If we cannot have an actually F-Zero, FAST Racing NEO definitely is a great substitute. This is a fun and challenging Wii U racer that will keep you entertained for a long while, and an outstanding experience especially for a relatively unknown indie studio.
With no new F-Zero or Wipeout out there, Fast Racing Neo is a totally recommendable choice for futuristic racing game fans. Given the very high difficulty level, only real hardcore gamers must apply.
Wow!!! What a surprise! The graphics, the speed, it's just an amazing game! A must-have on WiiU. It will get very difficult in the later Stages, but i can just encourage you to keep on playing, its very rewarding when you master it!
Wii U owners? Mario Kart not skilful enough? NFS Most Wanted too technical and realistic for you? FAST Racing NEO is your saving grace! For just £11 you get a great game with a generic name. Seriously, "FAST Racing"? Is that the best you could come up with, Shin'en? But it really does earn the "FAST" pasrt, even the fact that it's in all-caps. It's REALLY FAST. And REALLY GOOD, at that. A must-buy for Wii U owners who like their racing games!
Fast Racing Neo isn’t F-Zero, nor is it Wipeout, and it’s definitely not Ikaruga. It is, however, a shining example of futuristic racing that’ll help fill a void in Nintendo’s Wii U catalogue. While its difficulty level may not be as welcoming as most modern gamers are used to, those who persevere will discover a pure racing experience that manages to retain its own identity.
Fast Neo Racing is a pretty game with solid racing and a fantastic sense of speed. It’s a sparse experience without much to engage you outside of straightforward racing, but works as a quality reminder of the high-speed sci-fi racing genre that we thought had been forgotten.
The game inherits the whole spirit of the F-Zero franchise and takes it to a whole new level. Great graphics, sound and of course the price! It´s like the best mix of Wipeout and F-Zero a fan could ask for.
This is very much an arcade experience unlike any other in recent memory. No story, no intro's, just press a few buttons and you're good to go. Load times are quick and the races are fast and thrilling, further emphasizing the arcade nature of the game. Visually this game is absolutely gorgeous by any console standards, with a smooth 60 fps and zero slow down for single player as well as local 2 player co-op.
However, both the best and worst part of the game is its difficulty. Fast Racing Neo is a very challenging game, but for me it walks the line between difficult and frustrating. Making even the smallest mistake can knock you out of the top 3 and by the time you respawn after a crash -which happens fairly quickly btw- you'll be in (second to) last place for sure. Even the lowest difficulty setting is quite a challenge to pass, and higher difficulties will require full mastering of the game's mechanics, lightning fast reactions and near-perfect races.
All in all, this is a good game that's good value for your money. The difficulty wall can be very frustrating at times, but the game is fun, fast, arcade like and beautiful. I'd say it's an indie game with AAA qualities.
Fast Racing Neo, as the first word clearly tells, is VERY fast! The game is very exciting as you speed through 16 very distinct, well-made tracks. The gorgeous visuals only add to the enjoyment when you're immersed in all of the game's locations. The phase shifting mechanic is also a fun element that adds to the intensity of the game.
The game is, by no means, perfect or for everyone however. For those who enjoyed the crazy difficult challenges of F-Zero, like myself, this game will be a treat, but the bar may be set too high for many others, which is a shame because certain content can only be accessed by beating the merciless bots in Championship mode.
Online mode was fun for a little while, but it brought another major problem to light: the game's glitches. Less than a month after release, players have already found extremely broken shortcuts to win every race, thus making online racing unplayable. You can also see these glitches at work when you see the worldwide fastest times for each cup. You can't be too hard on it though, since this game was developed by a VERY small group. Hopefully, there will be a patch.
Local multiplayer is probably the best part about this game, supporting 4-player racing.
Despite the glitches online, the racing mechanics, track design, and difficulty in single player and local multiplayer make this game a steal at only $15 on the eShop!
Highly overrated! Why, because this game is lacking depth in many ways and other bad design decisions:
- No car tuning whatsoever
- Not enough event variety
- Weird save-game mechanism
It could have be a really good game if some more development would have put into it.
I really wanted to love Fast Racing Neo, and it certainly would if visuals alone were a game, be a to own racing game on near any system. It is gorgeous, and the environments create wonderful immersion with their style. The sound effects scheme is a bit repetitive though. And the music, while well suited to the game is not particularly memorable.
As for game play?
Falls flat, because the racing controls are just inconsistent. Speeds, angle, are all specific track and even specific turn specific... to an insanely obnoxious and nonsensical point. Try and take a similar turn elsewhere, at similar speeds with the same racer? Sorry, get ready to watch the racer react against what all previous experience from earlier tracks would make you expect it to be. (Even happens with similar turns on the same track.) This alone kills Fast Racing Neo as a racing game.
Other cons,
No way to change the default control layout. And the default layout is rather poor with the placement of the gas button on Wii U game pad and controller pro.
Pointless 'You'll crash' gimmicks/angles on some tracks where your race will fly off (somewhat arbitrarly it feels) no matter how hard you try to not. And you'll be treated to a last place position which will just **** the last remaining bits of fun out of the Fast Racing Neo experience.
It ultimately is very sloppy on controls for a racing game, which is a death nail in the genre.