Pacer

 PC
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. TheSixthAxis
    Oct 29, 2020
    90
    Pacer is a magnificent anti-grav racer that’s more than capable of filling the Wipeout-sized hole in your life.
  2. God is a Geek
    Oct 29, 2020
    80
    Pacer is an adrenaline-fuelled racer with tons of replayability, and plenty of customisation options to make each win count.
  3. 4P.de
    Nov 27, 2020
    72
    Pacer is better than the previously released Formula Fusion – but disappoints nonetheless despite its nice flight model.
  5. CD-Action
    Jul 23, 2021
    70
    On paper, Pacer has everything a racing game needs, including a multitude of game modes and customization options, decent physics, nice sense of speed, and a lot of varied, visually attractive tracks. In reality I got bored pretty quickly due to its lackluster career mode, questionable AI, and overall derivativeness. [02/2021, p.63]
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  6. Cubed3
    Jan 7, 2021
    70
    Pacer is a delightful racer, filled with plenty of action-packed moments. It also has some of the more glorious drifting mechanics that are hard to find in most car-racing games. For those looking for the spiritual successor to the WipeOut series, look no further. While the vehicles are quite limited, and some of the tracks don't truly compliment the high-speed racing that this wants to be known for, when the right ingredients are in play, then the experience becomes quite memorable. If only the online community had more going for it, or at least if the offline modes had the option to increase the difficulty of the AI. Despite some of the setbacks, overall this is a very good racer that is worth jumping into and getting lost in.
  7. Wccftech
    Nov 14, 2020
    70
    Pacer is a fun, difficult, and fast racing game that marries some sensible simplicities to an often overwhelming genre. That said, some little oversights can still hamper new players' experience.
  8. GameSpew
    Oct 29, 2020
    70
    Pacer is an accomplished anti-gravity racer, no doubt. But it falls short of being great due to its ho-hum campaign mode and the restrictive nature of some of its tracks. If you’re looking for a worthy Wipeout replacement on PC you’d be wise to give it a go; and while it pales in comparison to Wipeout Omega Collection on PS4, if you’ve played that title to death this will entertain you for decent amount of time. A Wipeout beater it is not, but it’s a fair contender.
  9. GameGrin
    Nov 19, 2020
    65
    Though there are a lot of issues under the hood, Pacer is a decent anti-grav racer at heart. If R8 Games continue to tinker, tweak, support and add enough post-launch content - the potential is there for this series to become a serious contender.
  10. PC Invasion
    Oct 29, 2020
    65
    Solid in some ways, less-than-desired in others, Pacer is a fairly good futuristic racing game with some caveats.
  11. PC Games
    Nov 22, 2020
    60
    While the racing is improved, the game lacks content in every way. A boring presentation, required grinding for tracks and cosmetics as well as technical issues such as unstable fps and a soundtrack with dropouts heavily damage the fun racing.
  12. Game Rant
    Nov 2, 2020
    60
    It's a great throwback, but has a very specific audience in mind. The visuals are fairly standard and the complicated customization and tons of game modes will be great for fans, but might be overwhelming to more casual players. For $40, Pacer is focused on those who miss this type of game and know exactly what they want out of it. Still, there's a reason that the games it emulates are considered classics, and it nails that core gameplay.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 3 out of 10
  1. TopMovieCritic
    Apr 8, 2021
    10
    Alright after I saw how this game is being dogged on I felt the need to step up to the plate as a WipeOut veteran with over 20 years ofAlright after I saw how this game is being dogged on I felt the need to step up to the plate as a WipeOut veteran with over 20 years of experience. I have started playing antigravity racers with WipeOut in 1998 on the original Playstation just to give you a frame of reference.
    Pacer is an amazing game and definitely does not deserve the hate that is being spread around it. We live in a day and age where many people do not seem to understand the appeal of antigravity racers anymore and what makes these type of games amazing. First and foremost, they are different and offer a nice change from all these generic racers such as NFS, THE CREW, ASSETTO and FORZA.

    To get this out of the way. I had 0 problems with FPS drops, sound issues. None of that happened to me while playing through the entire career mode. These issues may have already been patched out if they ever existed on the PC version.

