My younger self would have loved this. But I’m no longer that kid, and it immediately becomes a case of 'too little, too late.' Seeing where the Test Drive series ended up, maybe this is how you revive a franchise. I won’t pretend TXR didn’t make waves back in the day and now it's revival acts like a time capsule in an era where 'PS2' is often used as a pejorative. The game doesn’t boast the highest fidelity, but it looks good. I love the car models, the overall vibe… yet I just can’t connect with it.

TXR is a mixed experience. I’m too used to rallies and endurance races now that I had to rewire my brain for a straightforward highway racer. Oddly enough, it becomes addictive, even though I firmly believe the game lacks challenge and depth. These flaws could be fixed near launch, though.

The first 3–4 hours are a slow grind upward. The next 2–3 hours are more engaging as you familiarize yourself with the mechanics, upgrade your car, and unlock perks. After that, the next 2–3 hours is the real chore where you’re sitting on your ass with a pile of 50+ unused BP and you'd end up with more cash than you could spend. Am I supposed to panic buy upgrades in a racing game?

I can’t help but ask: Why? Why hard-lock cash progression? Why kill the momentum? TXR was never known for its perk system. Sure, perks could evolve the gameplay, but locking content behind certain bosses creates pacing issues. This is especially problematic in early access, where you can’t unlock much until you beat Midnight Cinderella. After that, the game boils down to whether you want to grind for customizable cars or not. If you’re going to hard-lock cars, skills, perks, tunings and your ability to endure rivals and punish rivals through driver level at least have some mercy for the fkn cash.

Unlike the original, you can no longer unlock special cars by defeating rivals instead you have to buy them. Fair enough. But why can’t you sell them back? I bought a custom car, realized it was garbage, and got stuck with it. What’s the point? The boss’s car was actually slower than the boss themselves and didn’t even have nitrous. The worst part of it you can barely buy 1 custom the whole game because you can only hold 7 million until you defeat the final boss only then you can hold up to 15 million which is the almost the cost of the better customs.

The races are always require the same mindset and any average racing fan would point that out immediately. You buy nitrous, spam it at the start, and within 25 meters, you’re already burning through their health bar. Most rivals (even team leaders) are underpowered, making races trivial. When a leader does show up, they’re always behind you (unless you lose and trigger a rematch through flashing), so it’s a no-brainer.

The final two or three bosses require something like an RX-8. The car I’d been using from the start—the one I loved—was quickly outclassed. I saw it coming, especially since the remaining upgrades are locked behind the final boss. That’s certainly a decision… a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ one. The tuning system isn’t overly complex, but since I don’t care much for fine-tuning, it works well enough.

The rivals can’t corner for their miserable lives. If you stop in front of them on an empty highway, they’ll just sit there, stuck. There are also invisible walls (they won't harm your gameplay but they are still odd), which I’ve learned to tolerate. I think tire wear and nitrous exhaustion should have been restricted to races only, allowing for more relaxed free-roaming. As it stands, constantly driving to a parking lot or going back to garage is just a bland choice, especially when the races are already mindless. Maybe it’s intentional (most likely intentional) once you pull ahead, victory is almost guaranteed because the AI acts clueless. But if they’re ahead (usually due to their cars being faster), they barely make mistakes.

Their behavior seems tied to poor pathfinding. They don’t use the full width of the road or proper racing lines. Instead, they stick to rigid, discrete lanes. Remember how they freeze if you block them in free roam? Imagine that in a race. If a slower car is ahead, the AI checks the opposite lane if it’s clear, they swerve over like a normal driver. But if both lanes are blocked, they do something bizarre: they hug the center line, overbrake, and fail to maintain speed through corners.

A few friends of mine who adore this game already made a big deal out of this discussion, and I don’t want to sound overly polarizing but I can’t buy into the whole 'This is what racing games need' narrative. There’s so much room for improvement. $30 isn’t a bad price, but let’s be real: this game’s only standout feature is being a modernized time capsule. Coated old stuff that is. It doesn’t just need tweaks, it needs a whole-ass overhaul. The AI, the progression, the perks… all of it. I want rivals that evolve and learn with each race. I want team leaders and bosses to mean something beyond 'Here’s your cash and BP—now go buy a mediocre custom car.

It’s always daring to square off against a beloved game, but I’d hate myself if I didn’t try. I need this game to be better. Truly better.

★ ★ ½ ☆ ☆

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Words honestly can't express how good this game is!
The gameplay loop is the most addictive and fun loop I've played in many many years.
The simple gameplay has taken away all the tedious stuff, and just presents you with the core fun stuff...
RACING, TUNING AND UPGRADING!!
So much more enjoyable than any NFS game.
You honestly won't be disapointed.
Please support the devs and give it a try!!!

im gonna step on the gas gas gas