izigame.me

You can find many things to criticize about Road Redemption. Maybe it's not the sequel to the game you wanted it to be. Maybe it's not pretty, or even bug-free. Maybe the gameplay is repetitive. One thing's for sure, though : It's fun.
Not a racing game by any means, Road redemption puts you on a bike, gives you blunt and sharp weapons (You'll find explosives and guns on the road) and sends you after a bounty carried by a bad guy. Nothing subtle here.
From what I understand, it wasn't the case before but the game is now a roguelike with permanent upgrades you pick at the end of your run. The progression is poorly balanced and too slow at first, but you can definitely beat the game on your first run, should you know what you're doing. That means there's a real sense of personal progression, which is something I didn't expect.
The concept remains the same for the 20 levels of a run. You start at the back of the race, gain boost by beating up other riders friendly enough to come by your side, and use that boost to reach opponents farther ahead. It's simple and yet, very entertaining since there is more to it than initially meets the eye. You have to switch weapons to adapt to the enemy, time your strikes, dodge, block incoming hits, kick riders away from you, watch the road... Mutlitasking at its finest !
The game looks dated, no doubt about it. But again, you won't be looking at the scenery or even the road much with how intense the situation can get. You'll quickly learn, especially on higher difficulties, that if Timmy, on your right, is hitting you with his hammer and his buddy Kevin is charging his mace on the left, you're better off disengaging by braking and trying another approach.
You'll also have to "tame" the sometimes sketchy physics, especially on landing, but they're not a deal breaker. And as with the rest of the game, you will learn, and make do. Once you do, even the challenges that seemed impossible or out of your league at first will look at lot more reasonable, whether it be playing as one of the weaker characters or trying out Campaign +.
Speaking of characters, there are about 20 of them, some being very experimental and almost breaking the game. Even the bike you unlock legitimately by beating the campaign several times is too fast for some of the physics or the Ai. But it's fun ! And that's what the game is all about.
There's just something about kicking someone off a roof or a bridge that never gets old and feels extremely satisfying. Or sticking C4 on a truck and boosting away, or slowing down to watch the fireworks.
Road Redemption may not be a polished nor a clean game, and you probably won't play it for months on end, but you'll have fun. It will let you quench the thirst for bike fighting you never knew you had. And for kicking riders off rooftops. Definitely that. An unpolished but worthwhile dose of fun, and a 7.