Reviews

Flashout 2 Review: Fans of the original will certainly appreciate this sequel

Flashout 2 is a fast paced racing game, which is set in the future and you use anti-gravity ships to win money and fame. Throughout playing this game I couldn’t help but liken it to F-Zero or Extreme G. It won’t pass for either of those, but it’s definitely in the same category. With that frame of reference in place, there’s a lot to like about this game.

To begin with, the graphics and design are quite pleasing on the eyes. There was definitely a lot of thought and work put into what you see on the screen. As you race throughout the various tracks (each one located in a different and major city around the globe), they include portions that have you both racing through opaque tunnels, as well as through glass encased portions that appear as if you are in the open air. While I found it difficult to take my focus off the race itself while attempting to win, on the occasions I did I was delighted to notice some of the visual subtleties like glare from the sun, or skyscrapers in a perpendicular position to indicate that I was no longer racing along a track that was parallel to the ground. There are also neon lights that run along both sides of each track, and they change colors in real time to match the music.

Speaking of music, the soundtrack to this game is downright enjoyable both in how fitting it is for the look and feel of the game, as well as on its own. The developers licensed a great mix of electronica and dubstep that fit the game hand-in-glove. Flashout 2 is definitely one to play with headphones on.

The layout of the tracks are thoughtfully designed, with each city having a feel that’s different from the others in either length or style. For example, London’s track has portions that are long, strait, and twist like a corkscrew, while Frankfurt’s has you free fall down a large and clear tube shortly after the race begins, only to resume racing at the bottom where the track continues. Flashout 2 also includes the staples for this type of racing game, like loops, jumps, and bunching tight turns together. There is also a small variety of weapons and power-ups that can be picked up on the tracks, a la Mario Kart. They include a machine gun, rockets that follow their target, proximity mines, shields, and nitro boosts.

To pay for your upgraded vehicles and weapons, there are a few different ways you can pad your bank account. First, there is a $500 payout the game gives you every day that you open the app up in single player mode, and another $500 for every day you open up multiplayer mode, even if you don’t do anything more than that. Second, coins on the track that you can pick up by running over them, and a onetime upgrade is available that increases the value of the coins you collect.(and I recommend getting it as early as you can to maximize its return). While these can help, winning circuits is what makes can make the biggest difference in your funding. If that’s not fast enough for you, or you’re feeling stuck, you can always acquire larger chunks of currency through in app purchasing.

In career mode, there are a total of ten circuits. In order to complete a circuit, you need to accrue enough points by finishing high in the races leading up to the final one for that circuit. At that point, you either fail the circuit altogether and start over at its first race due to having too few points, or race against that circuit’s boss for a monetary prize and the right to move on to the next circuit. This makes for tricky replay, since failing one of the races in a circuit (or simply exciting the race) will cause you to start at the next race regardless of where you are in that circuit’s standings. So if you come in last place for the second race in a circuit, you go on to the third and only get to replay the second if you don’t qualify to face the boss at the end of the circuit and are forced to start the entire circuit over. I found this to be a bit frustrating, and hope future releases change this.

Lastly, there was a bug that I encountered on multiple occasions, but it seemed to strike at random. I found that the bug occasionally occurred when I finished a track, and was unable progress to the next one after I was shown where I placed in that race. I’ve emailed the developers and after hearing from them believe they are attempting a fix, but having to close out of the game and reopen it to progress is a bit of a hassle. Fortunately, only once did the game lose track of the race I had just finished; in all other cases it started me at the next appropriate race as if nothing had happened once I closed it out and reloaded it; I never once lost all my progress or cash.

On the whole, I liked this game a lot. $1.99 isn’t too high for what you’re getting here in terms of the graphics, style, and music. Do watch for an update that fixes the bug, at which point I thoroughly recommend snapping this one up if any of the above appeals to you.

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