Space Ribbon - Slipstream to the Extreme

[h1]Experienced on the Oculus Rift with Xbox 360 controller[/h1] I actually got this game as a "mystery game" included in a bundle. I was excited because it had VR and I wanted to test it out. However, I was not impressed as I didn't play it for more than 10 minutes. Today, I see that the game is officially released and now I'm looking at the game with fresh eyes, it it worth $9.99? No. I mean it could be worth that much with some tweaks and if you have friends to play local multiplayer with. This is not a bad game per se (at this price range). It just isn't very good because it seems like it didn't focus on the racing arcade fun or mayhem that is normal with this type of racer. This is not Mario Kart and it's not Sonic Racing, it's several notches below those racers. This is a technical, arcade racer where you can modify the game options to make the racing suit your preferences. By default, the game starts on easy with heavy rubber-banding and slip-streaming. I highly recommend you change those settings so it's normal difficulty (much better AI & faster movement) and turn off rubber-banding. I have yet to meet a single person who enjoys rubber-banding. The slip stream can only be changed in the free racing mode, not in the campaign so you're stuck with it in campaign mode. You [b]may[/b] also want to change gravity to high so that your vehicle doesn't end up twisting in the air after a fast bump. With evenly matched cars and high gravity and no slip-streaming, the game does feel a little bit like a bumper car madness. Campaign mode starts out fairly straight-forward, but it does get pretty difficult (even on normal difficulty) after the first few championship races. You'll have to unlock championships, but it's not always clear how to unlock several of those championships. Obviously, winning first place is usually the answer, but you can get over-levelled for some races with some upgrades to your vehicle. And for some strange reason, championship #6 is listed before 5 and I managed to unlock it by getting an upgrade which was never explained. The problem with that is that you'll have to replay championships just to make sure you finish 1st on all stages of that race. Luckily, there is free mode that is basically the same except all the races are unlocked. However, you still have to play campaign mode to unlock certain upgrades and such. There was one psychedelic variant called Cosmic Cup which felt like you are racing while tripping on shrooms. It was really, really trippy. I recommend anyone play that track before reviewing the full game as it may change your opinion of the game. May even make the game worth full retail price for some. Did I have fun? Yes, there were moments of fun. But I also had several frustrating moments. I honestly believe the default modes of this game just suck. Nobody likes being in front and seeing several cars behind you that you know are going to pass you and there's nothing you can do about it (other than to slow down or brake to let them pass you so you have enough time to slip stream in front of them again!). There's also nothing fun about being bumped out of the edge of the track and flipped around high above the track and then land facing the wrong way. I don't get VR nausea, but it may make other people puke. [b]Rating 5.5/10. I've seen this game as low as .99 cents and at that price I would highly recommend it. However, at the normal price of $9.99 or $6.49, I can only give a neutral recommendation (and I'm being generous there!). There's some things to like and some ways to tweak the game to make it more enjoyeable, but the default core part of the game is pretty bland.[/b]