Wreckfest 2
Preview
Crashed, but fixed
EA SCOUT the last line of defense for buying on Steam's Early Access
by Howie Howard
previewed on PC
A Bumpy start
Wreckfest 2 is, unsurprisingly, the sequel to a very popular first edition of the original 2018 Wreckfest game. This is a racing and smash-em up demolition derby style action game by developer Bugbear. The latest edition to the series was recently released in to Steam's Early Access, with the developer expecting the game to gradually go through various updates and versions until it is ready for prime time. So it will apparently be a work in progress over a time span of one year. The developer claims that this is an early version and after taking a look I would tend to agree because there were some bugs present. Stay with me as we discuss this interesting demolition derby style game below!
The developers publicity releases say that "the current state, (of the game) demonstrates the core game play experience with racing and derby modes, featuring a selection of vehicles and maps, all playable in single and multiplayer. A sandbox map is also included to demonstrate the destruction capabilities of the upgraded technology in use." After experiencing some initial difficulties with game crashes and such, a hot fix was released and things seemed to have calmed down a bit.
Presently, in this Early Access release there are two game modes. The first is a single player mode that contains both racing and demolition derby play which can include up to 24 bot players for you to compete against. The second mode is multi-player and it includes the same races and derby with up to 24 human players, or a combination of human and bot players to race with. With that said, there is quite a lot to keep demolition racers busy until the version 1.0 and further editions are released over time. So stay tuned.
Hitting the circuits...and other cars
With the two game play modes discussed above, both of which contain three maps with race tracks and courses, we can break down game play even further. Map number one is the Scrap Yard map and it contains a closed circuit race course that contain intersections. These intersections can be described as containing various environmental elements that could effect racing. Scrap Yard also includes the Crazy Course and that one has you racing with on coming traffic needing to be avoided!
Map number two is the Speedway map and it contains a figure 8 race track, a speedway oval track and an infamous demolition derby arena where all kinds of mayhem can occur. Last but not least is the map number three Sand Pit map which is an updated holdover from the original Wreckfest game. This map contains a long circuit race course and a test track course where you can take a vehicle that has been modified for a test ride. The test track is very interesting and exciting because it includes the possibility to race on loops, ramps, jumps and a variety of other obstacles.
Presently there are a total of four cars in this Early Access version of Wreckfest 2 with many more planned for the future. The four cars included in the early access include one 1960s and one 1970s era muscle car. These are the vehicles that are highlighted in the game trailer. There is also one 1980s European compact car and one 1990s US intermediate sedan car which developer Bugbear calls both as being "banger cars".
Customisation
Another feature presently in the game is the garage where basic paint schemes can be applied to vehicles. In the future the developer promises to add a much more in-depth ability to customize car designs and save them for later use. The upgrades and customization's will consist of better armor, more powerful engine with various tire styles and other upgrades all designed so the game player can have a car that matches their play style. There really is lot to look forward to in the future for this game.
Folks, the Wreckfest 2 Early Access release did go through a few rough spots in the early weeks, but developer Bugbear is dedicated to having a solid game when the full release happens. They plan to have an enhanced vehicle customization option along with the possibility to add player mods to the game. This along with other new additions such as a career mode along with very detailed car component damage simulations and many other improvements will keep being implemented even after version 1.0 reaches release.
Since the development of their very advanced destruction model is quite detailed, the game will require a decent amount of horsepower as far as computer specs are concerned. However, my almost three year old Asus ROG, Intel Core i7 10870H CPU gaming laptop with 16gb RAM and nVidia Geforce RTX 2070 video chip had absolutely no problems running the game. My computer hardware pretty much matches the recommended system specs, (with minimum specs being less) which most gamers will likely possess, so I don't see any problems in this regard. After saying all of that, even with the initial bugs, in my honest opinion this smash and bash demolition derby extravaganza is worth keeping an eye on because it looks like it will be a racing win Bugbear!
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The game has potential, but we're not ready to jump in with both feet. If the game interests you, look, but don't touch - yet.
