ExL Studios Blog

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Indie Game under Review: Little Racers
Developed by: Milkstone Studios
System: Xbox 360
Version: Final
Genre: Racing and Flying
Cost: 240 Microsoft Points ($3.00)
Learning Curve: 30+ Minutes (Hours to master)
Overall Rating: 9/10
Main Features:
- Players 1-4
- System Link 2-12
- HDTV 720p
- Custom Soundtracks
- Online Multiplayer 2-12
Other Features: (as outlined by the developer)
- 4 Game Modes (Quick Race, Custom Race, Championship mode, Multiplayer mode)
- 15 song tracks
- 20+ Racetracks
- 40 cars divided into 8 car classes based off performance
- Car Paint Job & Customization
- Handicap mode to help novice players
- Track records, divided by car class
- Ghost lap recording, useful for training
- Challenging AI
- Stunning skidmarks on track
- Online join in progress (Lobby’s)
Puzzling:
- Online Lobby’s with more than six players
- No awards
- Nothing for getting 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in a championship (online and local)
Rating: 9/10
Violence – 0/3
Sex – 0/3
Mature Content – 0/3

REVIEW INTRO:

“Master your driving skills and defeat your opponents with style on one of the more than 20 tracks available. With new improvements based on user feedback, and much easier handling, the game includes quick race, custom race and championship mode, and also the new online mode for up to 12 players.” – Milkstone Studios

GRAPHICS:

The graphics are a strong point of this game. When cars brake on turns or skid they leave treadmarks. Additionally, clouds randomly float over the level, adding a sense of realism to the “world” that is Little Racers. If that is not enough, the colorful and intelligently designed menus are easy to navigate. My only true menu complaint was the online lobby’s with more then six players. The players are split into two columns of six players and the scores are shown next to each player. This works for a lobby with six players, but if a lobby has more, the scores do not carry over into the next column. They instead continue down and off the screen, thus eliminating scores for some of the players.

Regardless of this, there are more graphical features that impress. One of these is the ability to customize the cars in the sense of their paint job and the style of their paint job. With dozens of combinations, no two cars will be the same! Unfortunately, since the cars are small, it can sometimes be hard to tell which one is yours when playing with a large number of other racers. This forces some racers to choose bright paint jobs and style, favoring recognition over personal preference. This is another little thing (no pun intended), but it is annoying at times.

The final feature I wanted to mention is the obstacles put in place in the recent version. Tires have been placed in key areas (mainly corners) to help the player from going too far out of bounds. I enjoyed moving the tires onto the track and watching other racers as they hit them, not knowing they were there!

MUSIC:

There are 15 song tracks that neither take away from or add to the game play. Most of the time I would play without realizing music was even playing! I enjoy the tracks when I listen to them and am thankful for the variety, but the music was not an area I really focused on. But for having a nice selection, this section receives a high rating.

STORY:

Little Racers has no story.

GAMEPLAY & FEATURES:

The attractive feature of Little Racers is its simple concept. Race. First you start by choosing a game mode from the four that are available (Quick Race, Custom Race, Championship mode, Multiplayer mode). Quick race randomly selects a track and uses the player’s previous settings from custom races. This allows for quick drop-in, drop-out gameplay. The next mode, Custom Race allows the player to change options such as track, number of racers and/or laps, class, and more. Championship mode is akin to custom races, but the tracks are randomly selected, and the player races more then one, competing for the most points. Multiplayer mode is basically championship mode, but with friends, family, or online players.

After choosing a mode, you must choose one of the 8 classes (or difficulties) and then choose one of the cars provided within that class. There are 40 cars in all and the game can even be played with all classes at once to allow for different cars from different classes to race each other. While selecting a car (and depending on the game mode, the player may have the option to choose a racetrack from the more then 20 available.

One small feature the game adds is a handicap mode for novice players. Don’t just shrug this off when you first start playing. It can be extremely helpful. Little Racers has a high learning curve only because it takes time to get used to the controls, and the cars themselves. In addition, track records are available for each track and are divided by car class. Unfortunately, online track records are not available.

The game can be played with up to 12 racers (human and/or AI), but if you choose to race solo, then you aren’t alone. In some instances when the player crosses the finish line, a “ghost” car will be created. Consider it a replay of your previous lap. The goal is to try to beat it. This is very useful for training purposes and so that you don’t feel like you are playing alone.

Online racing is the highlight of this game. While there can be slight lag when playing with numerous racers (more then six), the join in progress is a great add-on. Racers cannot join a race in progress (for obvious reasons), but they can join the lobby and prepare their cars for the next race. Online races occur like Championship mode and scores are periodically reset as needed, without booting players out of the lobbies. While this is great, I am disappointed that winning has no use. There are no awards or indie achievements, and when the player wins it just resets the scores (online multiplayer), or kicks the player to the main menu (championship mode).

With that said, the challenging AI and cleverly designed levels (ranging from design for novice players to expert players) kept me engaged and had me focusing more on the positives then the negatives. Going out of bounds or trying to “cheat” will have a red appear above the player’s car. The player must then go back to where they tried to skip and start from there (or the nearest turn). Luckily there is a button on the controller that allows the player’s car to “respawn” at where they left off on the track.

OVERALL: 9/10

Little Racers packs a lot of content into such a small asking price. With dedicated online support from the community sites and the developer, you don’t have to worry about never being able to find an online match. Sure, this game has a few faults, but none that cause the triumphs to shine any less. In short, this game is definitely worth your consideration. Did I mention you can even honk the horns on the cars (and they don’t all have the same sound)?

Try the trial for Little Racers or purchase now for a small amount of Microsoft Points.

Other Games by Milkstone Studios:

- None

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This section is updated as often as possible (daily or every other day). The purpose of this section is to raise awareness about upcoming or released games that are receiving little coverage. In addition, developers will be featured for their game contributions and more. Please note that none of the four sections will focus on entirely one game, though a few could at times.