So much potential
Arcade racing games have become somewhat of a unicorn in this modern age of gaming. Titles like Split/Second, Blur, and Project Gotham Racing were all the rage during the 360 era, and I adored so many of them. Nowadays these types of games are not so common, so when they come along, it gets undivided attention from me. Enter Cyber Clutch: Hot Import Nights, which from screenshots immediately gave me hints of Blur meets Tron. I was immediately intrigued. Now after spending some time with it I am of two minds. While it has some of the things I love about this genre, it fails to capitalize on a lot of what makes it special.
When it comes to features, Cyber Clutch checks the standard boxes. There are seven tracks, with some mirrored versions, which is decent. These tracks are all neon-themed feeling ripped directly out of something like Tron meets Wipeout. They are wide enough to support easy passing and the drifting mechanics, more on that later. There is also combat which is…fine. It borrows heavily from multiple other games.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
The handling is where things start to fall apart for me. The drifting mechanic is similar to something like Mario Kart where you can build it up boost the more you drift, but the handling causes issues at times. I would be drifting just fine, then the controls would slam me into a wall. It feels almost too loose at times. I couldn’t quite get a handle on it. This is exacerbated by the fact that the AI is relentless with its rubber-banding. The CPU will catch up and leave you in the dust quickly. The game tries to compensate for this by not penalizing you for going off the track, but it rarely helps. This game is just infuriating at times, I felt like every race I had to do perfectly or just start over.
As for modes, we get the bare bones truly. There is a career mode where I could earn upgrades and parts for car customization, if I can win that is. Then we have online races, offline races, and private races. That is about it. I would have thought a game with combat might also add a versus mode with some new maps, but alas once you master the handful of tracks, the game loses its luster. Online was also a ghost town on Xbox, which is not surprising, but still disappointing.
Let’s talk about combat. I love a good combat racing game, but Cyber Clutch seems to have forgotten about balance. As with most games of this type, there are offensive and defensive pickups scattered around the tracks. These are standard fare with rockets, EMPs, and shields. Sadly, some of them are entirely way too effective while others do basically nothing. It also doesn’t help that the game decides who to target by removing player control. I have lost many a race by getting hit with an overpowered weapon right at the finish line. It’s like the blue shell to the extreme.
The one thing that I do like, and what drew me to this game, was its visuals. I love the design of the cars and the tracks. Everything has this futuristic look, and it is very slick. The frame rate does have some inconsistencies, which is criminal in a racing game. Combined with other issues, it does affect the game play at times. The soundtrack is fitting and forgettable, the beats match the game, but I couldn’t hum one even after hearing them over and over.
Cyber Clutch: Hot Import Nights is a game that looks good on paper and screenshots but falls short in several aspects. The biggest issue is the AI and handling, which are key components of a racing game. I get their vision, I want to love the game, but I just can’t. It feels like a few more months in the oven and this could be a good title to return to if the developers clean it up, but as it is, it is hard to recommend.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
