nice touch.

[Howard_Casto]

Good to know.  Arcade racer = a good thing.  Even more arcadey games like forza horizon can be a pain due to the drifting mechanics.  I'm all about tap brake to drift. 

[buttersoft]

Oh, i thought negative1 meant like, a separate button for drifting. I have no problem stabbing the brake to drift, or quick-shifting like i do in OR2. I'd prefer that arcadey feel. Hmm, maybe i should take another look at this.