Recent reviews by whilstanp

Read this for my full and unbiased review
https://github.com/whilstanp/master/blob/master/honest%20review.txt

Better late than never, but still ain't gonna waste my time explaining from scratch once more, so just read my take on this pile of garbage
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3270036215

I don't understand the criticism of this game (shouldn't be exist in the first place if they know what's this game is all about) so I'll break down into parts:

1. What is this and who is this targeted towards?
Disney Speedstorm probably the better racing game made by Gameloft after Asphalt 7. Between A7 and Speedstorm mostly just microtransactions spam and ♥♥♥♥, but this, this is a nostalgic (and balanced) game for those who hates insults and slurs in (for example) Warzone, Valorant, CS:2, and any other (overly) competitive games. Speedstorm is a CTR-inspired singleplayer game which suited better with your significant ones. If you're xQc or a drama queen in general, don't ever touch this game!

2. How is this compared to CTR/Mario Kart?
Obviously CTR and Mario Kart have better mechanics since Gameloft never really has expertise in making fun & casual games. (Asphalt series mostly realistic and taking inspirations from NFS franchise) One thing that bothers me is the limitations of control mapping. Basically you're stuck with one-handed playstyle and that's pretty much it, but its flaw doesn't trade blows with Speedstorm's selling point, which is colorful and friendly (fun) racing game to wind up from your routines.

3. Why are there virtual currencies and gacha systems?
These are supplementary and you don't have to invest anything into these. Game's pretty generous of rewarding you with stuff, as long as you have enough patience. Obviously there are some events that requires you to use certain racers and levels, but it mostly don't interfere with your singleplayer/seasons progression. So far, I only win races with my favorite lv.10 Mickey Mouse and I'm pretty much having a good time.

Worst track expansion DLC among any other Hot Wheels DLC that existed! Performing executions (overall track layout and shortcuts) in perfection is required to complete every Batman time trials, which defeats the purpose for being such a chill and fun game🙃 We need to do this also on either the base game or on any remaining DLCs, but they don't demand perfect executions or detailed strategies on how to complete each track, so yea, should be self-explanatory, pretty much🤔

Goofy storylines and its overall presentations, makes this game a solid thumbs up for me. The controls are kinda clunky (mouse controls are only usable for vehicular combats and operating turrets/heavy weapons only. basically for any other stuff apart from your primary combat) and this game could be perfect if we could just use mouse all the time. Also, auto-save system feels unnecessary since we're able to just manually save it at any time, but still, kudos to them for making this chad game! (Especially considering this game still on sale for like.... how much? 50 cents!?!) xD

According to the current review state, seems like this game doesn't satisfy enough (more like the majority) of its fanboys, but.... fortunately, they gave us the option to either compromise, alter, or even nullify its simulation elements without ruining its gameplay and/or overall experience, which is completely fine by me, as a racing enthusiast who mostly just want to enjoy the scenery and the general atmosphere. This also compatible with my current save from a pirated copy, which makes it real convenient, as one of those Unreal Engine's true merits that I always applaud for. The only downside is they don't enable cloud save feature for this installment, kinda bummer for me but I just need to adapt and apply some discipline on myself =)

I remembered that I was struggling hard with the OG due to awkward overall mechanics, but now they decided to remake this from scratch, my experience is completely jubilant. It was (unfortunately) a short journey yet so rewarding. I can't express enough on how desperate I want to play this myself and it was a worthy investment in exchange of a solid singleplayer experience🙁 (well... I have the chance, and the budget, to begin with, luckily)

Never expected that this game deserves a review, but after the release of Unbound recently. I would feel that this beats Unbound easily despite of its age. Here's on how I see TC2 from my present self:

1. Criterion doesn't take the conventional 'hyper-realistic' route for Unbound and apparently some people like it as a change/dynamic/variety... BUT, unfortunately, TC2 balances it all. Ubi also tried to be different in addition to include every technological advancement/prowess at its time. (Criterion gave Unbound ray tracing, which isn't possible for TC2) TC2 also offers replayability value so it's a big win.
2. For the sake of story-telling/lore, Unbound takes a win here. However, TC2 never meant to be a singleplayer prodigy title. Ubi opened a blank new page to start a new journey. TC2 focused on vehicle optimization and gameplay features instead of storyline (that also explains TC2 story kinda stale/leaving players hanging)
3. Unbound rises rage and anxiety for many people (especially for the fact that Unbound being a $60/$70 game) while TC2 being the character it delivers. (TC2 already fine the way it is) TC2 tried and get improved overtime, so by now the player base is moderate enough for the skill ceiling, which is explained that Unbound definitely not ready (yet) as a competitive title.
4. Obviously, TC2 has microtransactions, but why does it even matter? IT'S ALL COSMETICS. I'm not gonna buy a brand new release merely for the lore. I bought this for 18 months and I feel so thankful that I can still play it until today, giving this a taste of RTX 3060 that my 'revolutionized' internet café has. I paid ONLY (due to exchange rate, so approximately) $7 for the whole experience (I'll continue my road to 100% assuming that I have the chance)

In conclusion, TC2 wins, at least from the perspective of a third world country. Let them feel the experience of Unbound, who you ask? people who ACTUALLY bought it. They always took money for granted. Having the privilege of better govt (policy) and stability, who doesn't want to live such an ideal life? But ironically life is just that miserable... ^-^

Been a while since my last review so I'll make this short and concise =)

This is among the top of my most wanted games list. Furthermore, the graphics overhaul enhances its experience either for new players or a hardcore nostalgia person. One major thing that I've noticed (during my migration from CODEX's pirated copy to original on Steam) is they nerfed most of the steering mechanics so cars tend to glide further (and sometimes longer). In addition to that, they seemed to... either not caring or not realizing that the AI (even on Hard difficulty) is slightly forgiving than they used to be. In summary each races or events will end faster but that's okay since I'll eventually buy every expansion to enjoy HotWheels for slightly longer.

P.S.: My pirated save is 100% compatible with my original copy without any extra workaround, so I'll have to give a shout to Milestone for that convenience (it also reads my progress of 2/3 expansions entirely) xD
Although by nature Unreal Engine 4 is not the kind of game engine that limits their users strictly, especially in terms of data encryption, so I was kinda expect that will happen =D

GABEN PLS REMOVE THIS ♥♥♥♥ FROM MY LIBRARY WTF MAN CRINGE