This is a game where a bunch of talented developers were stuck in the same room for two years who were never told "no." Instead, they told each other "sure, bro."

Want to make a bunch of new mechanics that are both overcentralizing and near-irrelevant? Sure, bro.

Want to make a 30-60 minute long tutorial you can only skip by winning a race you only can win if you already know how to play the game somehow? Sure, bro.
(Don't even get me started on how the tutorial was before the first patch, the requirements to skip the tutorial were hidden AND you had to clear a max-level race. Actually evil.)

Want to generally nerf items while cranking the knockback to unfathomable degrees which creates scenarios where you can get knocked out of a top position and no item is reasonably strong enough to get you back where you were? Sure, bro.

Want to make items actively feel bad to get because the Ring system is so encouraged while also not letting you use Rings with an item in hand? Sure, bro.

Want to make like 200 tracks but they all have narrow tracks and very tight turns? Sure, bro. Also want to make any uphill slope kill your speed and make you have to STOP IN PLACE to Spin Dash upward VERY SLOWLY? Sure, bro.

Want to make a single player mode where the rubberbanding is overtuned (even after a near launch day nerf, mind you), the AIs will target you even when you're near dead-last, and the Rival explicitly cheats and will steal victories from you? Sure, bro.

Want to make an unlock system like Kirby Air Ride but make a bunch of requirements hard, cryptic, and/or straight up unrealistic to achieve unless you dedicate literal months of game time? Suuuuure, bro.

Despite its many, MANY problems, the game is still fun and I can see a version of this game where the new additions compliment base SRB2K rather than detract. The Rings being the omnipresent, overbearing problem is an issue I don't see being fixed, though. The devs seem really proud of their Ring system even if it kills the Kart aspect by making items less used/encouraged. I can always hope, though.

tl;dr Imagine if Mario Kart was mixed with F-Zero but all the worst parts of F-Zero were mixed in with a dash of unique jank and bad decisions. Enjoyable for kart-racer tryhards, completionists, and masochists, and nobody else.

The lowly console owner that I am, I spent two years waiting to be able to play the sequel to one of my favorite games of all time. After all that, there's no way it could actually live up to the lofty expectations I had set for it, right?

Right?

Yeah, Freedom Planet 2 is freaking incredible, it's wild how much it blows its predecessor out of the water in terms of polish and scope. If FP1 was in my Top 20 favorite games, then FP2 is a Top 10, maybe even a Top 5. It pretty much checks every single box in terms of what I want from a game. Complex and fluid movement, satisfying combat with a high skill ceiling, level design that's consistently fun and inventive, bombastic boss fights, loads of side content, adorable character designs, an engaging character-driven story (seriously it's way better this time), utterly gorgeous and cartoonishly colorful visuals, and an incredible soundtrack. It elevates Freedom Planet from a lovely homage to the Genesis era to an all-timer platformer series that can stand on its own alongside some of my favorites in the genre.

SRB2Kart wasn't the best racing game ever. However, for a piece of free software made by fans that's basically running on the DOOM engine, it's safe to say it's more than impressive. At its core, SRB2Kart is essentially free Mario Kart for your PC, with some noticeable differences, of course. Anyone could pick it up, and while they may not understand it at first, it wouldn't take long before they start getting a good grip on the basics. Download a few funny mods, get some friends in a call, and you'll be playing as Peter Griffin on Coconut Mall in just a few minutes. In a way, the experience feels somewhat cobbled together, but it's so simple and fun, which makes for a chill experience with an amazing amount of replayability.

Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers, in its current form, is a fantastic game that is otherwise hidden beneath a heap of questionable choices. In what seems like a quest to be a full-fledged, retail-quality game, Ring Racers starts with the base of SRB2Kart, bloats it exponentially, and locks away features that were available from the get-go. For most SRB2Kart fans, it's unfortunate, given how the actual vibe and presentation of the game is so expertly crafted, professional, and most of all: fun.

