Super toy cars is a racing game that gives you the chance to finally take the drivers seat in your favorite toy car. This game offers up quite a bit of content, from the menu you can choose career mode which consists of 48 events (not all of them are races). You can also choose ‘quick race’ where you can go up against 3 of your friends or computer racers in mulitiplayer mode. You can choose from 16 different cars each with an array of different colors for you to unlock and 12 different tracks to play on. Last but not least there is also a track editor mode where you can create your own race tracks! But does Super Toy Cars live up to the hype? Lets take a look.
When you start your first race in Super Toy Cars, you are given a brief tutorial which explains everything pretty well. You have a boost meter which you can fill by successfully drifting throughout the race. Also there are items you can get to help you deal with other racers such as a giant 8 ball that rolls over your opponent’s, land mines that will explode when ran over, and even oil spills and rockets! The game was easy to figure out but the controls were a bit hard to get used to.
I didn’t like how clunky it felt when I would take a sharp turn, it honestly felt a bit laggy. When I would run into obstacles on the side of the road the game would make me respawn back to the middle of the track. It was helpful sometimes but mostly annoying, it also gives your competition an opportunity to pass you up. I found it hard to avoid this as its kind of difficult to make a proper turn in this game. When I would go up a ramp I expected to fly through the air or atleast coast for a second, but instead my car simply falls to the ground with a nice ‘kachunk’ and I must gain speed all over again.
The graphics in Super Toy Cars are enjoyable for the most part. Everything is pretty realistic looking with a slightly cartoony outline to make certain objects stand out. Throughout the 12 tracks you have to choose from you can find obstacles like coke cans, skateboards, donuts, toy robots, hamburgers, the list goes on. It reminded me of ‘Pikmin’, just the aspect of being so small in such a big world, this game did a good job with that. I did notice however that as I played through each track they were starting to repeat the layouts a lot. Slapping a different background on a track that looks identical to one I had just played before was a downer.
In career mode you must complete different events to advance. You don’t get the traditional 4 track cup that most racing games have. For example one event you play throughout career mode is called elimination (my favorite). Every 15 seconds the car in last place is eliminated so you must fight your way to first place and make sure you stay there. Another event is called evade mode, pretty much turning the race track into a mine field. Its interesting but a bit repetitive at times. Playing on the same tracks over and over again.
There is a plus if you stick with the game and complete your objectives. You can earn money each time you win an event to upgrade your cars, and there’s a ton of different colors to unlock for each vehicle. You can purchase new cars and customize them in quite a few ways. Also There is a really cool track editor feature where you can create your very own race track. This is all done via the gamepad. You can choose a background and add an array of different props of all sizes and proportions. This was one of my favorite features in the game. However it would have been a lot cooler if we could share our custom tracks online for others to play.
Multiplayer also lacked an online experience, so you’ll have to wait for someone to play with you if your not interested in playing solo. A bad idea in my opinion but hopefully they will fix this issue soon. The gamepad doesn’t get much use besides the track editor, it would be nice if there was maybe a map of the track or maybe racing stats, something! I would recommend this game to younger gamers but they might get frustrated with the controls after a while like I did. The price isn’t bad for the amount of content at just $7.99. If your a fan of racing games or you enjoy reminiscing about the days when you would race your hot wheels around the house you might get a bit of enjoyment out of this game. But beware because even though it has its perks I doubt it will keep your attention for very long.
My sentiments exactly. I had high hopes for this, but the whole time I was playing I was thinking about how I would be having so much more fun playing Mario Kart instead. Once you’re spoiled by the tight, responsive controls in MK8, it’s tough to adjust to this game. I might go back to it in a few months.
When you start your first race in Super Toy Cars, you are given a brief tutorial which explains everything pretty well. You have a boost meter which you can fill by successfully drifting throughout the race. Also there are items you can get to help you deal with other racers such as a giant 8 ball that rolls over your opponent’s, land mines that will explode when ran over, and even oil spills and rockets! The game was easy to figure out but the controls were a bit hard to get used to.
August 8, 2014
My sentiments exactly. I had high hopes for this, but the whole time I was playing I was thinking about how I would be having so much more fun playing Mario Kart instead. Once you’re spoiled by the tight, responsive controls in MK8, it’s tough to adjust to this game. I might go back to it in a few months.