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Iridium Runners Review for PlayStation 2 (PS2)

Iridium Runners Review for PlayStation 2 (PS2)

Keep Running!

Iridium Runners is a very unique title. I never thought I’d see the day where I would encounter a racing game that had absolutely nothing to do with vehicle based gameplay. Not since Track and Field, anyway. But surprise aside, Iridium Runners is actually a pretty good title. Despite being firmly planted in the budget category (MSRP is 14.99), it has solid gameplay and is a great low-cost multiplayer game.

Iridium Runners screenshot

The year is 2050, and the world is thrown into chaos. Not because of some cruel and vicious dictator, and not because of some post-war dystopian society. No, the world has been thrown into disorder because of the disappearance of competitive team sports. I know what you’re thinking: A world without football or basketball? I know; it’s crazy. Replacing these team sports is an individualistic corporate-sponsored footrace. This footrace is not just your ordinary track race, however. Participants harness the power of iridium crystals to reach ultra-high speeds. And to put a little extra pressure on your competition, you will also be equipped with special weaponry to help take them out. But your competition isn’t the only thing under pressure. You, as a representative of your corporate sponsor, are also under immense pressure to achieve glory for your company. No one knows what happens to iridium runners who disappoint their corporate sponsors, but my guess is that it isn’t very good.

There are a total of twenty runners in the game, each with their own stats. Characters have different levels of speed, acceleration, and stamina, and these stats create a little bit of strategy when playing the game. For instance, if you are playing a track with lots of twists and turns and you are prone to taking bumps, then you may want to select a character with a lot of stamina. However, if you are the master of the race line and hug curves with no problem, then you might want to choose a character with higher acceleration stats. In addition to the twenty characters you can choose from, you can also choose from several mini robots that will pick up bonuses and weapons to aid you during the race. These bots also have different stats which help determine the types of weapons and bonuses they can pick up during races. This can also factor into your strategy because if you have a need for speed then you’ll want a bot with a high bonus stat, because these are most likely to pick up speed power-ups. But if you have a penchant for running into things, then you may want to grab the bot with a preference for picking up shield items.

Iridium Runners screenshot

Gameplay mechanics are quite solid in this title, which is surprising considering its budget price. You run around using the X button and use weapons via the R1. Weapons and power-ups are obtained by running over little yellow boxes that resemble the good ol’ Mario Kart question box. The power-up selector is random, but your little bonus bot may have a certain persuasion towards one type of weapon or power-up depending on its stats. In addition to using your bonus-hungry robot to attack others, you can also utilize your elbows and knock people down who are on either side of you by utilizing the L2 and R2 buttons.

Iridium Runners screenshot

There are several different modes in the game that attempt to give players a more lengthy experience, including a survival mode where the person in last place is eliminated after every lap and a collect x-tras mode where you have to run over as many objects as you can. Although these modes are somewhat novel when you first start them up, they play the same as the regular mode, and as such are pretty useless. The multiplayer mode, however, is probably where you’ll have the most fun. As is the case with most non-online racing games, getting together with friends and playing competitively is the most enjoyable part of the game. And while your friends may be a little surprised by your choice of racing title, you can do a whole lot worse than Iridium Runners. Trust me.

Iridium Runners screenshot

Visuals in this game are not bad for a last-gen title. The tracks are fairly detailed, and the characters look very smooth. And while Iridium Runners certainly doesn’t represent the best PS2 graphics, it certainly doesn’t represent the worst either. Sound is also fairly standard and the soundtrack consists of some generic techno-sounding tunes. The songs do get a little repetitive after awhile, but if you play this game in short bursts then it probably won’t be too much of an issue.

Iridium Runners is by far one of the best budget titles I have ever played. It has very solid racing mechanics, and is a very fun game to play with friends. Of course it is not a perfect game, but when you look at the other titles that fill the budget section at your local store, you’ll find that this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. It has fairly simplistic gameplay, but it should afford you a few hours of fun, and for $15 that’s not too bad of a deal. It is cheap entertainment at its finest, and it’s pretty difficult to argue with that.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.0 Graphics
Not bad for a last-gen title. Certainly not the best PS2 offering, but not bad either. 4.0 Control
Generic but effective racing controls make this one a breeze to play. 2.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Generic techno music is alright, but nothing really stands out here. 3.8 Play Value
Tournament and cup modes are essentially the same, and different modes do little to vary the gameplay. But the real fun here is in the multiplayer mode. This is the perfect game to play with friends! 3.5 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Single Race, Cup, and Championship modes are available in both single player and multiplayer.
  • Collect power ups during the race that give you special powers that allow you to increase your performance or attack your opponent.
  • Unlock new characters, suits, tracks, soundtracks, and production artwork as you proceed throughout the game.

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