10:00 AM
Brighton, England
Reflex (Alpha Build) Outsourced Car Reviews II
The following morning, amid the regular office bustle, Mark wastes little time in testing the remaining batch of cars.
“Not your average all-rounder, the Guttersnipe is a jack of all trades, with its all-wheel steering making it a master of one.”
Waiting for the rally car’s description to scroll along, Mark’s eyes light up at the mention of all-wheel steering. That oughta make things interesting. And what better course to test it on than Reflex City, with its many 90-degree turns?
By the middle of the race, Mark is reconsidering his decision to set the drones to Elite difficulty. Although the Guttersnipe’s agility is practically unmatched, it comes at the cost of drifts being next to impossible to do cleanly anywhere other than tight corners. As a result, he has to resort to slipstreaming from the middle of the pack to build up power.
Well, shit, guess I got no power for the subway route, Mark mutters internally as he heads into the second and final lap, having used all of his precious little power on smaller explosions to desperately try and rein the leaders in.
Mark’s patience with the Guttersnipe’s unwillingness to drift is finally exhausted when, at the behest of a drone, a Skycrane helicopter drags a giant mining truck across the road like a little kid would drag a suitcase along the airport floor after a three-hour flight. Both the car and his hopes of winning the race are nothing short of flattened.
“Fuck!” Mark’s unsuccessfully stifled outburst turns heads in the office for a few seconds.
@Rise_Comics
⬣ ELITE GUTTERSNIPE RX RESULTS
Something about the way the car handles doesn’t sit right with Mark, and as he digs into the car’s code to pinpoint the cause of “this bullshit” (as he so eloquently explained it to the others a minute ago), he finds that the car is noticeably lighter than it should be. No wonder…
────────────────────────┌────────────────▀▀▀▀▀▀
⬢ WRECKED BY WEBB ▂
▄▄▄▄▄▄────────────────┘
────────────────────────
OOC: Another 50-weight-optimization-related instabin with a number of other shortcomings, the Elite Guttersnipe RX presents an interesting concept, but both its design and tuning let it down. For starters, more could have been done with the engine—it peaks at redline, and said redline is well over 1000 rpm short of the engine internals’ stress threshold.
In terms of design, while the single-piece Audi R8 taillights have been used to passable effect, the rounded-rectangle aesthetic in general hurts aggressiveness, and the yellow halogen fog lights and multitude of flat orange indicators (including on the… front fender vent slats??) similarly impact the modernity of the design. Also raising an eyebrow or two are the transparent window glass (in spite of the lack of an interior), the awkwardly placed vents on the otherwise barren hood, and the exposed, unguarded intercooler that almost begs to get damaged beyond repair in a fender bender. Oh, and the rear radiator fans are positively Hugh Mogus.
Last but not least, while four-wheel steering in the context of a game that expects you to drift is interesting, I decided to lean into the less desirable implications of such a mechanic, since, well, I wasn’t looking for a rehash of the Wiltflower bin.
“A meticulously engineered GT racer with the engine behind the rear axle, the Kaiser LMT takes corners like a champ with its nose pointed forward… or sideways!”
Ooh, I love a good not-a-Porsche. And this looks like quite the drifter, too!
The Kastell Kaiser LMT, as it’s referred to in the game, makes almost no effort to hide its real-world inspiration, but as Mark is inclined to believe, no one does rear-engined speed machines quite like those odd German folks. He has high hopes for this one, especially given the failure of the last few cars to meet his standards.
Taking the Kaiser to Reflex City once again, Mark takes his time to get used to the car’s unique drifting behaviour; it seems to corner much tighter when burning rubber, which helps it snake through the cityscape’s multitude of sharp turns. It also holds drifts well through said sharp turns, though its grip makes getting the rear end out in the first place tricky.
Mark notes that even with Reflex's distinctly arcadey handling, the Kaiser could use a little more refinement. Nevertheless, he’s having a much better time in the Kaiser than in the Guttersnipe, and as the home straight approaches, the orange-outlined hexagonal icon calls to him.
Without warning, the stretch of road ahead of the finish line explosively caves in to reveal a wide yet somewhat short under-construction railway tunnel. At the other end of the tunnel lies another hole in the road that, with the help of collapsed bits of a tunnel boring machine acting as a ramp, whisks the cars away to an area of the city outside the regular race course.
@Danicoptero
⬣ KASTELL KAISER LMT RESULTS
That’s more like it, Mark muses to himself, satisfied with another successful race.
────┌────────────────▀▀▀▀▀▀
⬢ YOU WRECKED BEAUMONT ▂
▄▄▄▄▄▄────────────────┘
────
OOC: Elevating the obligatory Beetle on steroids beyond Split/Second's own Cayman-Panamera hybrid, the Kaiser instead follows in the footsteps of the new 935, but I feel like the rear fenders and lower front and rear vents are a downgrade from the real car in terms of how blocky and rectilinear they are. Additionally, I’ve seen taillights mounted low on race cars, but not that low.
