Space Extreme Racers

Space is not yet the kind of place you want to go for leisure, because our technology is not devised to offer comfort to those who dare to venture beyond the stratosphere. However, space tourism is not that far away, at least not as far as it was a century ago. Once space constructions become viable, who knows what other kinds of activities will be possible.

Space Extreme Racers is a fast-paced racing game in which the only goal is speed, since there is nothing else you need to worry about. As the name clearly implies, the whole thing takes place in orbit, where crazy tracks await you to prove your worth. Granted, the mechanics are rather shaky and unimpressive, but you can have quite a bit of fun if you are in the right mood.

To begin with, the most dangerous thing in the game is the fact that you can fall off the track if you don’t pay attention in sharp turns or whenever a ramp is approaching. Falling doesn’t mean that much, except a forced respawn, but it obviously ruins your pace and it may even cause you to lose a few positions in the process. Since the whole point is to make it to the finish line first, that’s not something you want.

In case you want a bit more excitement with every race, you can try the career mode and see whether you’ve got what it takes to make it to the top over multiple races. It’s not a very complex mode, but at least it feels like you are doing something worthwhile. On the other hand, the quick race mode allows you to choose a track and set up its difficulty and length.

The difficulty is given by the number of tight turns and the obstacles that cause you to slow down if you happen to hit them at full speed. It’s not difficult to avoid them, but then again the high speeds might cause you to miss an upcoming obstacle, leaving you no chance to avoid it in time. Thus, there’s quite a bit of adrenaline involved in each race, at least the first couple of times.

All things considered, Space Extreme Racers has what it takes to provide you with a bit of light entertainment for a few minutes every now and again. However, it’s obviously too simple and unimpressive to be the kind of game you come back to on a regular basis.