Big Scale Racing Review

Outside of some bugs, Big Scale Racing turns out to be a pleasant little racer and a better game than you'd probably expect.

With some games, you just have to ask, "Why?" That's the case with Big Scale Racing, a game about 1/5-scale, radio-controlled cars. Racing these 3-foot-long, gas-powered cars might be exciting in real life, but you normally expect computer games to offer more exotic thrills, racing or otherwise. You can easily find them, too. Acclaimed games like NASCAR Racing 2002 Season and Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed put you behind the virtual wheel of the sorts of exotic cars you'd love to drive in real life. So, why would you want to play a simulation about miniature cars instead? For a simple reason, really: It's fun. While Big Scale Racing may sound like a lame idea on paper, it's actually a nice little racing game--nothing extraordinary by any stretch, but not too shabby, either. If only it weren't hampered by some major bugs, it would be easier to recommend.

The physics are surprisingly convincing.
The physics are surprisingly convincing.

A few years ago, a game called Re-Volt offered up a somewhat similar racing concept. In Re-Volt, you raced little R/C cars through museums, cruise ships, and other whimsical locales. Big Scale Racing, on the other hand, puts you on replicas of actual miniature racing circuits found in developer BumbleBeast's home country of the Netherlands.

In other words, the tracks look pretty much like the sorts of courses you'd see real racecars plying, just a lot smaller. You'll zip down long straights, whiz around broad turns, and try to maintain some speed through tight hairpins. Unfortunately, you only get a paltry six tracks. Other than one small oval track, they're all basically characterless bowl-of-spaghetti layouts with little to distinguish them.

Happily, the courses can be entertaining to race, despite their general blandness, thanks to the game's fresh subject. Since you're dealing with 1/5-scale cars, the cars' handling won't be what you're used to from standard racing games. One area where the game shines, in fact, is in the modeling of the cars' physics. When you hit a curb or take an off-road excursion after a nasty spin on a wet track, your car really jounces and bounces around--or even flips--just like you'd expect it to. Unfortunately, you won't see any damage modeling, though.

Big Scale Racing offers a standard assortment of racing modes. Championship mode offers multiple racing series, with one for each of the 10 car classes found in the game. In each of these series, you'll race once on each of the game's six tracks, unlocking new championships and cars if you place high enough. An 11th championship becomes available after you've beaten the first 10; there you'll take part in two races on each track, choosing your car type for each race weekend.

Along with the various championship options, you can take some reconnaissance laps in a practice mode, dueling a ghost car representing your fastest lap. You can also battle through quick races, using the cars you've unlocked in championship mode. Here, your opponents will automatically be matched to your skill level based on past performance. Opponent AI is decent overall, and, happily, your competitors occasionally make mistakes, banging into each other or getting hung up on curbs. If AI competitors don't suit you, you can take on friends in multiplayer races, which include split-screen and LAN or Internet matches (the latter via direct-IP entry).

The game's five main racing classes range from junior to pro, each with unique stats and increasing realism. Junior cars feature four-wheel drive traction, but limited torque and rpm. Agile but twitchy pro cars most closely match the real-world 1/5-scale cars, with rear-wheel drive, hard tires, and high power. Each of these classes is subdivided into standard and "hopped" classes, the latter a hot-rodded version of the standard cars. Sadly, you can't tweak the cars at all, something you normally want in a racing game.

Solid graphics help make up for somewhat bland track designs.
Solid graphics help make up for somewhat bland track designs.

The graphics depicting the cars and tracks are surprisingly good for an obscure game like this, with some memorable details and attractive scenes. Light and shadow play across the raceways, and the reflective cars billow thin trails of bluish smoke when you accelerate. When you race in the rain, lightning flickers among the clouds while the cars kick up a fine mist from the rainwater on the track. The game's audio isn't as strong, with merely functional sound effects and a disposable soundtrack (de rigueur for racing games, apparently).

Then there's an intensely annoying bug that can occasionally cause a smoke-alarm-like sound effect to loop endlessly--and loudly, at that. Unfortunately, Big Scale Racing is beset by a few major, though intermittent, bugs like that. Sometimes the game will force you to type in a serial number before playing even after you've already entered it during a previous session. Sometimes the game will lock up when starting, possibly requiring you to reboot your computer. Outside of these bugs, Big Scale Racing turns out to be a pleasant little racer and a better game than you'd probably expect. It has the added benefit of being a good choice for younger gamers: It's easy to learn, nonviolent, and focuses on miniature cars--something kids can relate to and car-loving adults can always enjoy, too. Just hope a patch is released in short order.

The Good

  • N/A

The Bad

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