Review: Real Racing 3

Real Racing 3 is one of the best games to ever be almost ruined by a terrible free to play model. I love and hate this game to death and it's hard to write a review of it because I'm so internally conflicted. It sucks me in in a way that few non-console games manage to do and it really scratches that itch for a realistic racing game playable on a mobile device. At the same time not only does it utilize a free to play structure, it manages to embrace some of the worst aspects of free to play games. Somehow though, it manages to lay off on this structure just enough to allow the game to remain enjoyable without having to spending a boatload of money.

The physics in Real Racing 3 are top notch for a mobile device. Playing on an iPad, I'm able to actually feel when the cars are nearing the limit and about to let go. The game simulates that feeling of being just below the limits of grip better than any racing game I've ever played bar none. I'm not entirely sure how they've managed to simulate that feeling quite so effectively but it's there. Through some techno wizardry, the combination of sound effects, camera effects and control feel, players can actually feel, as if through some bizarre sixth sense when their car is nearing the limits of grip. It's exhilarating and keeps me coming back for more again and again. That said, while the physics leading up to the limits is great, the physics beyond the limit of grip leave plenty to be desired. Put simply, pretty much all of the cars in Real Racing 3 are going to snap oversteer (quickly want to spin) as soon as the limit is reached. These oversteer physics are hokey at best. I've managed to reel my car back in multiple times by simply stomping the brakes, a move that would cause an immediate spin in a real car.

 When I heard that Real Racing 3 would be free to play, I crossed my fingers and hoped there would be some "buy all" package for $20 that would unlock the full game. I was wrong. The game instead works with the old "standard currency" "premium currency" model. That means that standard currency is awarded relatively freely while premium currency is handed out much more sparingly. While standard currency is used for things like buying cars and parts upgrades, premium currency is used mostly for minimizing wait times. Both currencies can be bought for exorbitant prices with in-app-purchases.

And that's the big dumb blemish with Real Racing 3. Artificially imposed wait times. Buying a car? Wait for it to be delivered. Fixing your car? Wait for it to be fixed. Modifying your car? Wait for the parts to be installed. And players will be fixing their cars often. Even driving a perfect race will result in normal ware and tear. That means spending 5 minutes to get an oil change every three races. Engine services come less often but take much longer. In total there are several different categories of parts that need regular service. Thankfully this can all be circumnavigated by owning multiple cars. In fact Real Racing 3 is actually quite playable without players having to spend a dime, it just requires lots and lots of arduous though somewhat pleasurable grinding.

Even setting aside the wait times, the standard currency payout for winning races is paltry by modern standards. Once players have collected a few cars it plays similarly to Forza or Gran Turismo except that the payout for winning is about a third of what one would expect from a console game. The free to play structure has completely obliterated normal concepts of game pacing, forcing people to pay money to get a game that feels well planned out.

There are other issues with Real Racing 3 as well. The big one is AI, or lack thereof. Real Racing 3 advertises "Time Shifted Multiplayer" claiming that the AI cars you're facing are actually somehow created using data from other people playing the game. That might be kind of a cool idea if they were ghosts, but they're not, they're physically there and they have no regard for the player's car one way or another. I've been sandwiched between a car and a wall many many times by an AI driver on a straightaway with plenty of space on the other side of his car. This might not be so bad in an arcade racing game where passes happen in a split second, but in a simulation style game, passes have to be set up meticulously and with momentum to squeak by on a straightaway. All this goes out the window when an AI car decides to run me off the road as soon as I get beside him. Again, this wouldn't be a huge deal, except that the player ALWAYS starts the race in last place and is expected to pass up to 22 cars on the way to the win, in a 3 lap race.

Really the more thought I put into the idea of time shifted multiplayer the less it makes sense to me and the more obvious it is that these opponents are other people in name only. If someone were to make an AI car out of any race I've done they'd see me weaving around wildly to avoid AI cars that are present in my game, but are obviously different in theirs. They'd see me cutting corners and taking certain turns flat out. And they'd see me starting from the back of the grid, every single race. None of this is present amongst the time shifted opponents I've played against. They all follow the same line, they all brake at the same points and they never NEVER cut the track. The only way to tell they're not completely AI controlled is by the one jerk who spent a bunch of money modifying his car and manages to leave the entire field in his dust by miles and miles.

Somehow though, I keep coming back for more. I've spent hours on Real Racing 3 without spending a dime. It's very very good and the free to play structure gives it a limp rather than crippling it outright. But it's a very nasty limp for which there is no quick fix. I highly suggest downloading the game and giving it a try, particularly for anyone who loves simulation style racing games. The price is right after all, even if it's also all wrong.