The level design in Re-Volt is very good. While there is a separate stunt only track, every normal track also feels like a stunt track. There are jumps, bumps, shortcuts, twists, twirls and turns everywhere. With settings ranging from a supermarket to a museum, things are kept nice and spicy. In addition to the race tracks there are also well-designed battle tracks. Re-Volt also includes a track creation utility that simplifies making tracks. You cannot make anything as complicated or detailed as the stock tracks and the process is still difficult, but the option to make your own tracks is nice.
We did some multi-player testing and found it to be enjoyable. When you've had enough of the single player game, multi-player will definitely add more enjoyment. Poor latency yields cars that pop around a bit, but it doesn't hurt game play in any significant way. Unfortunately you have to use the MSN Game Zone in order to play. While the Zone is probably the best web based tracker, it's still a pain to use and an in game tracker would be better.
The graphics of Re-Volt are awesome. The environments are modeled with tremendous detail. Store shelves are stocked with goods, sprinklers rain on the race, cars reflect off marble floors and tire tracks get left everywhere. The wide variety of cars are small (as they should be), well modeled, and beautifully textured. Iguana really did an excellent job on Re-Volts graphics.
The sound of Re-Volt gets the job done but little else. Tires squeal and engines whine but it doesn't get your heart pumping any more than otherwise. The music is your normal video-game techno though it does have a toy-like higher-pitched feel to it that fits the RC car image of Re-Volt. It adds something, but gets monotonous.
Re-Volt is mainly enjoyable for its beautiful and fun levels. Unfortunately, the realistic RC car feel that was present in the demo is absent from the full game. Re-Volt is therefore an average racer with fantastic graphics and above average levels. If you're looking for eye-candy and jumps but not realistic RC feel, Re-Volt will do it for you. You should also check out our reviews of Rollcage and Driver to see if they will suit you better.
Jon Simon
Assistant Editor