Review: Raging Thunder

Overview A compact, fun and powerful racing challenge from the makers of Crash Bandicoot Nitro Cart 3D, Raging Thunder’s motion controls are possibly the best in the App Store. It’s cheaper than competitors, loads faster and still has a good range of modes and features.

Gameplay

At just 2.8 MB in size, Raging Thunder loads at a blistering pace and can have you twisting and turning through a race course just 10 seconds after launching the app (although you need to quickly tap through the title screen to do so). Steering and acceleration work with very functional motion controls, which are the best we’ve tested (better than those in Asphalt 4) although there is also a touch control option (which isn’t very good and requires you to put a finger in the middle of the screen, blocking much of your view). Users can pick up boosts and money while driving and will also encounter skulls, which will slow the car and seem to be placed in the most optimal driving path (those sneaky developers…). You can also hit the “tackle” option, after following an opponent closely, which boosts your car, allowing you to ram others.

The graphics and scenery are impressive and diverse for such a compact app and there is a good range of game modes, including quick play, arcade, championship, time attack and even a WiFi multiplayer mode. The app doesn’t seem to pause when the screen is darkened, with the music and movement continuing, and it will restart after a phone call, likely leaving you frustrated by whoever decided to call and ask you to Google the nearest Jiffy Lube. Also, the sound seems to randomly stop and then restart at times during play. Odd.

Review

Although the game plays well, loads impressively fast and has a decent amount of depth, it is very difficult. And no, I’m not complaining because I sucked at the game. It really is hard! The AI seems a little out of whack, allowing computer opponents to drive nearly flawless races, often leaving you in the dust with no chance of advancing to the next stage (there are only four cars in each race and the fourth place finisher can’t advance). But the difficulty isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, maybe it increases the lifespan of the game and will keep you coming back to meet the challenge. Then again, it can be discouraging (I was a little frustrated each time I glanced a wall and all three opponents blew past me, never to be seen again).

Another problem was that there was no map to let you know how far along you are in a specific track and where your opponents are. Although there is a monitor to show if there is an opponent close behind or in front of you, it's nice to know what's transpiring in front or behind and what kinds of turns are coming up in the race. Then there’s the question of value. With Asphalt 4, at $9.99, being the best racing game currently available, how does this compare? Although Raging Thunder doesn’t offer the mind-blowing detail, depth and customization of Asphalt 4, it actually succeeds in offering a more responsive driving experience. The only problem is that it’s not very easy to win races, even with the great amount of motion control (which is adjustable). A big positive is that there is not an over-reliance on boosts, as there is in Asphalt 4, which means that driving skill matters much more than your ability to rapidly tap the boost button, although boosts do come into play. For $2 less than Asphalt 4, this is a good, compact option that drives well. I would have liked some better AI and perhaps more track, game mode and car options, but maybe that would have made it too much like Asphalt.

Summary

Raging Thunder is a compact racing app that offers very functional controls. It needs some AI adjustment and it may be slightly overpriced when compared to Asphalt 4, but it does offer a fun and challenging driving experience at a lower price than comparable products.

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