Touch Racing Nitro

Touch Racing Nitro by Bravo Games Studios brings an all new wrinkle to the way we control racing games on iPhone and iPod touch.  In this game you use only your fingers to steer vehicles around extremely windy and obstacle filled race tracks.  There are no visible guides or controls to focus on while playing.  All you see is the empty iPhone screen.  To get your vehicle moving you need to press your finger in front of it.  The further in front you put your finger the faster the vehicle goes.  To turn you must slide your finger in the appropriate direction, and when faced with a hairpin 180 turn you need to use your opposite hand in order to make the turn and stay within bounds.  The unique controls blended with the excellent graphics and levels make Touch Racing Nitro a game worth owning.

Being good at Touch Racing Nitro is all about mastering the controls.  You can’t simply gun it, run over medians, and take short cuts and expect to succeed.  It’s just not going to happen.  If you jump over medians you run the chances of going the wrong way or getting stuck which will cost you precious time.  The need for precise controls helps keep the game interesting, especially since it requires using both hands and just a touch.

Adding to both the fun and challenge of the game are the Nitro bursts.  These little power punchers are sprinkled strategically around each racetrack and provide you with the extra boost you need to soar across large jumps and to briefly surge ahead of the competition.  Nitro bursts only last for a second, but in parts of the game are necessary, so you need to make sure to use them wisely.  Nitro bursts at times can hurt you as much as they help you.  For example, if you decide you need to cut ahead of another racer, you need to make sure you time it just right so you don’t overshoot a turn and steer yourself off of the course.

Overall Touch Racing Nitro is a unique and fun spin on traditional RC style racing games.  The game-play, sounds, effects, and vehicles all suit the game well.  There are a variety of tracks and vehicles for which you can choose from.  It comes with 12 vehicles, including buggies, 4×4′s and monster trucks, and has 18 different racetracks.  I really like this game a lot, and feel like it’s appropriately priced at $3.99 for what it gives you.  As mentioned, the controls may feel a little foreign at first, but I’d say after you’ve done 10 or so races it’ll feel really comfortable and feel like second nature.

If there was anything I’d like to see added to this game it’d be online multiplayer game-play.  Currrently there is no global leaderboard, but the developer has already posted on their iTunes page that it’s on the way!

Pros:

• Very fun, great for both kids and adults
• Appropriately priced
• Unique game controls feel very natural once you get used to them

Cons:

• Doesn’t currently offer multiplayer game-play; online would be a big plus

Version Reviewed: 1.0

Requirements: iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad; iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later

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Posted by Ryan Johnson
on 04 20, 2010
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