Grooverider Slot Car Thunder review (Xbox)

The speed at which you can safely go around corners seems to change at random. On some passes you'll be able to whip around a corner at full speed, while, one lap later, the same turn will send you flying off the track. Periodically, after crashing off the track, you will respawn in the most inopportune place on the track, leading to a lengthy loop of crash after crash until the game decides to spawn you elsewhere. On top of all of that, the placing icons that appear above an opposing car, letting you know who is in what place, obscure so much of the screen that you can't see oncoming obstacles. Ultimately, these irritating quirks make the game far more frustrating than fun to play.

While budget games are rarely ever renowned for their presentational aspects, Slot Car Thunder is especially unimpressive. The game's graphics can easily be compared to a marginally cleaned-up PlayStation game, with some pretty bargain-basement-looking track designs and an erratic frame rate that becomes noticeably unpleasant during multiplayer. The range of different cars in the game is decent enough and includes classic British autos, stock cars, and even '70s cop-show-themed cars. However, there's really only one type of car for each, with just a slightly different paint job and a couple of other minor aspects tweaked. The game's sound is equally lacking. While playing, you'll only hear some tinny-sounding engine noises, along with occasional crashes and tire screeches. Some faint, repetitive techno music plays in the background as well, but it's all so generic and dull that you'll probably forget it's even there.

Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder is the very definition of a stripped-down budget title, as practically every aspect that would make a game fun or interesting is missing. If you're a slot car enthusiast who's dying for a chance to take your hobby to a console system, or even if you're just a fan of cart racing titles and are searching for something a bit different, don't bother with Slot Car Thunder. The game does little justice to slot cars or racing games in general, and it just isn't worth your time.