Drive
talkin'.
Remember
when we reviewed RealFX Racing? At the time we were pretty blown away by that
particular method of modernising Scalextric, with smart cars
controlled by a physical controller. Although bags of fun, we've
since wished for something similar but with a lot more going on;
characters for cars, battle modes, supporting app, etc. Well, we got
it guys, in the form of Anki's latest mini car racing game,
Overdrive.
Anki Overdrive is a physical, real-world dwelling, car racing game.
Included in the box (we were sent the Starter Kit with a few extras
thrown in to boot) are track pieces which can be arranged to make
eight different racing courses, two cars, a charging dock, and... no
controllers. Overdrive is controlled via a very nice looking app,
which means that you also need either an Android or iOS smartphone or
tablet.
As
well as wirelessly connecting to your phone (each player needs their
own phone or tablet to drive a car) the little cars, which are much
smaller than those in Real FX Racing, use infrared to scan the track
below them, so they 'know' which way to drive and where all the turns
are. The cars can also 'see' where the other cars are on the same
track; something very important when it comes to the weapons.
Yes,
weapons. Because as well as being able to race your friends around
the Overdrive track, you can launch Mario Kart-like attacks at them
as well. Obviously nothing is actually fired from the small cars, but
rather the IR lights can detect hits and damage taken, flashing the
lights and causing the smart device of the victim to vibrate. The
more races and battles you win, the more points you earn which, just
like in a video game, can the be saved to your online account and
used purchase upgrades to the cars. Speed, firepower, types of
weapons, and the ability to evade attacks can all be added to your
vehicle, giving the game a greater sense of continuation and
campaign.
But
what if you're a lonesome type who tends not to hang out with other
humans? Fret not, dear isolated chums, for Anki have seen fit to
programme the Overdrive system with a very clever AI. The artificial
intelligence offered by the app is truly awesome, allowing a single
human player to race against up to three other cars. It was a little
eerie at first, to see the other vehicles (we were sent two extra
cars, Thermo and Nuke to race alongside the two included in the
Starter Kit, Skull and Ground Shock) speeding around the track by
themselves, and even trying to attack us!
The
AI will also become more challenging the more you progress and the
more sophisticated your car becomes. If your vehicle is fully armed
with intimidating virtual tech and armour, so will your virtual
opponents, making each and every race a challenge. However, as much
fun as this was, we found Anki Overdrive to be its very best when
battling against real human people. You know; the kind that can laugh
and swear and accidentally throw their phone at the wall while
playing because their fingers were covered in jam. You know the type.
One
thing to note about the Anki Overdrive is that it ain't cheap, love.
The Starter Kit itself (which is required to play, no matter what
cars or configuration of track you want) is £150 at time of
publication. That is quite an investment considering the box is
mostly plastic track pieces and two small cars. After that additional
cars are, again at time of press, around £50 and extra track pieces
and accessories are fairly expensive as well. At first we were a bit
shocked by the cost, but once we got playing and saw how it all
worked seamlessly together, we could actually understand it.
Every
element in the Anki Overdrive seems to be packed with smart tech. How
they have managed to fill the little cars with so much, while keeping
them as small as they are, is a mystery to us. Thanks to the very
well-thought-out app, with absolutely oodles of additional background
info, character stats, and crazy huge virtual shop for the cars, you
could be playing this game for years and still feel like it is new
with every race. This is a total winner!
Starter
Kit £149.99
Additional
cars: £49.99
Available from www.amazon.co.uk
