80's Overdrive
Release Date Developer Publisher 7 May 2020 Insane Code Insane CodeI
This game takes you back to the 80’s, as the name would imply: when racing games were still 2D, computer opponents were simultaneously stupid and frustrating to play against, and controls were sluggish at best. And while all of these are also true for 80’s Overdrive, the game and it’s energy is still a fun, albeit shallow, experience.
Play as an up-and-coming racer trying to be the best, duking it out on a variety of auto-generated tracks with themes like “Beach”, “Night City”, and “Mountains”. You’ll be able to buy new cars, upgrade their stats, and, if you’re good enough, ace every single course, all while vibing to 18 tracks of hand-picked vaporwave.
The enemy AI is, to be frank, too stupid to put up a real fight against the player. Instead you’ll be going toe-to-toe with aggressive rubber banding, cop cars that only care about speeding if you’re human, and opponents that are literally faster than you, forcing you to level up your car appropriately.
While 80’s Overdrive was a fun romp for the $2 I paid for it, it definitely had its grating moments. I would only recommend it to those interested in the nostalgia hit or who know they’ll play the tracks again and again until they’ve gotten first in every one.