Quantum Redshift

"Cold-knuckle Blistering Speed"

Hold on to your hats, boys and girls, Quantum Redshift is going to take you for a ride that you'll _never_ forget. It's got underpinnings that will surely remind you of Wipeout XL, but here's the kicker - it's actually better. Not to mention much, much, much, much faster.

How fast, you ask? It's just mind-numbing. Okay, okay, the Novice level won't immediately throw you into the blender, it's true. But once you're advancing toward the later difficulty levels, like Master, you'd better have your grampa with the pacemaker leave the room. You really feel like you're moving at incredible speed - not many racing games, even the best ones, have been able to inspire a sense of breathlessness like Quantum Redshift can.

Oh, and yes, it's got a good battle system too. Weapon powerups are here, and graphically gorgeous. They're in the same place of the track every time, so you can use strategy and racing skill to acquire the right stuff. A big improvement over previous versions of this type of game, with the annoying random powerup shizbit. You can save up powerups and build them to intense levels by racking up multiple copies of the same weapon - a very sly tactic if used correctly.

But back to the heart and soul of the game - the speed. Once you hop on the turbo boost in later levels, the whole screen becomes a blur. Partially due to a nice special effect added to enhance this visual, but partially because _it's moving so freaking fast_. If you can watch closely enough, you'll realize the blurring begins slightly before the fancy special effect kicks in, due to the rocket speed of the race.

And the other goods are here too - lots of great vehicles to pick from. Fantastic track design, luscious babes in bodysuits in CG cinemas, no rubber-band AI or any similar nonsense, nice short cuts on tracks, great water effects.

My only real complaint is the pointless CG cinemas, which both take awhile to load and are really poorly scripted and pointless. The people look particularly great, but their scripts are so awful it just makes you think that they could've spent an extra 6 man-hours reworking this stuff and wound up with a flawless game.

But ignore them and race. And re-race and learn. And eventually, you'll be crushing your foes and flying by them at blistering speed, a grin spanning the breadth of your face. And that is what Quantum Redshift is all about.

A truly awe-inspiring and therefore literally awesome game, every Xbox owner should check this one out.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/02, Updated 10/21/02