Upshift StrikeRacer (Windows)

UPSHIFT STRIKERACER presents a strange story for a massively multiplayer online racing game. It's the 21st century and there is no more death, just immortality. People want to engage in "self-actualization and higher pursuits," like "the primal male desire for ballistic carnage." So in this world, higher pursuits means racing cars while inflicting violence. Plus, in the world of Upshift StrikeRacer, currency is potatoes. Why potatoes? They're "prized for their beauty."

While the story Upshift StrikeRacer is bizarre and badly crafted, the free gameplay is pretty tight and fairly compelling from the get-go. After downloading a 312mg file and opening it up, you're almost ready to play. You'll have to choose a car with names like Groovy or ThudMaster and probably want to make it cool with a fancy body kit and weapons by using potato money currency.

You'll see a lag through your broadband connection before the race. As the camera pans on seven cars with drivers like you from around the world, the scene is somewhat choppy. But once you get rolling, you'll see beautiful vistas amid the crazy carnage that occurs on the track. Sometimes the frame rate will drop. But overall, the driving experience so realistic, you may want to level up all the way to 60, which will take a lot of time and money, too. It will also take you some time to get the hang of racing and using weapons simultaneously.

The game has one big issue: it's not upfront about its costs. When you click on the FAQs to try to find out how much upgrades actually cost in dollars not tubers, the cost is hidden, as if they're trying to pull something on the player. The game is good and occasionally exciting when things blow up; so there's no reason not to be upfront about the costs. With over 20 racing course maps, 13 kinds of vehicles, and even a single player mode, there's a lot here. Another issue with the game is that there are cheaters in the game. You can even see them proudly post their cheating videos on YouTube.

Available on: Windows
Not available online
Genre: Massively Multi-player Online Game (MMOG)
Developer: gPotato
Released on: July 12, 2007
Price: FREE
ESRB Rating: NR