Pacer

 PlayStation 4
Pacer Image
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

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  • Summary: Unique Storm Mode for single player and multiplayer: Life or death in a contracting field of play - the first ever Battle Royale arcade racer .
    Spectator Mode: Follow any pilot with Chase, Nose, Orbit or Environment cameras while displaying all race stats.
    Highly customizable: Craft,    Unique Storm Mode for single player and multiplayer: Life or death in a contracting field of play - the first ever Battle Royale arcade racer .
    Spectator Mode: Follow any pilot with Chase, Nose, Orbit or Environment cameras while displaying all race stats.
    Highly customizable: Craft, weapons and cosmetics.
    Replay Mode: For capturing and sharing amazing action clips and stills.
    Online Ranked Mode: Find out how your piloting skills rate against the best in the world.
    Online Tournament/Spectator Mode: For easy streaming and encouraging fun events at all levels.
    Campaign: Unlock team skins, as well as more challenging tracks and speed classes.
    Designers Republic partnership: Graphic designs that influenced a generation in games and music.
    OST and SFX: Created by Tim Wright aka CoLD SToRAGE.
    In-game VOIP, making in-game chat both easy and fun.
    Hosted servers: To level the online playing field and minimize the possibility of cheating.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. WellPlayed
    Feb 10, 2021
    90
    Without a doubt Pacer is a love letter to Wipeout. It successfully manages to evoke the thrill and fun of Psygnosis’ iconic racer while also injecting its own flavour to the mix. But importantly, where other Wipeout wannabes have failed to me hooked, Pacer keeps me coming back for more instead of making me want to go play Wipeout.
  2. COGconnected
    Nov 4, 2020
    82
    It all ends up coming across as an ‘almost’ experience. Pacer is almost a successor to Wipeout, but poor track design, a lack of strong audio design, and lackluster weapons all add up to a ho-hum experience that leaves you wanting for the early Wipeout days. If you really need something to scratch that old itch, then give Pacer a whirl. If you’re looking for the next S-Class zero-g racer, you’ll likely want to dust off an older PlayStation.
  3. Screen Rant
    Oct 29, 2020
    80
    Pacer is an amazing title that reminds players what fun hovercraft racing once was, and adds things to the genre that make it entertaining without adding too much seriousness. Pacer definitely has a chance to challenge Wipeout's domination of the genre up to this point, and is worth a look for those interested in fast-paced thrills.
  4. LevelUp
    Dec 10, 2020
    80
    Ironically, the futuristic theme and the year in which it debuted, 2020, makes PACER a beautiful journey to the past we aspired at the end of the 90s.
  5. Jeuxvideo.com
    Nov 1, 2020
    75
    If you're tired of going around in circles on the twelve tracks of WipEout HD and its Fury expansion or if you're just a thrill-seeker, Pacer is for you. Even if it does not manage to overtake the master, it will charm you with its inspired artistic direction, its substantial content or its sensations of speed. But you have been warned, while R8 Games' production has many qualities, the title also delivers many shortcomings. The handling of the game lacks precision, especially in the highest difficulties where it will necessarily be necessary to play double airbrakes to hope to escape unscathed, the HUD is particularly intrusive and the menus are not very ergonomic.
  6. GamePro Germany
    Nov 2, 2020
    74
    I'm not exactly a Wipeout fan, but I made some friends with Pacer.
  7. Video Chums
    Nov 26, 2020
    60
    I wish that Pacer tried to forge its own identity instead of being another WipEout clone because it's simply not as good of a game.

See all 14 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. Fondantcookie
    Nov 5, 2020
    9
    Great game and true to the original wipeout games which I grew up with. Lots of tracks each with multiple variations (forward, reverse,Great game and true to the original wipeout games which I grew up with. Lots of tracks each with multiple variations (forward, reverse, mirrored, day, night). Great customisation options and nice variety in crafts. Decent learning curve so enough time to master the controls before things ramp up. Great to see this come to fruition from its original Kickstarter concept. R8 Games did great and this game comes highly recommended!! 9/10… Expand
  2. handler
    Nov 8, 2020
    9
    AG racing is probably a highly specialized type of game overall, but this is a must-play for Wipeout fans.

    Pros: - Nails the fundamental    AG racing is probably a highly specialized type of game overall, but this is a must-play for Wipeout fans.