Curiously for something made in the image of an archetypically overengineered German performance car, no quality besides in safety was used whatsoever. This is despite a cost cap that, in retrospect, is probably more than enough for +10 quality across the board.
Lastly, while I wouldn’t go so far as to call the Kaiser “mid”, its overall design isn’t quite as aggressive as I would like (though it is clean), and something could be done to visually break up the single-colour bodywork, even if only in the form of a single longitudinal stripe.
“Bringing a rolling sculpture like the Schiavona 512R onto the set of Reflex doesn’t sound like the smartest idea, but its performance makes it that much more worth it to win in style.”
With more subtle accent colours and surfacing, the Romagna Schiavona 512R forgoes the expected guns-blazing stylistic approach for something more elegant and reserved. Mark wonders if that’ll be offset by its performance, as at first glance, it does seem fairly tail-happy.
This time, the track of choice is Passenger Port, located adjacent to Shipyard but following an almost entirely different route. Instead of under-construction tankers and towering gantry cranes, cruise ships and a sprawling terminal building lie in wait, ready to crush racers’ cars—and their chances at victory—at a moment’s notice.
Mark gets off to a strong start after using a trio of taxis to steamroll the race leader, but after a wing of the terminal building next to the track is rocked by a domino-like chain of explosions, he’s forced to fight an especially strong shockwave for control of the car, narrowly avoiding faceplanting into a concrete barrier. He loses two positions, but luckily for him, it’s still only the first lap.
As expected of the higher-difficulty drones, however, one slaps Mark with a medium-duty box truck. Almost literally, as the flaming truck swaps ends while behind hurled across the width of the track, leading Mark’s Schiavona to T-bone it. Unfortunately for the drone that just wrecked him, his power bar is full.
As the cars speed along a wharf, a loud foghorn signals a medium-sized cruise ship picking up steam from a pier before plowing into the concrete berth, running aground, and coming to rest with its bow wedged into the formerly glass-panelled facade of the terminal building. Two drones crash into the ship’s hull before a nearby section of the terminal collapses, leading the surviving cars onto the building’s roof.
@Xepy
⬣ ROMAGNA SCHIAVONA 512R RESULTS
I’m thinkin’ I should buy the animation team some drinks after this one… oh, and the car’s certainly not bad either.
────┌────────────────▀▀▀▀▀▀
⬢ DOUBLE WRECK ▂
▄▄▄▄▄▄────────────────┘
────
OOC: Design-wise, this execution of the quintessential Italian V12 grand tourer consists of less bark than bite, making it more at home in something like a simcade. Unfortunately, as well-intentioned as the idea to tone down the aggro may be, it finds itself at odds in the context of this challenge. This isn’t to say, though, that it’s completely lacking in that area (as evidenced by the rakish fastback profile, sculpted sides, prominent rear diffuser, and very wide fender flares), but rather that it could use less Ferrari and more Lamborghini.
Regardless, between the general idea, realistic design direction, and clever fixture usage, it’s still a fairly competent entry, and one that the Reflex team will give consideration.
“When Italian ferocity meets explosive velocity, the end result packs quite a punch. We wouldn’t recommend adding drifting to the mix, though.”
From one Italian supercar to the other. Only, this one has its engine on the other end of the driver and, unfortunately for Mark’s play style, doesn’t seem nearly as drifty despite its speed. It’s also quite a looker, but the suspicious lack of a front splitter gives him pause. Nevertheless, it’d be quite a shame to not give it a spin, so to the Freeway course Mark goes.
Early on, he finds that although the Velocita isn’t particularly opposed to throwing its tail out, it tends to lose quite a bit of speed in the process, so drifting along wide, sweeping turns isn’t really an option. This being another urban course, however, there are also plenty of tighter turns offering better opportunities for Mark to gather power. In the Velocita, drifts also come in the form of being shoved across the width of the track by explosions ringing out from the facades of the many trackside buildings.
Approaching the finish line and the stretch of two-story highway shortly after it, Mark seizes the opportunity to strike.
Earth-shaking groans and creaks spell doom for the two drones ahead, as the roadway above them buckles like a concrete and steel tsunami. This wave of explosive carnage effortlessly flings parked cars and semi trucks into the air, where they land onto the course below. Although both drones manage to weave between the rain of traffic, they ultimately fall victim to a tanker truck that explodes as soon as it hits the ground.
Lastly, a chunk of the upper story falls onto the lower one and causes it to collapse, creating a small jump that leads Mark and the drones behind him away from the freeway and into a park.
