Road Warrior – Ride, Flip, Shoot & Race your way to victory!
by Paul Wilks
Mar 1, 2012 9:29 AM –
Install
Road Warrior is a full-throttle racing game for Android. It is similar in genre to the to MotoXtreme-style racers; 2D jumping, flipping and trying to land the right way up. We reviewed the likes of Zombie Rider and Turbo Grannies and this of the same ilk… only with guns and as many spills and thrills as you can handle…
Price: Free
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Brilliant graphics, even for a 2D racer!
- Lots of upgrades and vehicle customisation!
- Lots of tracks and vehicles!
- 4 bosses to beat!
- Social element of the game lets you share codes with friends for $2,700!
Cons
- Only race against equivalent vehicles, upgrades do not give you much edge.
- Physics aren’t quite right. Momentum doesn’t always build correctly and is rarely maintained.
Features:
Road Warrior takes 2D racing to a whole new level. Race though several tracks either on your own or against AI racers. Jump and flip and shoot your way to high scores and cash rewards. Take your well earned monies to the garage for some hardcore upgrades.
Controls are straightforward. Acceleration is done for you and you either have tilt control to perform the flips or on-screen ‘turn’ buttons. I personally found the turn buttons more responsive, but different players probably have different preferences. You also have a brake button and the all-important ‘Shoot’ button for taking out your fellow racers.
With the music, sound and super-fast graphics Road Warrior is a very immersive experience that you don’t forget in a hurry. It’s pretty jaw-dropping and explosions/crashes are immense. I was pleased to see that the sensitivity of controls when you flip are really sympathetic; it’s actually not difficult to land! Maybe it’s just me but similar games make a real science out of just landing, all-too-often making it easy to land upside your head in the dirt. Not with Road Warrior, it actually feels intuitive and accurate.
You can upgrade your car in the garage and buy better vehicles. This is pretty cool, but I found it to be relatively ineffectual. The cars you race against are essentially a similar specification to yours so there’s no advantage in spending a lot of cash, aside from perhaps setting faster times. It would make more sense if your upgrades made a difference.
Another small issue I found with it is the physics in the game. You would think that racing down a hill a little momentum would build up, but it doesn’t really- certainly not what it should be. It’s like the environment doesn’t really count- except for when you you land upside down and then it hurts! The environment is usually very wild and there should be opportunity for some terrifying speeds, but this never happens because your vehicle is somehow held back. While this probably contributes to your ability to control your car, it just feels very strange.
Watch on Mobile
Watch on Mobile
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Road Warrior – Big jumps!
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Road Warrior – Easy to use onscreen controls
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Road Warrior – Variety of 2D tracks
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Road Warrior – Flippin’ fantastic
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Road Warrior – High octane thrills and spills
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Road Warrior – Wiped out
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Road Warrior – Obligatory option to use real cash
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Road Warrior – End of level results
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Road Warrior – Menu
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Road Warrior – Intro video
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Road Warrior – Garage
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Road Warrior – Upgrades
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Road Warrior – Various challenges and characters. He’s a kitten really
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Road Warrior – Mobjoy splash page
Fun Factor:
Road Warrior is loads of fun and really engrossing. Races seem to flit by in seconds and before you know it the contest is over. It would perhaps be nice to have options which let you keep on racing; longer tracks, etc. but there’s still plenty of enjoyment here.
Addictive:
I think initially Road Warrior is a hugely addictive and captivating game that’s impressively riveting due to the graphics, gameplay and immersive sound. I think after a while it loses this veneer, however, as your expensive upgrades have little effect when you’re racing. Unlike, for example, Drag Racing, the upgrades mean very little as the other vehicles are also upgraded.
Graphics:
Graphics are incredibly tantalising and vivid. It might only be 2D but it does 2D exquisitely. Very rich environments, detailed explosions and the speed of the game is straight out of an arcade.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
The accelerometer controls I felt were a little unresponsive compared to the on-screen buttons, you certainly feel more ‘in control’. Sound is also first-rate, heavy metal soundtrack and enthusiastic voice-over guy who comments on the action. He’s a little repetitive but a nice touch. Think of an excitable NASCAR commentator high on caffeine and with a stunted vocabulary.
Tags:
2D,
Android App,
Android Apps,
Android Game,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Drag Racer,
MotoXtreme,
Road Warrior,
Turbo Grannies,
Zombie Racer
Categorised in: Arcade & Action
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