I loved the Real Racing series. It was the prettiest, most authentic and gratifying racing experience ever to grace an iOS device. Now, however, it’s nothing more than a thief in a ball gown.
Real Racing 3 continues along the lines of the first two titles, only this time offers more cars, tracks and offers up arguably the prettiest graphics ever seen on a mobile device. It really is an absolutely astounding looking game, easily comparable to a decent console title.
But, and there is a BIG but… Real Racing 3 is a “freemium” title, which means it’s free to download and play. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Unfortunately you’ll soon be either emptying your wallet on a regular basis, or uninstalling the game from your device, as did I.
The game charges money for EVERYTHING. It’s bad enough having to purchase cars at stupid prices (over $100 real world moolahs for a Koenigsegg Agera R), all but the least competitive being obtainable without IAP (In App Purchasing), but then the game makes you pay to have the bloody thing delivered, or you are forced to wait until it is dropped into your garage. And the waiting doesn’t end there. Need to fix your car? Oh, trust me, you’ll need to do this a LOT and guess what? You’ll need to spend precious tokens to get the repairs done immediately, or be forced to wait a ridiculous amount of time. Same goes for upgrades. At one point, I upgraded my engine and was asked to wait for six and a half hours for the non-existent mechanics to do their thing!
To be fair, the Firemoney, erm, I mean Firemonkey team did launch in the NZ (and selected others) App Store two weeks prior to the official international launch (which happens 28th February), clearly testing the waters and gauging public reaction and they have made a few teaks to the wait times etc but it’s still an extremely painful and/or expensive system. Tokens and R$ (needed to buy cars and upgrades) are not cheap. You could easily spend into the hundreds completing this game, which is absolutely ridiculous, considering you could pick up a PSP and a copy of Gran Turismo for a much better handheld racing experience for less hard-earned coin.
Okay, so I haven’t spent a lot of time talking about the racing, but unfortunately, I have hit too many pay walls to warrant an in-depth review of the game. The physics are solid, controls sweet as candy and the visual and aural experience are nothing less than stellar. It’s just a shame that EA decided to ruin the entire experience, at the same time kicking sand in the faces of all the devoted Real Racing fans.
If this were a paid game, with a price tag of $20 and extra car packs available via IAP, it would be utterly fantastic and a must buy. As it stands, if you can justify the 2GB download, install it purely to be amazed at how far mobile games have come and how low developers have gone, before deleting the hell out of it.
Rated: G
Reviewed on: iOS (iPad)
Also available on: N/a
Rating: 2/5
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