Real Racing 2 [Review]

FULL REVIEW

Real Racing 2 is one of stand-out racing titles on the iOS, a genre typically lets you wreck mayhem and drive the most expensive cars at the most improbable of locales, (think Midtown Madness, Carmageddon, NFS Underground, Asphalt 6), burning rubber and fuel like it was going out of style.





Racing modes include Quick play, which is a little boring for the obvious reason that you are racing a stock/vanilla car. To really get into Real Racing, you need to understand the race requirements and then make your moves with the right vehicle. More on that later. Getting on with the game, the driving experience was simply incomparable. The game’s detailing is par excellence; if you have ever driven a car you would know the thrill of stepping on the gas. The game puts you on the driver's seat, emulating that feeling of flight and thrust. The texture, the change of lightning and handling is just beautiful.

The first circuit that a player faces is the club division. Before you go ahead and blow all the cash on an expensive car, eemember that there are certain requirements that a car needs to fulfill in each division. The gameplay is simple; there are normal races and championship races that allow you to qualify for the rounds ahead. As you move ahead in the game, there is a primary challenge that is available with a certain car. For example, the State Division has the Ford Mustang GT 500 Getaway. The cars get better as you move up the rank.

The Pit Lane is the place to see your progress(profile), admire your rides (My Cars), buy and sell some rubber (Car Market) and pimp your ride (Customize). What makes Real Racing 2 so special in my books is the customisable controls. In the normal mode, one uses the accelerometer to steer the car, with auto-accelerate and brake. The control scheme lets you choose between five methods with two sub-sections, letting you manually accelerate and brake if you want more realism.

One has to very careful while starting with the game. I started with the game and in sheer excitement bought the Ford Mustang only to find out that I cannot race with it in the club division. Browsing for the perfect car for each division is a challenge in itself. A piece of advice: if you are going to choose to manually control the car, get one that is easy to handle.

At the outset, the best car to buy would be a Volvo. Handles great and drives safe, for starters. Once you are accustomed to the game, the cars to look forward to are in the Jaguar and Mclaren series (personal favorites). Fans of Ford Mustang might be a little disappointed with the handling of the car, then again, this is is Real Racing, and this beauty is known more for its beastly power.

The next snapshot is the selling market, you'll find that resale value is not at all disappointing. Protip: Make sure that you do not sell a car without paying attention to its power(P) and cylinder(Cyl). Make sure you verify the division requirements for the car you are selling.

Going through all the achievements will consume many hours and days, at the time of writing, I was trying to achieve the Dark Horse and am hoping will complete it. Real Racing lets you challenge your friends with multiplayer mode via local (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) or Online modes. I tried the mode with Bluetooth and it was as simple as plug and play, just host or join a game...and it’s on!

For those looking beyond a crude adrenaline rush, Real Racing provides an aesthetically pleasing, and classy racing game for the iPad and iPhone. There are two versions of the same, Real Racing 2 and Real Racing HD. If you own an iPad2,  you can use it as a console with the big screen, and use the iPhone/iPod Touch as a controller. You can get the game here.

Real Racing 2
Firemint Pty Ltd
Size: 303 MB
Language: English
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later