Future Aero Racing S Ultra

Captures the aesthetic of the early 2000s in a high-speed racer with elements of Wipeout, F-Zero and Episode One: Podracer.

The game tries to be an F-Zero/ Wipeout clone with a Ridge Racer appeal. While not a bad game, the controls can be a tad clunky, the AI difficulty can be a bit cheap at times to the point of your vehicle getting KOed on the first lap, and the narrow tracks can make it difficult to navigate. The game is pretty neat, but in terms of gameplay and controls, It needed more polish. Still worth checking out though.

JANK BUT CHARMING. If that isn't a one sentence summary, then what is? Ahem. Future Aero Racing S Ultra is actually a sequel to Future Aero Racing, a previously distributed game that has since left the shelves of NURENDSOFT's internal store. In a direct comparison, the physics of its predecessor are far superior, even with the digital input turning still there. S Ultra tried to implement the tighter turning of FAR to little avail with the hard turn inputs, even as you could clear corners easier. Then there's the aforementioned digital inputs. *shudder* I do not want anyone else to suffer that, however manageable it is. ALMOST forgot the music: The music is an eclectic selection, giving this game further identity that separates it from the likes of Redout and BallisticNG, with a minimalist tinge that lets you focus on the race. Good stuff for a one man army. Visuals: This game tries to capture the spirit of F-Zero by using brighter colors and some cel shading when on the track. The character designs are reminiscent of F-Zero GX/AX, albeit cleaner looking. All in all, a valiant attempt. One major gripe I have is at Big Rock Canyon where your vision is seriously disrupted at higher altitudes by badly implemented snow. Gameplay: Instead of FAR's steadily charging boost, you have boost pads that charge up a secondary boost to use at your discretion. This boost provides a shield for the duration of its effect and is used for both avoiding damage and initiating Takedowns, setting your target back with a delayed respawn. In true F-Zero fashion, you have a neutral shield. When that goes down, your craft is boned and you have to respawn. To refill the shield, you can either take down an opponent or complete a lap, which is pretty mandatory in a race. (Oh, and try not to suffer a direct hit with the wall. That's guaranteed destruction.) Controls: Hoo boy. There's a lot to like and dislike here. You have accelerating, boosting, brakes, camera changing, a rear view camera, hard leaning and of course your standard movement controls on the stick or DPad, but I haven't tried finding where the keyboard controls are yet. Everything BUT the movement feels good. Why? It's quite jank, and attempting to correct your course slightly can still land your bum on the wall, however reduced the impact might be. It just isn't conducive to the much tighter tracks, and even some of the more standard ones. This is why analog is superior to many and it's why modern racing adheres to analog as a requirement in development. To give a 1 to 10 rating: I would rate it a 7.5. The game does its best to sate the futuristic speed demons like me, but a number of troubles keep this from going any higher in rating.

The game is fun but barebones and somewhat difficult to control. But for such a low asking price, I think it's ultimately worth it.

I got this on sale since I'm always looking to give an AG racer a chance, even if it has some rough edges. Unfortunately, the game itself does little to make up for its vast shortcomings. The aesthetic barely captures the nostalgia of the genre from previous generations, especially in comparison to other games that nail it perfectly. The turning feels jarring and unruly, without any satisfying weight to back it up. Tight sections of the track are especially bad, where your ship flip-flops back and forth over and over, making even someone like me feel tired of its general eye damage. Its music is discordant, bare, and repetitive, with no personality. A robotic voice faintly calls out useless information fairly frequently throughout a race, and the sounds for the main menu make it sound like you're constantly getting notifications. All of the audio complaints combined make it so that the entire game is best played muted, leaving you with nothing but its visuals that only a mother could love. I'd like to believe there's something hidden in here somewhere, but the game also feels like it's frugally holding itself behind menial races I have no patience for. The only ship you start with is a branded ship of the developer themselves, which feels stupid and cheeky. Even the option to toggle retro graphics is locked behind progress as well, so all in all, I have nothing good to say really.