It is disappointing to see that Sega has not provided any official announcement about the Personal Computer version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed that is currently slated for a release on the consoles this very Sunday. What happened? I thought Sega & Steam were working together so harmoniously since there have been plenty of Sega games getting released on Steam like Jet Set Radio and Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit. Perhaps the fact that the re-release of Nights: Into Dreams... is still absent from Steam should have been an indicator that something foul is afoot. So yeah, we may actually have to wait for Sega's awesome new kart racer to hit Steam or the PC in general but at least Codemasters didn't forget about PC gamers when they released F1 Race Stars for the PC alongside its console counterparts today.
You sure you got your contacts in?
This Steamworks-equipped PC release is strangely more expensive than the console version - $44.99 instead of $39.99 - but those who pre-ordered the games paid almost the latter. Not sure entirely of the reason behind that price mismatch but I can tell you that the game certainly looks quite expensive. F1 Race Stars is an officially licensed Formula One kart racing game and as the title implies, it features caricatured drivers from the actual F1 teams. The one thing that you will notice immediately about this game is its gorgeous, highly stylized graphics that I was able to run at native 1080p with silky smooth 60 frames per second on my PC. The game may look simplistic at first because of its cartoonish visuals but then you will start noticing the grandeur behind the overall design. The race tracks are huge and they like to show off how expansive they are by showing you breathtaking views that usually summarize the entirety of each location as you are driving through them. All the real world locations have been infused with things like crazy jumps, twists, turns, as well as loop-the-loops and they are filled with fantastical, exaggerated landmarks.
Because you know they love their animal hot-air balloons in Japan.
The actual racing mechanics isn't too shabby as well. Though lacking the drifting technique that is almost something that is obligatory in the genre, there game does have plenty of power ups and speed boost pads are scattered everywhere along the tracks. The racing is fast and hectic and just like the real F1 racing, you have to go through the pit stop when your kart is damaged but of course doing that may be hazardous to your current position so it's always best to avoid attacks when you can. There is no rubber-banding thankfully but that also means that you have to pay attention to ensure that you are not left behind. The game offers plenty of championships you can participate in or you can play the tracks individually. You can even create your own event by mixing and matching tracks as well as play modes. The game features online and local multiplayer but unfortunately, I was not able to find people to play with online when I tried earlier today. The career mode is keeping me occupied however that I haven't even gotten back to the online mode.
There's always a pretty scenery around the corner.
When I tried out the game's demo last week, I knew that F1 Race Stars was special and now that the final product is here, I am really falling in love with it. I don't look at the game as merely something that PC gamers should settle for until Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed finally gets a release date but an excellent, engaging kart racer on its own. It's actually pretty cool to see Codemasters loosen up a little bit by adopting a whimsical approach to one of their F1 racing games and focusing on nothing but pure, unadulterated fun.
Something sinister and exhilirating can be seen in the distance.
FIRST IMPRESSION: 4 out of 5
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