When you first boot it up, you're greeted with a lengthy, unskippable sequence as they let you adjust your game settings. Even though it's a little slow, I like this intro a lot; Tails' and Robotnik's friendship is cute, the sequence overall looks and sounds great, and it sets the tone to show how much more sophisticated the whole package is compared to its predecessor.

From there, you are sucker-punched into a nearly hour-long^ tutorial as the game slings a seemingly never-ending barrage of mechanics and dialog at you. An entire Ring economy, melee attacks, spin dashes, fast-falling, easy-braking, trick pads, trick directions, hill physics, and so much more; it involves a lot more thinking than the average kart racer. It's pretty overwhelming. After completing the tutorial (with no real understanding of what I went through), I jumped into a Grand Prix cup only to get my ass handed to me on a silver platter while on Easy Mode. After a few tries, I got brought to the Unlocks Screen after winning. Once again, I got sucker-punched when I made the realization that Online Mode is an unlockable; I have to convince my friends to traverse the same gauntlet I just endured if they want to play online with me. Of course, you can use cheats to bypass this, but I don't think this should be the default experience. They're really going to scare off more casual players with this sort of first impression.

Aside from the racing mechanics and tutorial, there's a lot of other unpleasant changes: The controls don't feel as tight, mods are unlocked after you complete 4 cups, alternate character colors have to be found on each track, Time Trials are locked behind collecting character colors, the CPUs seem to rubber-band like crazy even on Easy Mode, CPUs love using the melee attacks so it feels like you get battered around more than you do in Mario Kart, the "use weapon" button has 4 different functions, and the list goes on^.

I feel like a dick complaining about it considering this is a free game that had thousands of hours put into its development. I almost feel I’m being unfair to it. As a standalone entry, it has more than enough potential to be great. I can clearly see the vision: rather than making an experimental game that feels like a disjointed mod of a mod of a mod, they instead wanted to deliver a more robust and cohesive package – a game that truly feels like a "real game” you could pick from a store shelf. A finished game that is unmistakably unique. The spritework, the tracks, the menus, and the custom music are all gorgeous and you can tell so much passion and dedication went into it all of it. As someone who attempted to make content for the original game, I can assure you making nearly anything for this engine is not an easy process.

However, due to the fact it's a sequel, it unfortunately comes with a lot of preconceived notions, like not having to unlock Online Mode, character colors, or whatever. It's very difficult to divorce it from its predecessor: a game widely popularized for being both accessible and highly customizable from the start. As a result, it's hard to not feel a bit unsatisfied with how the gameplay and progression turned out. Many players' expectations were defied, and mostly not for the better. I think they severely underestimated the value of how easy it was to pick up and play SRB2Kart on a whim.

So far, I'm more comfortable labeling Ring Racers as an alternative way to play SRB2Kart (primarily for hardcore veterans) rather than a replacement or even an upgrade. With this in mind, I do find myself wanting to play more of it despite the many frustrations. I'm not won over by this game just yet, but there's definitely something interesting here. I think I would be okay with a good portion of the changes if the CPUs weren't so merciless, but there's still some heavy adjustments to be made beyond that.

I don't have a rating on this yet because I would like to see how this game shapes up over time from feedback.

^: As of v2.1, you can exit the tutorial once you reach a fairly early point. They've also made Online, Mods, and Time Attack unlock much earlier. I'm very glad they're responsive to some of the feedback already.
Also I suppose Time Attack was not actually hidden behind finding character colors? I can't find a concrete answer, so I apologize for perpetuating misinfo if this is the case.

It's good to be honest.
It makes it different enough from SRB2K for not leave it obsolete.
It becomes obsolete on its own.

EN: Out of jokes, I am very mixed with this game.

To start, the tutorial is extremely long, it took me ONE FUCKING HOUR, it doesn't explain its mechanics well and too much text, it's a racing game, the first thing you want to do is get there and play, if there is going to be a tutorial it should be short and concise, but they don't even do that.

