Overall – 20%
20%
For a game that’s supposed to be chill, the camera in Seaside Driving will do everything in its power to infuriate you. This lazy drive is anything but, and will make you take a quick U-Turn back to Outrun.
A trip along the coast never goes out of style; doubly so if you dip it in a synthwave aesthetic. Frozen Lake Games and Tendokore look to feed your chill needs with their new 80s racer Seaside Driving – should players take off on this journey?
Seaside Driving Review
This endless driver sticks firmly to the genre’s roots. With one of nine cars at your disposal (each varying by speed, handling, and acceleration), players will cruise along a road as long as possible. The sky (or in this case, the road’s) is the limit, with the show ending once players get in a crash. This can mean anything from an untimely bump from a rock to a dip in the water – again, the sky’s the limit.
Unfortunately the control scheme of Seaside Driving just can’t seem to find itself. Similar titles like Outrun and Slipstream manage to find a groove by providing relatively simple control schemes that require a fair amount of finesse. Seaside Driving gets the basics down on paper – everything is done with the arrow keys with only braking, accelerating, and steering being any of your worries.
However, actually driving is a completely different story.
For one, it is far too easy to fishtail. We’re used to a bit of crazy driving, with hours of Ridge Racer under our belts. However, it can often feel like the car is careening out of control, with no clear way to stay on the track. There is no margin for error, which means that one accident can mean the end of your run. There are oil slicks that one needs to be mindful of as well, each of which has a cooldown in place. Why this was implemented we’re not too sure; it is most certainly not a welcome addition.
This is made that much worse with the camera system. There were times where the camera would throw our car to the bottom right of the screen, with a bunch of open roads in sight and nothing else. Since you can’t even see your character when this happens, this makes the title borderline unplayable at these moments. It’s the luck of the draw where the camera takes you next, which should never happen in a video game.
In order to unlock the full garage and open up all five tracks, players must collect coins along the way. It can be pretty slow going to get everything, especially when the higher tier items cost up to 9,000 coins. There are magnets that one can pick up that bring the coins to you, but this could have used a fair amount of balance.
For a game that’s supposed to be chill, the camera in Seaside Driving will do everything in its power to infuriate you. This lazy drive is anything but, and will make you take a quick U-Turn back to Outrun.
This review of Seaside Driving was done on the PC. The game was purchased digitally.
A trip along the coast never goes out of style; doubly so if you dip it in a synthwave aesthetic. Frozen Lake Games and Tendokore look to feed your chill needs with their new 80s racer Seaside Driving – should players take off on this journey?
Developed by Big Bad Wolf and published by Nacon, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a narrative-driven RPG built within the Vampire: The Masquerade world, in the wider universe of the World of Darkness IP. It’s a standalone experience that doesn’t require previous experience in the World of Darkness franchise, but there’s a lot more depth and lore for those familiar with the setting.
It’s been a little over six years since Ska Studios released Salt and Sanctuary, and now the sequel to their stylized 2D action RPG is finally here. Was Salt and Sacrifice worth the wait, or should you just stick to Elden Ring? Check out our review and find out.
A relatively deep cut in the Neo-Geo’s storied library, the shoot-em-up Andro Dunos has gotten itself a sequel with the release of Picorinne Soft, Just For Games, and PixelHeart’s Andro Dunos II. Should players take control of the Yellow Cherry once more, or do other titles leave it in the dust?