3D Pixel Racing Review

Dot Game Drivers.

Lucas M. Thomas Avatar

Updated: May 5, 2012 4:40am UTC

I had to check and make sure this one wasn't coming from the same developers who made 3D Dot Game Heroes for the PS3 last year, because it certainly looks like the same style. Nope. It's a different studio.
Imagining that game's blocky, 3D pixel visuals mashed up with a Mario Kart racer gives you just about everything you need to know about Microforum's 3D Pixel Racing though. It's like if you could have pushed the camera down to zoom in close to the action of those blocky old 8-bit racing games on the NES, and found that the cars really were just as cube-like up close as they looked to be from a distance.

I like the look a lot, as this kind of style is just beginning to be explored by the industry and this is certainly the first racer to use it – it's a good match, as the boxy cars get paired with equally boxy drivers and speed through boxy environments. The presentation, too, is great. The game is packed with tons of different modes and options, unlockable cars and drivers, custom paint colors for your ride and more.

The game just sadly doesn't impress as much in actual gameplay. Sideways Wii Remote twisting (with or without a Wii Wheel accessory) is the only supported control type, and it feels a little too squirrelly to really keep a grip on. Some odd design choices plague the racetracks, too, like invisible off-limits areas that reset you back on the track (and drop your position severely behind the competition) if you stray even slightly off the road.

Trying to cut that corner to get ahead? Too bad. You're at the back of the pack now, as if Lakitu just had to pull you out of a water hazard.

Verdict

Overall, then, 3D Pixel Racing averages out to be somewhere around the Okay range. Drop five bucks on it in the Wii Shop if you're looking for a fresh racing fix with a unique new look, but just don't expect it to dethrone the best racers already in your Wii library.