You go to the main menu, imagine you are in a group with friends who want to play online, you go to the mode and you find out that you MUST MAKE A GRANDPRIX PARTICIPATION TO PLAY ONLINE, they even block you from USING MODS, it's a decision that totally destroys what this genre does so well, get in and play, luckily they can improve all this in future updates.

My big problem is with the Gameplay, while it has very cool implementations like for example now getting Items becomes a roulette in which you can activate the skill you need at the moment, there are other very ridiculous decisions like adding quick drops, spending rings and tricks with springs, also the modification of physics and speeds, to the point that all this makes me think that it doesn't feel like I'm going full speed and I pray to stay on the road, if you run out of coins you will punish yourself enormously.

All these changes totally take away my desire to play, not even friends will want to play this game because of the many limitations this game gives you, its release leaves me quite bitter, but I am also optimistic for the future of this game.



Es bastante simpático.
Lo hace lo suficientemente diferente de SRB2K para no dejarlo obsoleto.
Se vuelve obsoleto por sí mismo.

ES: Fuera de bromas, estoy muy mixto con este juego.

Para iniciar, el tutorial es extremadamente largo, me duró UNA PUTA HORA, no explica bien sus mecánicas y demasiado texto, es un juego de carreras, lo primero que quieres hacer es llegar y jugar, si habrá un tutorial debe ser breve y consciso, pero ni eso logran.

Vas al menú principal, imagina estás en un grupo con amigos que quieren jugar online, vas al modo y te enteras que DEBES HACER UNA PARTIDA GRANDPRIX PARA JUGAR ONLINE, incluso te bloquean el USO DE MODS, es una decisión que destruye totalmente lo que este género hace tan bien, entrar y jugar, por suerte se puede mejorar todo esto en futuras actualizaciones.

Mi gran problema es con el Gameplay, si bien tiene implementaciones muy geniales como por ejemplo que ahora la obtención de Items se vuelve una ruleta en la cual puedes activar la habilidad que necesites en el momento, hay otras decisiones muy ridículas como añadir caídas rápidas, gasto de anillos y trucos con muelles, también la modificación de físicas y velocidades, al punto de que todo esto me hace pensar que no parece que esté yendo a máxima velocidad y rezo para mantenerme en la carretera, si te quedas sin monedas te castigarás enormemente.

Todos estos cambios alejan totalmente mis ganas de jugar, ni siquiera amigos querrán jugar este juego por las tantas limitaciones que te da este juego, su lanzamiento me deja bastante amargo, pero también estoy optimista por el futuro de este juego.

this game sucks compared to kart, bunch of overly complex changes made to the game making it extremely overwhelming, the tutorial it makes you go through doesn't helps with that feeling neither, and this is coming from someone that has been playing Kart v1 since version 1.2

also, to the dev that thought changing arle's voice to the puyo pop english voicelines was a good idea: go fuck yourself

oh, did i forget to mention that most basic stuff that wasn't locked in kart is now locked behind dumb challenges? THE ABILITY TO LOAD MODS AND PLAY ONLINE IS LOCKED BEHIND CHALLENGES, WHO THE FUCK DOES THAT??? anyways here's a save that has most of the stuff unlocked, grab it while it lasts
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/857867797874212865/1232898299904786462/ringdata.dat?ex=662b2184&is=6629d004&hm=84eb18fc0dbedeae71ae4cc0fd91506e8a705f28243eaf92bafe818c2e8ed22b&

Before there was Oblivion with guns, there was Resident Evil 4 without guns. More so than with respect to even its emphasis on crowd control, dynamic difficulty scaling or abundance of contextual carpal tunnel generators, God Hand’s arguably most reminiscent of its spiritual cousin in terms of how forward-thinking it is.

An action game likes convenience. To be able to jump in and fight what you want, when you want with as little fluff as possible’s part of why DMC’s Bloody Palace (or equivalents) became a genre mainstay, why Bayonetta 3’s revamped chapter select system is probably the single most underappreciated feature of 2022 and why the not-infrequent complaint about Nioh having a level select menu is so mystifying. Play enough games from when this family tree was still in its relative infancy and you’ll likely realise how easy it is to take such features for granted, which is why it's so cool that God Hand had something like the Fighting Ring so early on in the genre’s history.

