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Win credits to upgrade your car as you participate in various events in this sandbox racing game

Win credits to upgrade your car as you participate in various events in this sandbox racing game

Vote: (1,583 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Gametop

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(1,583 votes)

Free

Developer

Gametop

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Difficultly grows with your skill level
  • Countless maps to explore
  • Dynamic car upgrades
  • Always more objectives to achieve

Cons

  • Strange graphical engine
  • Translation errors
  • Unusual physics

City Racing is a simple sandbox car racing game that's designed to put you right in the action without beating you over the head with configuration options. When you first start the game, you'll be given a wrecked car that has to head to the garage. You'll be introduced to a mechanic there, who will give you a short rundown about the game's various objectives and tasks. Once everything has been sorted out, you'll be free to drive your vehicle around an urban environment in order to find different events.

Each time you win one of these events, you'll be able to increase your ranking. That ensures you'll earn more in-game currency, which will allow you to upgrade your vehicle in the process. At first you'll find it relatively difficult to win some events because your car won't have any upgrades installed. The first few events are designed for anyone to win them so you can get acquainted with the game. However, the next few will take more skill to triumph in so you can earn money that will let you finally improve that broken down vehicle you've been driving.

Granted, you don't technically have to beat the objectives in any particular order. You could simply drive around if you wanted to, though you'll be missing out on much of the fun City Racing has to offer if you do. A better strategy might be to drive between different events and decline those that aren't in your favor. This should give you a chance to find ones that are winnable until you have more than enough money to invest in upgrades that will help you be a little more dominant on the track.

Admittedly, the visuals will take some getting used to. The game's graphics engine is slightly awkward and you'll notice some strange clipping effects that are sometimes rather jarring. Fortunately, none of these problems should in any way impact the actual gameplay. Running City Racing in a maximized window may help to alleviate some of the issues you run into, but you'll probably just end up getting used to it anyway.

Some players might find the physics a little unusual, but this is part o City Racing's appeal. The game includes interactions with pedestrians as well as car crashes that aren't exactly realistic, but it's doubtful that the developer wanted them to be anyway. These aspects were more than likely added more for the humor value than anything else.

There are some translation errors as well, but once more you'll probably start to ignore these after you get used to playing the game. Most virtual drivers will probably get to a point that they focus exclusively on the racing and don't paying much attention to any of the game's irregular design decisions.

Those who get to this point will instead focus on the game's internal 30 car leaderboard. Each position the board gives you different rewards. The game features two different types of races to earn a position on this board. One allows you to have a traditional street race against opponents while the other is more of a time trial.

The difficulty level varies with each individual race. As long as you don't come into contact with pedestrians or other drivers, you'll earn a big bonus. Ironically, you'll also get a bonus for damaging certain non-player vehicles, like those driven by AI police officers and security guards. Those who earn enough money in this way can buy a new set of tires and a better engine.

Over time, you'll be free to upgrade your transmission and the body of your vehicle. Those who earn a great deal of money will be eligible to buy a whole new car, which can really help when it comes time to take on more difficult races with tougher opponents.

Users can unlock a number of different maps, which helps to keep the game fresh even if you've played it for some time. Some of these can be selected when you start a new race. The game will automatically pick others as they prove appropriate for the type of races or time trials you enter.

In some cases, these so-called mode two races will actually be more difficult than those against an opponent. While it's possible to trick the AI, you usually can't do anything to the course during a time trial so you'll have to be quick in order to finish under the time limit.

Fortunately, none of the races are impossible. While you might feel that the time limits you're given aren't achievable, there usually is a way to do so by taking shortcuts. Eventually, you should be able to beat any of these races simply by installing the right kind of upgrades on your car.

Skilled drivers will be able to pull off a series of stunts that will make the game that much more fun. Some of these can be used to earn bonus points and shave some time off your records while others are simply neat to perform. Some fans of the game have even gone so far as to dedicate themselves to figuring out how to unlock every single one of these techniques.

Since you're free to drive around the city as much as you want, you'll have plenty of time to practice. You'll want to focus especially on mastering how to turn in tight corners. Making sudden stops is something of a challenge as well, so it might be a good idea to dedicate some extra time to this as well.

Don't push the speed limit too much, however, because traffic cops are out looking for you at all times even while you're just driving in the main sandbox mode. This helps to add yet another dimension to a game that's already fairly deep.

Pros

  • Difficultly grows with your skill level
  • Countless maps to explore
  • Dynamic car upgrades
  • Always more objectives to achieve

Cons

  • Strange graphical engine
  • Translation errors
  • Unusual physics

Pros

  • Upgrade your car
  • Several events

Cons

  • Graphics aren't great
  • Sounds need improved

Race along city streets against the computer or other players who are online.

This game doesn't start with a shiny new car. You have to take a wrecked car to a mechanic who gives you a little advice on how to play the game. Once your car is fixed, you can race to earn credits to upgrade the car. It's wise to drive around the city for a while to see where some of the side roads are located and to get a handle on the layout of how the roads turn. You'll find events that are set up in the city that you can race in or find opponents on the roads who are ready for a challenge. Some of the upgrades that you can make to your car after earning credits include better tires, a better suspension system, better handling and a better motor so that you have more horsepower. You can also trade your car or buy a new one if you have enough credits. There are events where you can win cars.

The city that you race in is an ordinary city with nothing spectacular. The graphics aren't great, but they are decent enough so that you can get a feel for racing. There aren't a lot of upgrades that you can make to your car to make it fast, so the game does tend to get boring after you've raced all of the events. Sometimes, the car you're driving feels more like a robot. It's hard to turn corners or stop when needed. One of the fun aspects of the game is that police cars can stop you if you're driving too fast and they catch up with you on the road.

Pros

  • Upgrade your car
  • Several events

Cons

  • Graphics aren't great
  • Sounds need improved