We haven’t seen many arcade racers recently that take the fast paced thrills to the next level, and really demonstrate that adrenaline pumping adventure we all loved from past titles like Burnout, Midnight Club or even Need for Speed. So this brings us to Crashday: Redline Edition, the revamped version of the original that incorporates a very fast paced arcade racing style, with the crazy weaponry that you’d find in other notable titles like Twisted Metal or even Vigilante 8. With most competitors trying to place more attention on the simulation style of the racing genre, Crashday: Redline Edition sticks to what it knows best which is to cause havoc and still have a blast doing so. Perhaps you’re a huge fan of the original in which case Redline Edition is certainly right up your alley, and of course if you grew up playing all of the aforementioned titles earlier this may serve up a nice plate of fun for you as well. Crashday: Redline Edition is a full course meal with plenty of options to choose from and so if you’re more adaptable to the arcade racer genre then this is a sure grab.

As we mentioned earlier, Crashday: Redline Edition is an arcade racer which places less emphasis on breathtaking realism and converts most of that time towards creating a very fun and extreme experience through use of weapons and various mini games. In the game, you can take part in the classic career mode which takes your main character along a journey up the ranks, and through doing so you collect cash to upgrade your ride, purchase new ones, and more. With an online mode implemented as well, you can face off against other racers to see who the best is in your typical races, or tack on some weapons for an all out frenzy. Mod support is also available with the game so you’ll be able to really take things to the next level with your creativity, that is of course if you’re into modding. If you aren’t very familiar with modding then that’s fine since Crashday: Redline Edition comes with a track editor so if you ever feel bored of the in game tracks, then simply just hop in and do as you please (with limits of course). While there are a lot of playable modes to choose from there’s one major flaw that we felt hurts Redline: Crashday Edition, but to know more about that scroll down below to read more on our thoughts about the gameplay.

Growing up during the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 era really generated a lot of new titles that were designed to compete with the more prolific titles that at the time, were gaining a lot more traction. Games like Gran Turismo and Need for Speed were at the forefront of the racing genre since both were masters of their trade and did a fantastic job of creating an experience fans would enjoy. Then games like Midnight Club, Driver, Twisted Metal and a plethora of others came out to try to dethrone these titles since they tried to incorporate realism with a more arcade oriented style. While the formula worked and garnered a lot of positive attention, they all seemed to lack fundamental tools to help them sustain a long term run which of course the big guys already nailed down. So what was the case for their glorious highs but heartbreaking lows? They were a jack of all trades but didn’t really excel in any area which led to a lot of redundancies and once everything was played through a few times, it lost its lustre. The same can be said about Crashday: Redline Edition because while it does provide a nice assortment of modes to keep you entertained, in the long run they all become quite stale and start to lose that shine that made them fun in the beginning.

That isn’t to say that Crashday: Redline Edition is terrible because it’s not. It’s quality is nowhere near the likes of other major arcade racers that are out on the market right now. It’s career mode comes with some pretty decent voice acting which gives it a more story-esque feel, with the missions slowly becoming more challenging as you play through. There’s a decent selection of cars, all of which are copies of the originals like the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO for example, but due to that lack of authenticity it really starts to wane on you after awhile. The way the cars move in the game aren’t very forgiving either as they tend to feel very rigid even with all of the upgrades necessary to make the car perform better on the road. Even games like FlatOut 4 had a much better visual representation despite a lack of authentic vehicles, and perhaps that’s what made playing very appealing. Crashday: Redline Edition on the other hand tries to mimic all of that but it doesn’t quite deliver the way it should and much like it’s battle mode, it seems to crash and burn when it tries too hard. Playing the stunt modes were certainly a fun adventure for the time we spent with it, just racing around and jumping off whatever ramp was around or whatever loop allowed us to nitro our way through for big points.

While all of that certainly left a good impression on us in the long run we started to see the overall performance flaws, and due to the lack of variety pertaining to weapon selection in battle mode that grew stale very quickly. Titles like Twisted Metal and FlatOut came with a vast variety of tools at your disposal to take enemies out with, whether it be environmental ones such as explosive barrels or huge machine gun turrets that were upgradable over time. You felt that there was some worth behind leveling up your car or weaponry to ensure your victory every time, but with Crashday: Redline Edition you don’t get that same rush of adrenaline and over time it just feels dumbed down. The level editor is mediocre at best and does its job of allowing you to come up with some wacky layouts to have fun with your friends. Sadly it all runs out of gas and you eventually move onto something else to savor for awhile. While it’s certainly a major improvement over its original counterpart and comes with new cars, tracks, an online mode and full Steam Workshop support, Crashday: Redline Edition fails to cross the finish line in a triumphant way and fails to deliver in areas that easily could’ve been improved upon such as controls and visuals.

Devoted fans of the series may of course overlook the flaws we mentioned and find comfort in the array of modes the game provides. However, for those looking for a thrill similar to the other arcade racers out there, you may find yourself a little disappointed because it just doesn’t reach that level of quality or overall performance to outrace the competition. Like that of refined sugar Crashday: Redline Edition provides that quick rush of excitement in the early stages, but then over time you start to feel that crushing low that comes from it all. Will we ever play through it again? To be frank probably not just because it didn’t really cater to us and we just couldn’t find true enjoyment in the game in the long run. Those who want to grab it however will be glad to know that you can pick it up August 10th, which is just around the corner!

With a cornucopia of games out there at the moment it’s really hard to find one that really suits your palette. Games continues to evolve with the times but more and more developers also come into the scene to showcase their talents, which can often be a scary place to be at times. Hopefully the team at Moonbyte can take some notes and perhaps throw in more elements over time to cater to a wider audience, but for now it seems like only the hardcore fans of the series may sit through it all and find true enjoyment out of this one. To see more content from Honey’s Gaming be sure to follow us on Twitch as well as Twitter, to know all of the latest updates, reviews and more from the gaming world. Be sure to hit us up on Discord as well and chat with us about your favorite games, and course leave your comments below if you feel the urge to share your thoughts with the community.

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