Game-play:
Streets of Moscow is the sequel to Adrenaline/ A-Race Extreme that was basically had broken game-play that made it impossible toGame-play:
Streets of Moscow is the sequel to Adrenaline/ A-Race Extreme that was basically had broken game-play that made it impossible to win a race. Thankfully, this time, it is playable plus it's fun. The game-play was simplified somewhat with a loss of the contract management but the game still can be fun. Single player story is about a player named Max who goes to see his girlfriend but she gets kidnapped. He joins the underground racing scene to find her. Once the story cut-scene is over, your dropped into a sandbox map of Moscow where all the racing will take place. In the racing category, you can chose which race you want anytime with optional races to make money. Money is important for buying new cars and upgrading your vehicle or decorating it. You will also gain experience points which will allow you to purchase new items and at level 20, adrenaline powers that can relive a lot of frustrations. However because as the game auto saves when you make a purchase or if you finish or quit a race, you need to be careful. Each race course takes place in a part of the city where you have to race down the roads to the finish line. I should emphasize following the roads as if you try to go off course or try to find shortcuts you will be penalized and have to go where you first went off road. It's reasonable but sometimes it can feel annoying. There are multiple types of racing modes from regular laps, short sprints, fastest lap, check points, open drive check points, and demolition derby. Weather and time will change in real time as you race and when you restart. This can me getting bad weather in a race that can both help and hurt you. Along with the customizable random traffic, you have a lot of replay value in each race that helps from things become boring. It does show the effectiveness of an open sandbox racer can added to the racing genre with AI vehicles that have their own routs that change, stop at stoplights, and try to veer away from you.
The game does have some annoying flaws though. One of these is dreaded car magnetism where sometimes when you hit an object you car gets drawn into it like a magnet and going around in circles. It can happen sometimes with vehicles but it manly happens with sidewalks. If if your car should be able to gt up on the sidewalk, it will get caught on hit and try to bring you towards it. Car magnetism is not a huge issue but an annoyance. Another problem is that depending on the race, sometimes your car will always lock up at the start were you will just be spinning your wheels. It happens in some races so I think this was intentional but annoying as when you factor in faster cars getting a lead, it makes things much worse. I have also noticed that turbo button doesn't always activate when you press it despite having plenty of adrenaline. I have found my self pressing the button three times before the fourth try would work. A more annoying issue is cars drifting into yours. This happens only with NPC non racers were they try to get out of your way but do it in a stupid manner where they drift to where you will drive into. It's random but can be mind numbing frustrating when it costs you a race. A worse problem is that often racers will end up having better cars after you reach level 5. They drive faster then you with only mass traffic ends up being a mixed blessing. One you reach level 20 you can unlock shock wave which is a godsend ability. It flings cars away from your, often flipping them. It's mitigates all the frustrations you would previously experience. After that, the game becomes a dull mechanical game.The end of the game is just going to a location and watching a cut-scene with 4 bonus races that take 5 minutes to drive though in each lap. Graphics: The graphics are good when you have settings on max. It kind of looks like a 2006 game most of the time but in certain times and weather conditions, the game looks amazing like it's a 2007 game. This is when the lighting is just right. I say the graphics are mixed because plain colors often look flat and blend in with the shape of the car making it look flat. Metallic paint helps make your car look better though. Textures are average quality with good ones like roads cement structures, racing cars, and some buildings looking very detailed while others look a bit low res. Sound: Sound effects in the game are great. The gusts of wind when in turbo and the roars of engines, add to the intensity of the race. The music in the game is made up of a mix of in game music and Russian songs. The in-game music tends to be tame and sometimes feels a bit out of place with the action. Though with how intense this game can be, I guess some relaxing music can't hurt. The Russian songs on the other hand are more intense that get you pumped. I may not understand Russian and the songs may not be of great quality but they stand out in my mind when I think of this game.… Expand
