Death Track: Resurrection

Back in 1989, Dynamix and Activision teamed up for a combat racing game entitled Deathtrack. Almost 20 years later, 1C is reviving that title for the PC, with some new twists and calling it Death Track: Resurrection.

The title was on display at the 1C media event held recently in San Francisco. This is a combat arcade-racing vehicle that allows players to put the pedal to the metal while picking up power-ups and blowing the competition off the track.

Game features, according to the 1C press release, include:

• 10 cities of the future: Bangkok, Vatican City, London, Moscow, New York, Paris, Prague, San Diego, Istanbul and Tokyo.

• Realistic physics

• Modern graphics and stunning visuals

• 5 racing modes with over 100 km of tracks

• 10 powerful cars with different upgrades and skins

• Deadly weapons, mines, guided robots and different kinds of bonuses

• Breathtaking stunts

• · In-game videos move the thrilling detective story

• Modern graphic technologies - Bump, Specular, Parallax, Dynamic shadow & lights, Refraction and Bloom buffers

The game takes place in the not-too-distant future and a world tournament that takes place in major cities.  Players take on the role of a rookie driver, competing in a pre-built vehicle, with the goal to finish at or near the top by whatever means necessary.

Slated for release in 2008, the 1C event did allow for some hands-on time with the game and it was apparent that there is still work to be done. The keyboard-driven control scheme was a little sluggish and not totally responsive. The menu interface was also not as polished as it likely needs to be for release. The sound, mixed into the cacophony of noise during the event, was what one would expect.

The tracks were well marked and the environments were destructible, bringing another dynamic into the mix. You can alter the race course by targeting and destroying environmental objects, thereby blocking sections of the track and creating new challenges.

If the game sports multiplayer, it was not available at the event.

Death Track: Resurrection does not appear to bring anything new or challenging to the genre, but it does look to bring entertainment value.