[Eee Pad Transformer Themes and Apps] timtlm:
My review and comparison to Reckless Racing

I have played reckless racing, and now this. I am a big fan of racing games, especially top down racing games. Both reckless racing and bang bang racing lack a lot of depth and features to make them amazing. I'll abbreviate each game with BB and RR

1. Controls. BB uses a very unique control scheme. You point in the direction you want to go, and the farther the distance your finger is from your car, the faster you go. This takes some getting used to, but ultimately is a very fun way to play. The biggest downside of the control scheme is that since you always have your finger in front of the car, you are constantly blocking some of the screen in front of you. RR on the other hand has multiple control options, but not all of them are optimized for tablet use. There are standard controls with the left/right buttons on the left. There's tank controls with a left button on the left side of the screen and right on the right side. Also, there are some tilt control and analog type steering wheel controls that don't as well. The physics of the controls are also very different. In BB, you have a lot more grip over your car, and in RR, there is a lot of drifting and skidding making it much more challenging to make the turns correctly.

2. Graphics. Both games look very good on the transformer's screen. Bang Bang Racing is a lot more colorful and cartoony, and Reckless Racing is a little more gritty and offers more texture and detail to the terrain.

3. Presentation. This doesn't matter that much, but I just wanted to complain that the menu system in BB is very annoying. You have to select an option and then press next for everything you do (unnecessary two button presses to advance each menu). Also, there is no way to restart a race when you are in the middle of racing. You have to exit back to the main menu and do the whole 2 button press menu to start over. RR menu system is much much better. BB also lacks an on screen map while playing to help see what the next turn is.

4. Gameplay. BB has 3 ways to play. Single Race, Championship, and Time Trial. RR has the same, but is missing the Championship mode where you compete in multiple races in a row trying to become the overall winner. RR does have a delivery mode kinda like crazy taxi where you pick up some stuff and deliver it. This is a good idea, but there is only one map, and it isn't very big, so there aren't a whole lot of different deliveries you can make. It would be a great idea if there was a huge map, or maybe multiple maps.

Once you're playing, there really isn't a whole lot of difference between the two. You race around the track, and try to place first. BB offers a few things like barrels and cones you can run into, but do very little to affect the race. Both games have a few minor shortcuts that you can take advantage of. BB also has a damage meter, and the ability to fix your car by driving through repair icons. The damage concept is a good idea, but I have never have completely damaged my car. You don’t even need to slow down to recharge your damage meter. RR has some areas of the track where you can fall off, and your car will reset. You also have an option of resetting manually if you get jacked up. BB offers no reset option, which is kinda unfortunate because it is easy to get completely screwed at the beginning of the race in a traffic jam.

RR offers multiplayer across android and iphone. BB offers no multiplayer, but maybe they will add it in a future update?

Both games offer different cars to play with. In RR, it's only the appearance of the car that changes. In BB racing, the different cars have speed and grip ratings to make them different.

Tracks. Overall, I like the tracks in BB better than RR. I think RR has 7 tracks (originally 5, but updates have added 2 more), and you can go in reverse for a total of 14. Some of the RR tracks are very short though. BB has 8, and can go reverse for 16. All 8 of the tracks are approximately the same size. I prefer the track design in BB better. It offers a lot more twists and turns, and they are all very good lengths.

Overall, both games are good. I like to play both of them for different reasons. RR's drifting and sliding controls offer a completely different feel, and can be frustrating to newcomers. BB has a better standard steering experience, but the controls can be very awkward for a lot of people. Obviously the price of RR is better if you only want one.

What these games need. I really wish these games would offer a little more depth in the game play. Some things that would be cool to see in a future top down racing game are: power-ups and items, required pit stops for damage and or gas, more car variation with armor and acceleration categories, and maybe even a 2 player split screen multiplayer like how fruit ninja hd did.