Quick Look on Top Gear: Race the Stig by BBC
BBC Worldwide released their newest game for the Android platform, hoping to reach out and attract all the fans of the Top Gear show. Featuring no other than “The Stig” himself and “iconic vehicles from the TV show”, should be a reason enough to get your hopes up for an exciting racing experience.
Racing you say? You might think so, but no. Top Gear: Race the Stig is an endless runner type of game where instead of running, well, you drive what appears to be an old MG model. You are apparently racing “The Stig”, but his driving skills are questionable at best. He will stay behind you 90% of the time (out of sight, out of mind), except when he decides to take over for some reason, making your life miserable in the process. “The Stig” immediately moves in front of you and follows your moves left-and-right to the letter until he decides to stop. In the middle of the road. Just like that. What happens then is A) You get through, or B) You rear-end his car, lose the level and start cursing (which is the most likely outcome btw).
When you finally crash your car, “The Stig” politely pulls over and offers to help you get back on the road, but only if you have enough wrenches (spanners) left in your inventory. Those items can be collected while playing, but considering their rarity, you may want to save up since each additional crash will double the amount of wrenches needed to continue playing.
Other than this, Top Gear: Race the Stig is pretty much your standard endless running game. As always, you have to avoid the oncoming obstacles by swiping left, right, up and down, collect coins (in this case “Golden Nuts”) and try to beat your previous best. You can spend those “nuts” to purchase power-ups, or unlock new cars and upgrade your helmet. Exception are the wrenches that can only be acquired by spending real money.
The cartoonish graphic presented in Top Gear: Race the Stig, while nothing spectacular, suit the gameplay perfectly. The overall visual style looks similar to other popular endless running games on the market and while not original, it can surely win you over. Sound effects are decent for the most part, except for the notoriously loud honking that seems to be “out of balance” from the rest of the game. The only good thing about the music is the “Off” button that can be found in the options menu.
Expectations aside, “Race the Stig” can be quite fun for what it is. The “Stig event” can be a bit annoying at times, but once you get a hold of it, it does get better. Besides, this event is the only interaction with the iconic driver you get and probably the reason BBC decided to make this game in the first place. Since it’s “free” and all, The Stig comes with couple of in-app purchases that are entirely optional. You can get more “golden nuts” if you wish to unlock everything right away, or you can get “Stig’s Nut-Doubler” ($2.78) to double the amount of nuts collected. Ads can be quite annoying and generally pop-up after you lose the game, including the “featured video” that can’t be stopped right away. Fortunately, they can easily be removed by spending $0.99 from within the game store. To download the game, just follow the link below.
Dejan B.
[tab:Download] [tab:More Screenshots]
The white coated Top Gear producers have challenged you to drive against Top Gear’s very own tame racing driver.
• Race in iconic vehicles from the TV show
• Customize yourself with a wide selection of helmets
• Soar over the traffic in the Rocket Robin or become invincible with the indestructible pickup
• Show off your high scores and challenge your friends via Facebook and Twitter