The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
Today, we shine the spotlight on Smash Cars.
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Developer: Creat Studios
Region(s) available: North America, Europe
Players: 1-5
Smash Cars sees gamers putting the pedal to the metal in a series of RC motors, speeding across 12 highly-detailed tracks while performing a variety of fancy stunt work. Tracks are chock full of items to help or hinder your progress, from speed-boosting soda bottles to troublesome traffic cones. Keeping an eye out for the right item to collide with is key to your success; for example, bottles may give you a slight speed boost, but barrelling through a create will reward you with any even mightier kick up the backside.
Jumps are abundant throughout each course, and unsurprisingly act as you means for performing all sorts of acrobatic manoeuvres. Speed off a ramp and you’ll be able to spin, flip and generally perform all sorts of fancy stunts in order to accumulate boost power and facilitate your chances of bagging the Gold Medal. As with any decent racer, there’s plenty of sneaky short cuts to take, as well as ample jostling opportunities. Cars themselves come in three flavours: Monster type, Buggy type and Sport type.
As you’d expect, each vehicle has their own unique attributes, so the Monster motor is slower but highly manoeuvrable, while the Sports car is fast but more difficult to get to grips with. Gamers start off with the monster car, though you’ll be able to unlock the other two by earning medals, not to mention gain the ability to give them a fresh paint job to boot. In total there are 12 cars to obtain spread between the three different vehicle types, though you’ll quickly find the Buggy is the best of the bunch.
Outside of the single-player mode, Smash Cars also offers up a rudimentary multiplayer component for up to five players online. Players can zoom around any of the tracks from the single player, and create their own custom races and enjoy a relatively lag-free experience.
Tune in again same time tomorrow for another gander Inside PlayStation Network.