    Pros:
    - Nails the fundamental gameplay -- fast and fun control that is quite addictive.
    - Great art direction. Lighting, texturing, and reflection mapping really shine here, day or night. For old-schoolers, this is somewhat reminiscent of the the XL/2096 style, but hugely updated for modern capabilities (which a dream come true for me). The prior modern Wipeout games tended toward a more plastic-y visual style, but this has a special combination of gritty textures and vivid lighting effects.
    - A really wide variety of courses/locations, bursting with ideas that are both distinct and fresh (plus added variety from the reverse/mirror modes).
    - Great sense of elevation changes and banking. At low-mid speed classes, great sense of velocity as well.
    - Still tough, but actually much more accessible than its Studio Liverpool predecessors.

    Cons:
    - Menus are a bit clunky. Besides awkward overall flow, it tends to remember things I want it to forget (weapons disabled on the craft whenever coming from a mode that doesn't use them, leaving you a sitting duck), and vice versa (weapons always default to "on" for normal races, even if you turned them off manually just prior).
    - Has a bad habit of hiding useful information (exact effect of craft mods, the number of races in a tournament, etc.).
    - Audio mix is just plain odd in surround. This improved somewhat with the last update, but the music is still recessed and strangely processed (musical soundtrack definitely lacks volume/bass/punch).
    - Not totally stable at the moment, crashes frequently.
    - No distinct visual treatments for Flowmentum mode.
    - Highest speed classes somehow seem like cartoonishly sped-up versions of the slower classes (rather than giving a sense of racing with much higher physical velocity).
    - Cityscapes don't have the sense of hyper-detail achieved even by WOHD on the PS3. However, this reduced detail may be in service of other rendering goals, so it is probably a worthwhile sacrifice.
    - Lacks particle weather, track cameras/jumbotron feeds, crowds in stands, and some of the other little in-world details that grounded the old games in a sort of physical reality.

    Totally subjective stuff:
    - The transparent white shader for the ghost car is kind of lame. compared to the prior hologram (and projector drone). Similarly, the "blink" effect for your car after it returns from being destroyed is rather basic.
    - Strange focus on the USA, with the majority of the tracks being set here. On that note, while it's fun to see my home city of Seattle included (and AT is a neat circuit), it's generic in the sense that there's nothing that calls back to the northwest in any real way, and it would work just as well if it were said to be in London. By contrast, Mannahatta really has an NYC feel, and of course some of the further flung tracks capture international flavor/culture very nicely.
    - It's also disappointing to see nothing from East Asia. Seems like a missed opportunity not to include Japan, China, or maybe someplace new from that general region.
    - I personally like many of the alternate play modes much less than the core racing experience, but this is no different than the other WO games.
    - Similarly, some typical weapons balance issues are present.
    - Craft designs aren't as compelling to me as the prior WO games, but the visual customization is fun.
    - R8 somehow licensed the angryman character, which is awesome. They may as well have acquired Curly and the Wipeout name, at that point. :)    … Expand
  4. kphilli
    Oct 30, 2020
    9
    A great racing game all around, especially for Wipeout and Redout fans! It is an absolute joy to play and in some ways it is better thatA great racing game all around, especially for Wipeout and Redout fans! It is an absolute joy to play and in some ways it is better that Wipeout Omega imo. I am going to keep this simple:

    Pros:
    -graphics, aesthetics and effects, this game is fasssstttt.
    -smooth gameplay physics and really fun modes. Love the KERS and weapon systems
    -amazing soundtrack and sound effects
    -weapons are fun and customizable loadouts add to deeper gameplay
    -the ships look great
    -tracks are beautiful and have character, night and day and reverse and mirror modes

    Cons:
    -clunky menus and menu sound effects
    -lacking a large array of customizable aesthetic options for the ships?    … Expand
  5. MosesChristus
    Mar 5, 2021
    0
    The single components of this WipEout-clone aren't that bad. Tracks are nicely done, the gameplay is ok, the idea of weapon-loadouts feelsThe single components of this WipEout-clone aren't that bad. Tracks are nicely done, the gameplay is ok, the idea of weapon-loadouts feels fresh at the beginning. But the further you play into the campaign, the more you realise those components do not fit together at all. The tracks are too narrow for the maneuvers you'd like to do, the weapons have no real effects on hit gliders (except for the damage towards destruction) the loadout menues are faulty (no renames, mod have to be bought for both sides seperately, and towards the end of career mode the game throws lots of funless events at you, that don't really relate to "racing". It was interesting in the beginning, annoying in the middle and a chore towards the end. This had the potential to be an "ok" WipEout-clone but screwed it in almost every possible way.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Best PS4 Game of 2020
6
#6 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2020