Review: FAST Racing Neo

The screenshots look sorta like Star Wars Episode I Racer, which was definitely one of my favorite N64 games. Is that an apt comparison? I have the remake/sequel/whatever-it-is on PS4 of SWE1R, but it didn't really do it for me. :/

I can't say I've played that, but FAST is a real speed demon. Even after weeks of practice I bounce around off the walls, but slowing down isn't really an option as the AI rebounds at times, meaning you've just got to put your pedal to the metal and hone your skills as much as possible. That sensation when finally pipping an opponent to the post is amazing!

The soundtrack's sublime as well, with some very cool trance/dance themes pumping throughout. I know what Shanker means about the visuals - there are bits that are amazing, but others where it's obvious the team's done a trade-off to keep the speed high and the file size low (less than 600MB, I think!), but the textures that look rough are ones that normally wouldn't be noticed when zipping along. What DID strike me is the grainy filter effect employed... Shanker, have you noticed that in some races?

The biggest thing for Star Wars Episode I: Racer was its sense of speed. The vehicles in it do look a bit like the vehicles in FAST above, but Episode I Racer had an excellent sense of speed for the N64. It's definitely worth a look if you've never played it. They sound like pretty similar games, really, except that E1Racer didn't have Rubberband AI. In the harder races, though, even using Turbo at every possible opportunity wouldn't guarantee a win, and so much as touching a wall at 700+ would guarantee an explosion, which cost a lot of time. It was really awesome, and a ton of fun. Buying repair droids, parts from the junkyard and shop to upgrade your pod racer... It was really great fun.

I'm kinda sad now. I miss it.

I do vaguely recall the positive reviews at the time. Wasn't there another racer that followed it, but didn't live up to the same expectations? Also, who developed it? Paradigm jumps out at me, but my memory of those days is hazier than expected

EDIT: Not Paradigm...but there was a sequel...but it wasn't poorly received. Okay, spotty memory, definitely!

( Edited 06.01.2016 21:30 by Adam Riley )