In every way, this game is visually and technically cutting edge and conveys a good feel of being embedded in a story-line. The mix of 3-d, flash, movies and all the filters is pulled off so well and just seems really authentic. And the Flash, I am impressed. At times it looks like real-time graphics rendering. I have never seen anything like this before. One or two years ago, I was seriously wondering if Director was going get a comeback. Internet connections are getting so much faster, that it was really a question of whether the flash player could keep up or if developers and demand was simply going to make the switch to Director. This game shows Flash has nothing to worry about. The player can do it. And what it can’t do now, it will be able to do in its next version. Flash really is the plugin for multmedia delivery on the internet.
However, I get the same feeling from playing this game as I do from watching a movie like 300 (which I just got back from watching tonight). It has all the visuals but just no gameplay (or in the case of 300, no storyline). Now, I know there is a little artificial intelligence in the opponent cars, but not for real. Not like any of the other racing games on all the other platforms out there and I just can’t help making that comparison.
Again, I think these guys pulled it to the limit and I hope the limit keeps getting pushed. In the mean time, I think we need to keep the strengths of the internet as a platform for delivering games at the forefront. Let me point out again, that I am very impressed by this game – both visually and technically. However the strength of the internet is how it connects people across time and space. Internetgames are fun and unique when you can challenge a friend, play with other people online or contribute to some kind of community whole. Diffrerent platforms have differnet strengths and interconnectivity is the strength of the internet as a gamedelivering platform and not neccessarily highscale racinggames. Not yet at least.