A practice area coupled with all sorts of bespoke combat encounters you can tackle and/or fail any number of times, totally free of consequence, would be a natural fit for any action game, but it’s especially great for God Hand because of how its equipment system works. There’s not just a litany of attacks at your disposal, each with their own distinct properties and niches, but you can also equip any of them in any order and assign them to any button. It’s an unprecedented degree of customisation that might’ve otherwise been overwhelming without an area like this, and which I’m not sure’s been matched before or since. The likes of The Wonderful 101, God of War 3 and DMC5 might let me switch from one weapon to any other in any order, but not even they let me build a moveset out of pimp slaps if I feel like it, purely because I can.

The draw of experimentation that comes with this is hampered a bit by certain rough patches – for example, multi-hit attacks occasionally feel disincentivised in a way that doesn’t seem intentional because of how frequently enemies block and counterattack as the difficulty level increases (especially on Hard where you’re permanently at the highest), while low profile moves which dodge enemies’ high attacks for some reason don’t avoid jumping grabs – but what helps keep the combat malleable despite these is the counterhit system. Interrupt an enemy or boss’ attack with one of your own and they’ll varyingly flinch, be stunned, get juggled or launched, even if none of those properties work on them normally. It creates an engaging sense of back-and-forth and ensures you’re never completely strapped for options no matter how suffocating the situation you find yourself in or which moves you've equipped, especially when taken in tandem with being able to cancel any of Gene’s attacks at any point with one of three different dodges (which, provided your thumbs can remain intact, is also particularly helpful for circumventing the aforementioned issues with multihit attacks).

On that point, God Hand’s handling of defence is something more games could probably stand to learn from. The Great Sensei is a sink or swim moment in this respect and, in my view, the embodiment of what makes it shine, stringing together high attacks, vertical attacks and crowd control in blistering succession that demands you have an iron grip on each of Gene’s dodges and what they’re for like no boss before or after him. He would still be infamously difficult because of all this in a vacuum, but I think part of why he’s such a challenge also stems from how many other games with real-time combat systems treat their (often singular) dodge as a one-size-fits-all invincibility bubble and how tough it can be to break the conditioning that that sort of standardisation instils. Lost Judgment is another 3D beat-‘em-up which plays excellently, but despite being 15 years God Hand’s junior on platforms multitudes more powerful, it can’t help but feel comparatively primitive whenever Yagami “evades” a sweep kick by ducking his head. In contrast, God Hand’s more nuanced combination of side/backward dodges and bobbing & weaving reminded me loosely of Soulcalibur, which on top of its counterhit system makes one wonder how much other action games might benefit from leaning into their common ground with fighting games.

Not all of God Hand’s boss fights or enemies utilise its mechanics equally well, the final boss in particular running the risk of jettisoning the player’s goodwill into the bin, but some scattershot ups and downs are to be expected when your game is so bonkers at every turn. It speaks to how entertaining its stages manage to be, both conceptually and in design, that you end the game with no further mechanics than what you start with and it never once feels stale. There’s an inherent excitement that comes with cramming so many clowns, demons, cowboys, Venetian canals, floating pyramids and other seemingly disparate ideas that you don’t know what to expect next; while some might be surprised at the fact that he considers Resident Evil 4 to be the opposite, it’ll likely shock nobody that Shinji Mikami feels that God Hand is the game with the most amount of himself in it. What results is no doubt chaotic, but more than worth looking past the imperfections of for experiencing what’s essentially his and a bunch of other loveable goofballs’ collective personality transcribed onto a disc, which also happens to be perhaps the only game that feels like an interactive version of an action film’s fight choreography.

If you happen to still have a PS2 lying around, I can attest that the ~80 gamerbux that used copies of this bad boy go for are worth it. You may not be you know who, but you’ll feel like it by the end.