Quantum Redshift

"I think I just Redshift my pants..."

Many years back Sony's second party development team, Psygnosis, released a futuristic racing game called WipeOut for the PlayStaytion. The game combined slick visuals, awesome tunes, stomach-dropping roller coaster-like tracks and pure speed into a winning combination that was one of the highest rated titles ever for that system. Many games have tried to take the throne away from WipeOut since then, and while some have come close, ultimately, all have failed. But, that was before Quantum Redshift. Microsoft's first foray into the genre of high speed futuristic racing, Quantum Redshift just might be the game that dethrones the champ.

Visuals

The first thing you notice about Quantum Redshift is the gorgeous graphics. The game uses bump-mapping extensively, so the texture quality is simply stunning. Only a few games on the Xbox, such as Halo, Rallisport Challenge and Panzer Dragoon Orta, are on par with Quantum Redshift visually. The first time I raced on the Kalau Wastelands track I was shocked by how amazing the graphics looked. The race takes place in a tremendous downpour, and tiny droplets of water are splattered all over the screen the entire time. The effect is impressive to say the least. It's amazing that the developers spent so much time and energy making every last inch of the environments absolutely gorgeous, when a majority of the time is spent flying through them at 800mph. Even more impressive is the fact that the framerate stays at a steady 60fps regardless of what is happening on screen, and draw-in is completely nonexistent. The ships are modeled just as impressively as the environs. Each craft has numerous moving parts (such as brake flaps), slick reflective textures, and even the pilots visible inside. The folks at Curly Monsters certainly know how to harness the power of the Xbox, and luckily, with Quantum Redshift, all that beauty isn't just skin deep.

Gameplay

After all, what good are impressive visuals when the gameplay stinks? Fortunantely, the gameplay in Quantum Redshift is spot-on. The race craft all handle on the ''floaty'' side (similar to the WipeOut series), but that's a given when your vehicle is a hovercraft. Once the handling is mastered, maneuvering around the tracks becomes second nature. Thankfully, the battling aspect of the game takes a back seat to the racing. There are only 4 different types of power-ups that can be acquired during a race: a straight-firing projectile, a homing projectile, an overshield and a power-up that gives you all 3. The weaponry may sound limited, but it really works out to be more of a positive then a negative. Instead of wondering about what weapon to use or what you have equipped, you can concentrate on not smashing into the mountainside at 700mph (and believe me, on Master and Redshift levels you'll need all the concentration you can get).

Audio

The sound in Quantum Redshift is superb. Everything from the whine of the race craft to the kickin' beats by Junkie XL add to the game's superior aural experience. If you ever do get tired of the techno-like soundtrack, just edit the playlist to incorporate ripped songs from your harddrive. On another note, Microsoft chose to use the native language of each of the drivers during the cut scenes (an Austrian person actually speaks Austrian, Russian actually speaks Russian, etc....). It's nice to see a game company not pretend that everyone in the world speaks perfect English.

Depth

In terms of replay value, Quantum Redshift is fairly good. The game starts out with only 7 racers, but more can be unlocked (for a total of 16) as you play. Each racer has a Nemesis (unlocked after beating the Amateur tournament) that will go out of their way to make your life a living hell during the races. Between each race there are cut scenes that serve to explain the motives of each racer and why their Nemesis hates them, but they are brief and don't add very much to the story. Luckily, they can be skipped. Who needs a story in a racing game anyway? When loading your profile, the game shows you how much of the game you have completed in a percentage. With 16 drivers and 5 different circuits (speed levels), don't expect to complete 100% of the game for many months.

Closing Comments

Quantum Redshift is one of the best futuristic racers ever and one of my favorite titles on the Xbox system. With stunning visuals, tight gameplay and good replay value, it's easy to fall in love with this game. Those growing bored with playing Project Gotham, Sega GT 2002, and other traditional racing games (or those who simply do not enjoy those types of racers) will find Quantum Redshift to be a wonderful breath of fresh air.

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Review Recap
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Gameplay: 8 – Insane speeds and floaty controls make this game both fun and challenging. The Redshift speed class is insane.
Visuals: 10 – Some of the best graphics seen a home game console. Breathtaking.
Sound: 9 – Voice acting is good, sound effects fit the atmosphere perfectly and the hovercraft sound believable. Great stuff overall.
Music: 9 – Race tunes are repetitive, but somewhat catchy, and the other various songs in the game are well done. Custom soundtrack support is a big plus.
Lasting Appeal: 7 – This game will take you a very long time to unlock everything, but much of it is repetition.
Fun Factor: 7 – Blazing around the tracks is very fun, but the character storylines are boring and fail to draw you in.

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Final Score: 8.3 (rounded up to 9 for GameFAQs)
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Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/28/03, Updated 06/30/03