Review of Avatar Racedrome for Xbox 360

Graphics and Audio
Avatar Racedrome features superior graphics than many of the other indie games that are currently available from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Players can drive from three different viewpoints: up close third person view, far back third person view, or up front first person view.

While the game does have a better presentation than other titles, there is a lack of variation in scenery. The tracks themselves and backgrounds all look identical (aside from the placement of curves). There is only one car to race (although you can change its color).

There is only one song in the audio track, and it is upbeat and techno. Personally I found it alright for the first couple races; however it quickly irritated me so much that I had to mute my television. This quickly becomes a big negative if playing with friends over Xbox LIVE because you will be unable to carry on a conversation with them. If Avatar Racedrome allowed players to integrate MP3's from the console's hard drive into a game (much like the ability of the original Xbox as some veteran gamers may recall), then this negative could be fixed.

Single Player
Avatar Racedrome has 16 reversible race tracks, creating a total of 32 different tracks. There are three single player modes to choose from: single race, practice, and championship.

One interesting feature about the single player game is that you have the ability to rewind up to 30 seconds and replay the race. This becomes a necessity rather than a convenience when playing in the championship mode because the adaptive AI in Avatar Racedrome increases the difficulty of the game automatically as you improve your driving skills.

Crashing into a wall while taking a sharp turn will drastically reduce your car's speed, allowing the computer generated opponents to overcome your position. The left bumper (rewind) will quickly become your best friend, allowing you to maintain a perfect lead over the competitors.

Multiplayer
Where Avatar Racedrome exceeds is in its multiplayer modes. Two players can race against each other via split screen, and up to 8 players can put the petal to the metal via Xbox LIVE or System Link. Expect to hear a lot of trash talking from your friends whenever they manage to beat you.

Unlike the single player game, multiplayer does not let one use the rewind. That means that some races can be won or lost off of a single mistake. The inability for catch up with other players that are in the lead after crashing into several walls can lead to frustration. Thankfully the vast majority of user created races on Xbox LIVE are only three laps long, meaning that you will only have to wait a minute or two for the next race.

Final Thoughts
With Avatar Racedrome you get exactly what you pay for. $1 will give you a nice little race game that can serve as a quick diversion for five to fifteen minutes at a time, be it by yourself, with a friend, or on Xbox LIVE.

Xbox 360 owners can play the free game trial or purchase it in its entirety here

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