    Now what makes a good antigravity racer: It needs to give you the feeling of relentless speed, wild controls, such as the drift mechanic that really lets you control your vehicle in unique ways, badass vibes, brutal and ruthless combat, while offering you a challenge on the way to mastering the physics. These type of games were always challenging and hard to master. I remember the original WipeOut showed no mercy, one mistake would cost you the entire race. However PACER is nice to beginners and really keeps it based in the first couple tournaments.
    These are the main aspects that make an amazing antigravity racer. Pacer really manages to check off all of these check marks and slaps even more on top. It has a badass soundtrack, good sound design if you happen to be lucky to own a sub-woofer, this game can really put you into its setting, amazing graphics, an art style that really captures the original dark bladerunneresque vibe that games such as Dodgem Arena and WipeOut used to portray back in the 90's. Pacer goes straight back to the roots and gives us something truly special.
    You can customize your vehicles, weapon loadout, mod your weapons, has outstanding physics that compliments the great drifting mechanism. The only drawback that I can agree with is the low player base. While it is unfortunate that it does not have a huge player base, this is not something I rate the game upon as I can easily play a solo career, on my own or open a server and play with my friends. The devs even set up a Discord where you can challenge people directly.
    Since the game has just launched last winter, it still has a chance to garner some interest among people interested in these titles. Because there is certainly a place and an audience for them as we are being swamped with the same formula such as those from THE CREW, NFS or FORZA. Personally I am over these generic racing games and can't play them anymore because it's truly the same experience every time. I have more fun playing against PACERS AI like I did back in the 90's with WipeOut and Dodgem Arena.

    PACER is a gem in this day and age and there are people that love this title already and I am one of them. I can whole heartedly recommend this title to anyone looking for a unique racing experience and anyone who is already familiar with the antigravity racing genre as this vet is loving this title like I loved WipeOut. PACER is a good game.    … Full Review »
  2. andy_andy
    Feb 2, 2021
    1
    6 (six) peak daily players on steam in a multiplayer game – what a hit! Born dead.
  3. HankBaxter
    Nov 5, 2020
    8
    Been waiting eagerly for this game to come out and satisfy my thirst for a quality Wipeout-style game, and I'm happy to report that it hitsBeen waiting eagerly for this game to come out and satisfy my thirst for a quality Wipeout-style game, and I'm happy to report that it hits the spot in a way i didn't expect. This is definitely NOT a Wipeout clone, and at first i was thrown off by the unfamiliar physics. It felt a little tame and easy at first, but after i got to the higher speed classes, that all changed. Also, once i accepted that this is not trying to be Wipeout, i reset my expectations and took it all in with fresh eyes.

    Graphics are really polished with some really beautiful settings, though it would have been nice to be able to adjust more of them, such as a resolution slider that goes over 100%

    The sound really stands out for me as a winner - immersive and punchy, though there were some instances where sound effects didn't register and a couple menus that could have used sound cues. The music in my opinion is not what it was hyped up to be, with too many tracks that lack a fast "racey" feel. Still, there are so many songs that can all be turned on or off, and there is a fair bit of variety, so it's likely you'll be able to curate a style you like.

    One point of immersion bother for me was that the jets of the craft, while great-looking, don't "thrust" forcefully enough during flight to convince me they're propelling the craft.

    While others have complained about twitchy handling that can make some of the craft feel like their made of paper, like the Sabre craft, i found i could alter the handling enough that i could remove most of this, though not entirely.

    The single player campaign is a lot of fun, and introduces you to the slightly intimidating upgrade mechanics in a really gradual and fun way. Hats off to them for weaving in the tutorial so effectively. I just wish the campaign was longer, because while it lasted, it was a blast. Unfortunately, once it's over, there doesn't seem to be much more to race for... at least in single player.

    While the multiplayer lobbies weren't very populated while i was playing, when i did find one, i had a seriously fun time. This game really gets your thrill on once you go PvP. With the weapons added into the racing mix, there's a kind of confident aggression when you're at the back of the pack knowing you're the predator and a frantic terror while in the lead, knowing that while you're winning you're the prey, and i have won and lost races that i was sure were going to be the other way around. I highly recommend it. I haven't managed to try other modes in multiplayer yet, but there are many.

    All in all, this is a welcome addition to the AG racing genre and while not a direct successor, it's a solid "nephew" to the Wipeout franchise. It's slightly less arcade thrill, but more strategically balanced for online competitive. I really hope the online community for this game grows, because that is where this game can really shine.    … Full Review »
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