Occasionally here at Player2.net.au, we will play something that deserves your attention but probably doesn’t need a full review written for it. Be it DLC for the latest AAA title, a little indie game or even an Android/iOS title. We play these titles for a blockbusting amount of time (2 – 5 hours) and report back to you the reader on what we found. So grab your popcorn and settle in for the latest episode of Blockbuster Gaming.
Blockbuster Gaming – Obliteracers
The kart racer genre is a proven and popular formula and considering we are in a landscape that hasn’t seen a decent release on current gen platforms. To try and fill the void Obliteracers comes along but does it answer the call?
Unfortunately, Obliteracers isn’t your typical kart racer at all. It often feels like a mini game or mode of a much bigger release that doesn’t currently exist. Players are greeted on the title screen with four interesting characters and given the option of playing single player which is made up of a bunch of challenge stages with a total three-star rating to work towards or take the game online for some multiplayer action.
The mascots on the title stage suggest that you should expect a character select screen before races like in literally every other similar game but instead you are just thrust into a vehicle with a randomly selected character and set on your way. When you are in multiplayer you can make a selection but the choice is those same four mascots from the title screen and variations on their costumes, with no changes to stats or benefit for not just picking the default. Not that it particularly matters because once the match starts it’s almost impossible to tell the characters apart or even determine which racer you are controlling.
Gameplay takes place on a track with up to 16 players and is presented as a top-down deathmatch rather that of a traditional race. Even if you manage to keep an eye on which racer you are controlling the controls are floaty and difficult to get your head around. Points are scored by damaging other racers or knocking them off the map with the winner declared once a point quota has been met. The developers added a feature where you can hold a button to highlight which racer is yours but in the heat of battle, it only detracts from the gameplay.
Over three days I tried to check servers to engage in a multiplayer match, however regardless of time of day or night the server list was empty. So for a game that is supposed to have a multiplayer focus I was just stuck playing challenge maps and personally could not get it working the way it was intended. This is a major missed opportunity to impress which I would be wagered it to be the only appealing thing the game had going for it.
There is the chance this game just wasn’t targeted to my age demographic but that would mean the developers were targeting children which is a weird move for a game only available via a digital store. I have to question the motivations for bringing Obliteracers to market at all because as I said earlier it feels like a spin-off mode from an actual kart racer. This feels like a student project and is only barely polished past what I would expect to see are a student showcase event. I have no idea why this was backed by a publisher or what their targets were but I can assure you they didn’t hit them.
I don’t know what Obliteracers is supposed to be or why the developer would see this to market in the state it is currently in. Avoid.
Matthew Ballinger
