MotorHEAT

MotorHEAT

Let's go back, back to the halcyon days of 1992. You're at the mall, you've got a fat wad of birthday or babysitting money, and you're at Toys 'R Us, back when that was the place to get your games because no specialty stores existed. You pick up a cardboard box and look at the name, flip it over for a few screenshots and a description that more than likely is written "in-universe" to describe what the game is supposed to depict - like, "Help Dash Dengar fight off the alien hordes through 8 thrilling levels" that don't actually talk about the gameplay.

Remember that? Remember picking up games and hoping against hope that they were at least competent? MotorHEAT is the game industry's apology for that dark time before metacritic and internet message board opinions. Out of the box (or from the download screen) it looks like a cheap game, a throwaway cash-in tech demo or student final project. But from the moment you start, it reveals a depth and a knowledge of what fun is that really strikes you.

MotorHEAT only has three buttons - left, right and TURBO. That's it. Don't worry about acceleration, MotorHEAT knows you want the pedal to the metal the whole game, and so you start at, and cannot go less than, MAX SPEED. They do a good job at recreating the wanton destruction of Burnout 2 mixed in with the speed from WipeOutXL. It's a gestalt of the best racing games from the PS1 era, with great graphics for a 1-dollar game. More importantly, though the graphics aren't 1080i at full resolution, they don't have anything in them that takes away from the experience.

MotorHEAT even does a few things for three dollars that several full titles don't. While it doesn't have true Achievements, it does feature a few dozen in-game "awards," along with a metrics screen that tracks how close you are to achieving each one. It also seamlessly integrates with the XBox Message Center to send challenges/boast to your friends (and also give people who may not have even seen the Indie Games section a game to buy).

While it certainly wears out its welcome in extended-play sessions, MotorHEAT - when enjoyed in half-hour sessions while chatting on Party Chat or waiting for a slot to open in a multiplayer game with your gang - is pure bliss.

Graphics: Good PS1/N64 quality. Some blurriness in the backgrounds, but it has customizable player cars. 3.
Sound: A little muted. The music is forgettable and the vroom-vroom sounds anemic. 2.
Controls: It only has 3, and you only need three. You feel as in control as you can at 220kmph. 4.
Tilt: A perfect distraction, with lots of polish and a few tricks full titles could learn from. 4.
Overall (not an average): 4.