cycycychris

User Score
8.0

Presentation - 10
Gameplay - 6.0
Value - 8.0

Fast RMX is the remastered version of the Wii U sleeper hit Fast Racing Neo. While the Wii U version wasn’t perfect it still was a solid game. But it was a bit buggy, lacked replay motivation, and was a difficulty mess; it received a 7 from me. With the release of Fast rmx, I was hopeful to see these issues fixed, but was it…. Kind of????

Fast rmx takes heavy influence from well know series such as Wipeout and F-Zero. While concepts maybe shared, it is very well its own unique game. It uses its own unique racing systems of having colored pads on the racetrack making you change between 2 colors to obtain a boost. There are also orbs scattered throughout the tracks that can be used at any time to propel yourself forward. While this might not be the most exciting system, it makes you stay alert the whole time and keeps you engaged while you race.

Fast Racing still looks as great as it did on Wii U but this time with a higher resolution and a much improved lighting system. It also runs at a buttery smooth 60 fps. And this time it features 30 tracks spread out through 10 cups, Instead of only 16 tracks in the Wii U version. I enjoyed most of the tracks and they all typically have unique mechanics to each, such as fly between platforms, driving upside down, or even going through an asteroid field. But one thing I’ve seen from my 2nd play through is that many tracks have design issues. They make use of cheat shots with barriers in the middle of level that serve no purpose. Jumps if taken at a wrong angle or to fast of speed slam you into stuff, and overall some have a really flat and linear feel. Not every track is going to be perfect, but they have correctable issues.

Fast rmx starts you out with the championship mode. This mode features 3 speed options (sub-sonic, Super-Sonic, and Hyper-sonic). The first 2 speeds (Sub-Sonic and Super-Sonic) are very enjoyable and feel rather fair. First speed is very forgiving and you can typically get first, but the AI does its best to not let you, but I’ll cover that in a moment. Super Sonic turns the speed up a bit and also makes the AI a bit smarter, but not much. It’s a fair challenge and I got gold on my first try most tries. But at this new speed, tight tracks start turning into pinball.

But Super Sonic still faces some of the issues that it did on Wii U, They made the AI a bit more manageable to face, so I did like that. But they didn’t really fix the issue that this speed just doesn’t work with their tracks. The track designs are just not meant to be raced at this speed, the race just turns into a pinball machine. The tracks geometry can at time send you flying in the air due to a lip in the surface. Your car is just not controllable at these speeds. I overall have never had fun in this mode.

But I will hand the developer a bit of credit, they did tone down the appalling difficulty. In the Wii u version if you crashed, your game is done, you miles well have just had quit since there is no coming back. But in Fast rmx they now set you ahead of where you crashed, improved the amount of time it takes to respond you, and the AI will slow down to let you catch up.

But the AI is still pretty bad, I almost feel like it’s gotten a bit worse on the fairness scale. The rubberbanding is as present as it was in the original. They annoyingly increased the chance of the AI coming up and hitting you from behind causing you to spin out. This seems to happen at least once a lap, which was a rather rare occurrence in the Wii U version. And possibly the worst fact about the AI is that it’s programmed to not let you keep first, which remains from the Wii U version. I will be having a perfect run, hitting all the speed boost and getting all the orbs, but they somehow still manage to catch up to me. You’ll even have a decent lead and they suddenly magically catch up. The AI still needs a lot of work.

But one thing they did get on point is the controls which after playing the Wii U version again feels a lot more refined. The drifting overall works a lot better and I feel I had more control over my craft than I did with the Wii U version. The super stable 60 fps also really helps the controls feel so fluid.

Fast Racing Neo also features an online mode that was really active at the time of playing, sadly the Wii U online died really quick. The main issue with the online is that the lag is pretty bad. Your opponents rarely move in a fluid motion, they are jumping around everywhere. Overall, online mode gets the job done, but it’s a bit lacking. Rmx also features a local multiplayer which still runs at a smooth 60FPS and is overall enjoyable.

And finally, Hero Mode also returns with much improvement.  This mode requires you to complete 3 mirrored laps and finish in first place without crashing or running out of boost.  Your boost bar is now turned into your health bar; hitting barrier or other crafts will reduce it, along with using it to speed your craft. Hero mode in my last review was one of my biggest  complaints about this game, the main issues with it was the AI was unthinkably too good and they made it be the fastest speed which is near impossible to drive in. This made it so you died so often and stood no chance. But this completely changed in this version, they no longer have it locked to 1 speed, they now let you choose which speed. The mode is quite enjoyable on the 2 lowest speeds, but I have no idea how they expect beat the highest speed. This was truly a sigh of relief for me, I enjoy this mode now, I’m glad they listened to the feedback.

To add a few side notes, Time Trials mode is also in this game, but that pretty self-explanatory. Unfortunately, leaderboards are not where to be seen, even though they were in the Wii u version. And finally, there is still no type of customization system. I find it hard to find replay value to continue to improve my times in each mode or to continue to race online if I have no added motivation to do so. It would have been nice if they might do a coin system. But without that I find myself lacking much motivation to continue to play the game. It would have been nice if I can unlock new skins for my vehicles to help keep me going.

Verdict:

Fast rmx is a pretty decent game. It is much improved over the Wii U version. The graphics look great and the framerate runs at a smooth 60 fps. It offers double the content of the past version and has cut back significantly on the difficulty. But sadly still has disappointing AI, track design  issues, and lacks customization. I would overall say that if you bought the game on Wii U, I’d probably say your not missing much by skipping this. But if you never bought the Wii U version and looking for a game to play, it’s a pretty decent game to buy for only $20.

Score:

8/10

+

Great graphics
60 FPS
lots of content
tight controls
improved difficulty balance
improved Hero Mode

-

AI issue
Laggy online
Few poor track designs
no customization