Carmageddon: Reincarnation (Stainless Games Ltd)

Carmageddon: Reincarnation (Stainless Games Ltd)

Facebook
Like Carmageddon on Facebook

Twitter 
Follow Max Damage on Twitter

Website
Check out the official Carmageddon Website

Discussion
Give the developers feedback on the Steam Discussion Page

Purchase
Buy your Early Access copy on the Steam Store page 

Believe it or not, the original Carmageddon was released more than 18 years ago already! However, it only took me a few minutes after booting up Reincarnation to realize that Stainless Games Ltd has nailed the feel of the game. Anyone who can remember gleefully plowing through throngs of pedestrians while smashing rival racers to bits will find that Carmageddon: Reincarnation offers the same level of vehicular carnage. The game has come a long way since the initial Early Access release last year and in its current public beta form is already a ton of fun.

Although all the game modes, including the complete career mode, freeplay and multiplayer are already up and running, Stainless Games are still working on bug fixes and polishing the game up before the final release. That is why we will only be doing a full review once the game leaves Early Access. However, judging by the version we played, anyone holding off on checking out the game until the full release are in for a treat.

The game has a career mode, consisting of 50 events where you get to steal your opponent’s cars by wrecking them during races. You are also able to upgrade your rides by collecting tokens as well as unlock cool extras such as paintjobs by completing challenges. Whether you want to total your opponents, race them or simply run over pedestrians, the “Classic Carma” mode has got you covered. You can also battle for the highest kill tally in the “Car Crusher” mode, race to be the first to reach random checkpoints in “Checkpoint Stampede” mode or hunt down and run over marked pedestrians in “Ped Chase” mode amongst others. Best of all, the multiplayer mode is already functioning, which means that you can take on real opponents in the Car Crusher, Checkpoint Stampede, Death Race and Fox ‘n’ Hounds modes. Up to eight players can take part in the multiplayer mode, which is played online or on LAN.

As the game is still in Early Access there are obviously a few areas where more polish is required. At the moment the game needs a hefty system if you want to experience it in its full visual splendor. Even with a system exceeding the recommended specifications I had to disable or lower a few visual settings in order to keep the frame rate at acceptable levels. I’m not the only one that had this problem, so further optimization is definitely required. The loading times are also rather lengthy at the moment and I experienced a couple of crashes, especially during the multiplayer mode. Having said that, the game is definitely shaping up nicely and it is great to see that none of the gore or offensive humor has been sacrificed. This shows that the developers are making a game for the fans first and foremost. The latest update to the game improved the AI behavior of your fellow racers and they are now not only more aggressive, but finally able to use PowerUps as well.

There is still a lot to praise about the game, but we will save that for the full release. Suffice to say that all the power-ups, car models, characters and general craziness that defines the Carmageddon brand is already present. Anyone still on the fence about buying the game should definitely make use of the current Steam Midweek Madness deal, which has slashed the price of the game in half. Considering that you also get the Carmageddon Max Pack, Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now and Carmageddon TDR2000 games as part of the package it would be silly to pass up on this deal. Also bear in mind that once the game leaves Early Access the classic Carmageddon titles will no longer be thrown in as freebies either, so don’t miss out.

This preview is based on version 0.9.0.6681 of the game.

Related posts

Fight The Dragon (3 Sprockets)

Fight The Dragon (3 Sprockets)

2014 is going to be a big year for role playing games, with plenty of hotly anticipated titles on the horizon. The problem is who has time for all these in-depth role playing games? Sometimes it is nice to just jump in, hack and slash your way through a dungeon, and stuff your backpack with all the loot. Fight The Dragon is a game that promised to deliver that role playing quick fix, without the need to remember why the world is in danger and how you are going to save it.

Leap of Fate (Clever Plays)

Leap of Fate (Clever Plays)

Leap of Faith, the debut release of indie studio clever-plays, certainly isn’t lacking in ambition. With influences that range from The Binding of Isaac and League of Legends to Diablo, it is a game that aims to offer replayability, precise controls and feel-good combat. These are lofty goals, but despite the fact that the game is still in Early Access, it already looks like the developers will be able to deliver on these promises.

Action Henk (RageSquid)

Action Henk (RageSquid)

Navigating tricky obstacle courses with a motorbike is one thing, but can you do it with an overweight action-hero toy? That is the question posed by Action Henk (and yes it is Henk and not "Hank") a new game from the brilliantly named Indie developer, RageSquid. At first glance the game bears a passing resemblance to the Trials series from RedLynx, but surprisingly enough Henk is not only faster, but more maneuverable than a motorcycle.

Steam Bandits: Outpost (Iocaine Studios)

Steam Bandits: Outpost (Iocaine Studios)

Some Facebook games can actually be quite fun until you encounter the horrible, soul-grinding mechanics that have been implemented to part you with your money. Turn limits, harassing friends, purchasing crucial items with real money and more is enough to deter anyone from playing these games. Steam Bandits: Outpost is a game that aims to take the best elements of the Facebook-style games while stripping away all the annoyances.

Wrack (Final Boss Entertainment)

Wrack is an arcade style first person shooter that provides you with plenty of guns, aliens to use them on and then lets you get on with the fun. It is also a game that doesn't believe in weapon carry limits, hiding behind cover or regenerating health. The result is a lean and mean shooter that doesn't get bogged down in scripted sequences or boring quick time events.

Soul Axiom (Wales Interactive)

Soul Axiom (Wales Interactive)

With Master Reboot already under their belt Wales Interactive knows a thing or two about first person science fiction adventures. They also have a penchant for the mysterious as demonstrated by their latest title, Soul Axiom. The game appears to be a spiritual successor to Master Reboot as it also explores the theme of souls uploaded to a massive server where memories are stored for all eternity. This time though the server is called Elysia and you have to figure out the identity of your character and what their story is.

5 Comments

  1. Syonide March 11, 2015
    Reply

    Bought it for the classics alone, the new one is just gravy.

  2. Elvinelvis March 11, 2015
    Reply

    I was going to wait until this game is in a complete state but this is a little too tempting to pass. Glad to hear its a “true’ Carma game.

  3. Servopad0 March 11, 2015
    Reply

    I bought it at full priced and while im a little miffed at the price drop it does mean there wiill be more fresh meat during the multi player races.

  4. WaffleI-ron March 11, 2015
    Reply

    Im so sorely tempted to buy this but all the talk on the forums are about how bad the performance is.

  5. Triggerbyte March 13, 2015
    Reply

    Welp. This looks pretty damn fun. See y’all online 😀

Leave a Reply to Servopad0 Cancel reply

twelve − 9 =