Pacer

All in all, Pacer is about as close as we’re likely to get to a new Wipeout; that is to say, its fantastic sense of speed and style evoke the same feeling I got when playing the 1995 classic. Even on the slower speeds things move briskly, but up it to the Elite class and we’re in for a eye-wateringly fast racer that looks great and controls perfectly. A few confusing UI elements aside, this is well worth a look.

Pacer is a glorious return to the F-Zero-style arcade racer. Mixing both familiar and new ideas, this racing game offers new tracks, events and upgrades constantly and keeps us coming back for more. While the menus could have used a bit more polish, the racing itself is stellar. Rarely ever has racing felt this intuitive and fun.

Ships that literally defy gravity, speed, shooting and constant action are the condiments that make Pacer a worthy exponent of the futuristic driving genre.

Pacer successfully fills a gap in the market for high speed, anti-gravity racers. Those who are wishing for an experience reminiscent of the Wipeout series will be pleased on how this project has turned out. Tight and precise controls, matched up with a large assortment of maps and customised crafts makes for a very fulfilling experience. Issues such as those posed by hard-to-reach weapons can be overcome by practising and improving knowledge of each turn in every track - alas the lacklustre sound effects from the crafts is seemingly all that is available. These tiny issues aside Pacer makes good on its promise, even if it took a long time to get there.

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.

Pacer is a good game on its own merits but it is nothing special, and when Wipeout HD Collection is still being sold for half the price of Pacer (and the other titles I mentioned at the beginning of this review are also less than Pacer) it is extremely hard to say this game that is just “good” is worth your money when competitors are out there for less. Pacer does not exist in a vacuum, and therefore I can not recommend it over other Wipeout inspired titles, which there is at least one on every current platform.

Pacer’s lacklustre career mode and some dodgy event types might be turn-offs, but the core racing gameplay makes up for it.