Racing has been a pivotal genre throughout gaming history from the days of coin-op arcade to our mobile phones. The two games I have chosen to evaluate are ‘Need for Speed: Rivals’ the latest from the monolithic franchise console/PC based series, and CSR Racing a mobile based racer.
Although both games can be seen as having repetitive gameplay, Need for Speed avoids this feeling by including a range of game modes and keeps the player’s interest by setting short term goals. Whereas CSR Racing quickly becomes tedious because of its one button control.
Need for Speed gives the player a greater sense of driving through its controls and use of force feedback. Players have more choices on how to react to every race uniquely, compared to the repetitive prompted tapping in CSR Racing, this creates a more realistic racing experience for the player as they feel more in control of the steering and other key components of the genre. This experience is even more so enhanced through the use of the controller’s vibration feature; making the player feel the effects of the car’s surrounding environment.
Adding to the realism of the game is the ever changing environment in Need for Speed; it allows for players to experience racing under different weather conditions which enables them to alter their control of the car.
Another important aspect in a racing game is the opponent, or in this case, the interaction between the player and his opponent. When playing CSR Racing you don’t have the ability to affect your opponent’s performance whereas you are able to interact with your opponent in several methods in Need for Speed including, using them to slipstream or physically damaging them by ramming their car. The game creates a more dynamic experience through its presentation of its opponent where CSR Racing displays your opponent driving smoothly through the level, Need for Speed creates a more realistic racing experience by applying a more advanced AI (artificial intelligence), giving them the ability to dynamically respond to the race via taking shortcuts or going off screen.
While CSR Racing is an enjoyable game it clearly falls short to Need for Speed: Rivals in terms of creating a well-rounded racing experience for its user.
