Ever wanted to see a grown man weep after taking a good beating in a video game? Take a peek in here and you might find that elusive game for that victorious moment! 

Aaron Gray

The racing genre has seen many revivals and different reincarnations, but there’s nothing out there at the moment quite like System Rush on the N-Gage. Ideaworks3D has come up with a never seen before take on the high-speed world of racing.

Data Speed
What sets this game apart from the rest is that the races are set in the cyberworld of computers and network hacks. Compared to the previous racing game Ideaworks3D released on the game deck a while back, System Rush is different in every aspect. Where Colin McRae Rally 2005 is considered to be a simulation of rally races with emulated real-world physics, Ideaworks3D took System Rush on an alternative route where few game developers dare trod with racing games.

In System Rush, adrenaline-pumping races are experienced through ‘hacks’ in the digital world of bits and bytes via digital vehicles called CoVecs. Hacking into a computer network in System Rush is portrayed in the likeness of a race, only in this game you’ll be racing on data tracks that comes in all manner of dangerous corners and obstacles. Your attempt will also be deterred by security programmes and other hackers as you ‘hack’ your way through to the main system. In every country’s network that you penetrate, a boss battle-race awaits you in the form of a superior hacker bent literally on pulling the plug on you. The story unfolds as you delve deeper into the game, making it clearer who your character is and his determined motive to bring down giant conglomerates via their computer networks. Play System Rush to find out, as I don’t want to give away spoilers here.

Digital Roadblocks
Somehow, System Rush feels like Ideaworks3D had been trying too hard with this game. I have nothing against the graphics; I find that gorgeous and the animation of both the tracks and CoVecs are smooth with cell shaded-like details. But the overall presentation is too bland where the action is concerned. Ideaworks3D included the ability to siphon data off enemy CoVecs to destroy them when they get too close for comfort, but this ‘battle sequence’ of the game is played-down and System Rush can still be played from start to finish without ever utilising this aspect.

You might have a valid argument that Ideaworks3D is highlighting System Rush as a pure racing / ‘hacking’ game. On the other hand, you might have noticed power-up items on all the tracks you’ve raced in System Rush. Picking them up enables you to freeze your opponents, replenish your life bar and even boost up your speed. There’s also a protective shield to boot. All these point towards the fact that System Rush is indeed made as a racing-cum-battle game. It feels as if somehow along the way between the initial planning stages until the final distribution of the game, System Rush had its gaming mechanism revised more than once. Still, this is a good game to be played with a friend over Bluetooth where the battles are more intense and fun than playing with the AI.

Moral of the story: stay focused on whatever games you are planning to create. It can make a lot of difference towards ensuring that you come up with the gaming experience you intended to create.