@Riley
⬣ ROMAGNA VELOCITA RESULTS
Mark can’t help but let out a hearty chuckle after witnessing the destruction he’d just wrought upon his opponents, and perhaps Reflex City itself.
────┌────────────────▀▀▀▀▀▀
⬢ DOUBLE WRECK ▂
▄▄▄▄▄▄────────────────┘
────
OOC: The Velocita’s design has plenty of points of interest that set it apart from the other cars in a good way, such as the noticeably low-set headlights or the classic rear fascia arrangement (i.e. lights above plate inset above exhausts), but also in a bad way, like the lack of engine bay vents on the rear fascia (yes, that’s all black trim), the poorly integrated rectangular rear ducktail spoiler and the boxy corners next to it, and the aforementioned lack of a front splitter, which, to be blunt, makes the car look “chinless”.
Ultimately though, it’s the Velocita’s textbook Italian supercar flair that gives it an edge in looks, and performance-wise, it’s no slouch either.
“While Mikawa hasn’t elaborated on what ‘Hush’ means, we think it has something to do with the concentration needed to keep this beast under control. If you succeed, it’ll be more than worth it.”
Skipping over the Becket Reaver 730 for obvious reasons, Mark finds himself looking at a sleek white hypercar with never-before-seen speed and acceleration… or so the stats say. Only one way to find out if those numbers hold true.
For this race, Concrete Canal is the track of choice, as he hopes its sheer width and large corners in places will give him the opportunity to open the taps on the Hush’s engine. It has no alternate routes, and it’s a little long for being a three-lap course, but Mark has some ideas on how to change that before the game’s release.
As soon as the first corner, the Hush stands out from the rest through handling alone, as its tail starts to step out in corners without Mark even touching the brake. With plenty of coaxing through countersteer, Mark manages to straighten the car out, realizing that he may have an entirely new monster under his control. So this is what the description meant, huh? Well, goddamn.
As the canal snakes along, the Hush’s rear tires can’t catch a break, with Mark keeping the rear end angled out just a little bit… or a lot. The constant drifting sometimes ends up flooding his power bar, but not before two or three drones overtake him and he’s forced to straighten out to catch up again. But with everything he’s throwing at them, the only other thing that slows him down is the wrecked drones’ roll cage-reinforced midsections littering the track.
One thing seems to have kept them behind for longer than usual, though, that being another Skycrane using a mining truck as a giant, expensive wrecking ball before unceremoniously dropping it onto the track. The victim? A sizeable road bridge, followed by 5 drones.
@azkaalfafa
⬣ MIKAWA HUSH RESULTS
Ohhh yeah, this one’s a keeper.
Mark’s thankful that this one’s a higher-tier car, since otherwise, players could easily powerslide through a good chunk of the game’s races.
────┌────────────────▀▀▀▀▀▀
⬢ 5X WRECKS! ▂
▄▄▄▄▄▄────────────────┘
────
OOC: I know the Mikawa logo may seem like the laziest of the bunch, but I just thought it’d be neat if I mashed together an M, a ミ, and a 川. Anyways…
With sculpting rivalled by few other entrants, aggressive proportions to rival sports prototypes, and an exhaustively detailed interior complete with a power gauge, the Mikawa Hush ticks all my boxes where aesthetics are concerned. (Well, except for the somewhat ungainly triple round exhaust tip, which, like the Hurricane’s, sticks out a little too much. There are also a couple of ambient orange interior lighting elements that probably need fixing.)
And with over 1400 horses working to spin the entire planet under the rear wheels, I couldn’t help but envision it as having the same handling characteristics as arguably the most drifty non-DLC car that isn’t the Ryback Firestorm—the good old Cobretti Slipstream.
(Come to the dark power oversteer side… we have cookies! Level 2 Power Plays for days!)
“The bona fide race car that is the Zeron X can put plenty of distance between itself and the competition. Unfortunately, all that speed means it’s utterly defenseless when the competition strikes back.”
Mark certainly hadn’t expected anyone submitting a formula car for inclusion in Reflex, much less one with a yellow canopy. It kind of reminds him of the sci-fi Lego sets he used to have as a kid.
The stats are noteworthy too, as befits an end-game vehicle: it’s ferociously quick, it’s made of paper, and it can drift to at least some extent. Although Mark thinks its speed could be maxed out as well, he thinks the following black-and-purple car might have something to do with this one’s current stat of 9.
In other words, it’s no beginner’s car. Thankfully, Mark’s no beginner.
Speeding between sun-baked rock faces and the bones of decommissioned aircraft at the Scrapyard course, the Zeron doesn’t seem to care that it’s technically driving on a dirt road half the time—it drafts behind opponents, gets its handling upset by shockwaves, and rebounds headlong into the action all the same.
