Street Outlaws: The List

I really don't know what people were expecting with this game. It's a low budget game, based on a low budget reality show, with a budget price of 20 bucks. If you're expecting licensed cars, controller support outside the more common devices, hardcore physics simulations... look elsewhere. This is a budget game that feels like the devs built it in their own garage using little more than some experience and a passion to create something good. They took a very limited set of pieces and systems to try and replicate the feelings of a Forza or Gran Turismo... and I'd say they came darn close. The flow of the game is "Race Weeks" where every few days you challenge other drivers to a drag race for big bucks and experience. The Drag Racing is a series of simple minigames as you warm your tires, get close to the line and then drive the line which well-timed shifting. This in particular, is not real physics but a test of your ability to react to random shifts in your direction. (Your car can be customized to help your speed, acceleration and reduce the random movements) Late game, you end up on "The List" and your success on Race Days moves you up and down the ranks. It's worth noting that Race Days are the only part of this game you can't retry. One you're on the list, the stakes become real and it's exciting, frustrating and/or satisfying. It was clearly an intentional move that the developers made. Between Race Weeks you do a variety of car challenges ranging from a driving course time trial, to smashing through target objects, to 1v1 drag races, to car based Skee-Ball. Most of the driving challenges use arcade-style driving physics. It's a bit slippery, doesn't feel as satisfying as a good sim, but it works well as a way of earning money, adding variety, and having more to the game than the 15 second long drag race minigames. I will say that this flow has one major problem and that's that you aren't given any option in the challenges between Race Days. This actively takes away my control and hurts the experience. Even worse, it doesn't let me practice the Drag Racing that I need to go up the list. After 5 days or arcade course racing, I'm rusty for the moment of truth. They really needed to give you more freedom between Race Days because this is genuinely a bad part of the experience. The customization system is extremely arcade-y and simple, but there were obvious attempts to add depth and interesting decisions to the system. Each part has a randomized power rating that you want as high as possible and potential set attributes. If you have matching sets, you gain a percentage boost to your power. While simple, these set bonuses can make a lower power part more useful to your overall build. You can either spend large amounts of money to buy parts specifically or you can search the junkyard giving you a chance to buy randomized pieces at a major discount. There is a genuine satisfaction when you dig out a Gold Tier items that matches your set and they literally give it to you for free. This entire system is simple and easy to learn, but it works very well. At the end of the day, this is a budget game. I probably wouldn't recommend it for more than half-price and it's absolutely not must play. But I've more than gotten my moneys worth and I've got more hours to go before I'm ready to move on.