I know there are a lot of good downloadable games lately. But I really wanted to plug one in here that deserves A LOT more attention than it gets. It’s TNT Racers from Keen Games!
I was working at Neon Studios once which became Keen Games at some point. I know some of the people working there and I respect and admire their dedication to polish and excellence. TNT Racers is yet another example. It’s pretty much a clone of the old Micro Machines but done right. It has the familiar mechanic where you goal is to get ahead of the opposition so far that the camera can’t keep you all at the screen at once anymore. Additionally, Keen have introduced some vital gameplay tweaks. Defeated players are able to participate in the race as ghost cars. Ghost cars can’t win the round anymore but they can still sabotage other players. Also, there are Mario Kart-style pickups with a good variety of effects.
Otherwise, it’s just awesomely polished racing physic and excellent track design. Especially when you have friends over, it’s a blast to play. Unfortunately, Keen is not a big studio and it seems like the title just doesn’t get any publicity. Considering it’s quality it just doesn’t deserve it. If you own a console, do yourself a favor and at least try the demo. Also, spread the word!
Cool. This was the one I got to playtest when we visited Keen. I didn’t know it had been released. I’ll have to check it out.