After having just driven the tires off of the Hush, it takes Mark a few corners to acclimate to the Zeron’s lack of power oversteer, or willingness to oversteer in general. However, he finds that when it does, it doesn’t lose too much of its speed.
After yet another almost-successful attempt by a drone to wreck the Zeron with explosives dropped from a helicopter, disaster strikes when explosive charges planted into a cliffside suddenly chuck car-sized boulders across the track… or does it?
@DrDoomD1scord
⬣ ELITE ZERON X RESULTS
Instinctively slamming the brakes, Mark scrapes the Zeron’s nose against a boulder, somehow escaping a guaranteed wreck with only scratched paint… until a drone rear-ends his car and causes it to fall apart where it stands.
As the technical director, Mark knows better than anyone that that’s not how cars are suppposed to crash in this game. He wonders if the same programmer that made landing on top of another car wreck the player’s car as a cheap failsafe is responsible for this, too…
────────────────────────┌────────────────▀▀▀▀▀▀
⬢ WRECKED BY IWASHITA ▂
▄▄▄▄▄▄────────────────┘
────────────────────────
OOC: While the rules call for a roll cage, I don’t see why a halo wouldn’t also count, at least in the context of a formula car. Not that I’d taken formula cars in general into account anyways.
50 weight optimization aside, this car is mainly let down by three dubious design choices: the use of the tire sticker material on the body, the yellow canopy, and the glowing “2.0” on the nose and wing endplates (the latter two of which are more sci-fi than present-day). In addition, there are a pair of lights on the front wing, but given how flat they are, I can’t see them as anything other than DRLs; at least to me, a pair of actual headlights would need more depth to them.
Overall, the idea of a formula car in Reflex sounds like a blast, but even discounting the rule breach, this specific example leaves me wanting something more polished.
“The Naginata may come across as unwieldy compared to your average prototype, but its sheer power should keep you out of reach of anything thrown your way.”
So this is it, the fastest car in the game. Like its polearm namesake, the Elite Naginata looks like a weapon on the track, with more heft than a katana but also a further reach. And reach it seems destined to do, with an aerodynamic body, long wheelbase, and… unusually thick vertical fin. Mark isn’t convinced by the messy mix of round and hard-edged parts either, but he has yet to find out just how fast it can go. And the Airport course, with its forgiving turns and long runway section, seems like the ideal proving ground.
Even on Elite difficulty, the lifeblood of which is ruthless rubberbanding, the drones struggle to keep up with the Naginata. Although it’s much more receptive to sliding than the Zeron, it loses quite a bit of speed in the process, and Mark finds that he can’t slipstream behind opponents for power if there are no opponents to slipstream behind in the first place. Although Mark is still able to fill up parts of his power bar in places, the point remains that this car may very well be too fast for its own good, with few redeeming qualities to make up for its shortcomings.
Heh, I wonder if I can even outrun this route switcher, Mark ponders as he sends the monorail forward once again.
@Fayeding_Spray
⬣ ELITE NAGINATA RESULTS
The game answers with a resounding “no” as the Naginata follows too close to the stray monorail cars and gets its front end pinched by one. Mark decides that it isn’t worth the effort to both rebalance and redesign this car.
────────────────────────┌────────────────▀▀▀▀▀▀
⬢ YOU WRECKED YOURSELF ▂
▄▄▄▄▄▄────────────────┘
────────────────────────
OOC: The only bin where hard requirements weren’t a factor, the Naginata tries to position itself as a more modern equivalent to the swoopy endurance racers of the 2000s, but falls flat on its face thanks to a myriad of design oversights. The blocky lower air intake and front splitter stays clashing with the sleek upper front fenders, the random dip in the bodywork on the nose, the “side vent” cutouts that in actuality are mostly blocked off by bodywork, the fin that’s half a foot thick, with what looks like architectural crown moulding on top… the list goes on.
The hexagonal pattern got my attention at first, and the way it’s carried over to the headlights isn’t bad, but the taillights are a different story; the disjointed shape the hexagons create there looks more at home on a petri dish than even as part of whatever Hyundai and Kia are throwing at the wall nowadays.
To top it all off, even by arcade racer standards, 2286 horsepower is a lot, and if you were expecting the Naginata’s world-beating stats to carry it through the challenge, I’m afraid you misread the priorities.
After having reviewed all of the cars, it’s time to find out which studio to contact to fill the remaining gaps in the car list. To that end, Mark suggests that other Chalk Cliff devs take the wheel so he can gauge everybody’s impressions on each of the remaining cars.
As art lead Bryce Iwashita takes a seat in front of the break room TV, a booming voice is heard as a cutscene shows empty, innocuous-looking parts of Reflex City.
“On today’s episode of Reflex…”
