Screamer

The golden era of track-based arcade racers may be behind us, but that didn’t stop Milestone from developing a marvellous one in this day and age. This reboot of Screamer has all the core elements of a modern classic: a meaty single player campaign with a rich story, a fantastic sense of style, a snappy arcade-style driving model with a high skill ceiling, and plenty of content to enjoy in both local and online play. Screamer is bold, exciting, but most importantly, incredibly fun, and it may just be one of the finest arcade racers in years. If you miss the good old days of fantastic arcade racers with personality, do yourself a favour and buy Screamer.

With one of the best campaigns you will ever see in a racing game and a great arcade style of racing, Screamer is one the best racing games we’ve seen this generation. Its flashy artstyle is great to look at and while there is a lot going on with it’s gameplay, once you get a grasp of it, you will wonder why more don’t do dual stick racing. With a few more small tuneups to its difficulty and car handling Screamer could sit atop the genre. As is any gamer, racing enthusiast or not, should fall in love with Screamer. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another 30 years for more Screamer.

The arcade style of the races is crisp and difficult, and if you find yourself bored by the plot, feel free to skip through it.

Screamer is one of Milestone’s most interesting games for sure, but it has a laundry list of issues that hold it back. These could all be addressed with patches, and some have shortly after launch. I just wonder if players will stick around long enough to see them all. I will definitely keep my eye on it over time, as I do adore a great arcade racing game. Where it stands, Screamer is an interesting game with a few setbacks. Definitely recommend waiting for a sale before diving in.

Screamer is an excellent, high-speed racing experience that takes big swings in controls and game design. The racing feels exciting at every moment, and the big single-player mode gives you plenty of tracks to burn rubber on. Much of the story lands flat or doesn’t have enough juice to cover the narrative’s runtime, but it provides enough of an excuse to keep getting back on track. The side modes are a little shallow, but that’s only frustrating because racing in Screamer is just that much fun.