When I finally received my Nexus 7 I immediately thought about gaming. Most of my mobile gaming is done on my iPhone, but having a bigger screen has its benefits. I had been hearing about a game titled RipeTide GP so I decided to take the dive(no pun intended) and purchase the game. Now this game is available for both Android and iOS, and though I have played for both devices we will concentrate on the Android version, specifically the Tegra 3 version.
OVERVIEW
RipeTide GP is a futuristic jetsky racer with smooth tunes and modern graphics. The reason I chose to do this review for the Android version is because with the Nexus 7 and its Tegra 3 processor, RipeTide GP enables Tegra 3 exclusive effects(more on that later). The games layout is very clean and basic. Click to start, pick your racer and pick your course, its that easy! From the beginning you have the choice of three racers. Each racer has there own strength and weaknesses. One racer will have a fast acceleration but a much weaker top speed, while another racer will have the opposite specs. The more you play the more characters you can unlock so it helps the game be replayable and adds some player choice and variety, all of which is welcomed. There are also tiers based on the jetsky's speed. For example there are 250cc races along with others such as 500cc and 1000cc. The game will also allow you to pick the stage you want to race in. I'm happy to say the stages have enough variety that they don't become extremely repetitive. The more you play the more stages you will unlock and you will unlock different variations of existing stages also. This game also uses Open Fient for online score keeping and comparing. All in all its a solid game from a developer that obviously put in a lot of time and work into there game.
So, how does this game play? Awesome! Controls are spot on. To steer your rider u use the whole tablet as the controller. The gyroscope and accelerometer definitely come into to play. I've played over games with similar controls but it never seems to get my moves completely correct, but in RipeTide GP the amount you pull/tilt to the right or left will be accurately displayed on the screen. This makes playing this game a thrill. The only on screen button during gameplay is a boost button. Basically you are rewarded for doing tricks during jumps with boost, when your meter is full tap on the boost and your off. The awesome thing about this is the Tegra 3 specific effects. On the iOS versions when you hit the boost button there is a small blur effect and you feel the sense of speed. On the Android Tegra 3 specific version you get massive blur and partical effects, this help to truly sense the speed you are moving at, it also encourages players to do tricks in order to gain boost and therefore an advantage over or opponents. Another Tegra 3 specific effect is splashes of water on your screen. Your racings past your opponent at what seems to be over 100 miles an hour, you hit a wave and SPLASH..... your screen is covers in dripping water. I personally really enjoy this effect and it gives the game a more realistic feel. Add all these effects to the amazing graphics, which I'm convinced are PS2 and GameCube level graphics, and for the price of this game($1.99 US) this is an extreme value. Water moves realistically and simple looks impressive. Environments are detailed and I particularly like the way the sun reflects in the water. Point blank this game impresses in the graphics department. AUDIO Rhythmic modern tunes blast threw the speakers as I confidently take first place. Music is up to par with the rest of this game. I never felt that the music score got repetitive and I always enjoyed the songs. What I didn't enjoy was the lack of splashing sounds. I mean this is a jet sky game and there rarely is sounds that convey water or splashes. I tryed lowering the music volume and raising the sound effects volume but this still didn't really help. This was truly the first let down for me with this game.
CONCLUSION
This game really is a joy to play, it has awesome controls, beautiful graphics, and good music. For 1.99 to me this is a no brainer. If you recently purchased a Nexus 7 and have the Google 25$ credit, I highly recommend this game. The lack of water and splash sound effects is minor compared to the true enjoyment you will take out of playing this game. I give this game a 4 out of 5.
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