Redout 2 review – the F-Zero Nintendo won’t make

metro.co.uk:

A loving tribute to F-Zero and WipEout, Redout 2 is a blisteringly fast racer that aims to appeal to hardcore fans and newcomers.

When big name studios stop making certain types of games, despite loud fan demands, indie developers have always filled the void. Anyone who complains about Konami not making Castlevania games anymore has countless indie homages to turn to instead, such as Hollow Knight and Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night. While the lack of mascot driven 3D platformers led to the likes of Yooka-Laylee and A Hat In Time being successfully crowdfunded.

Redout 2 is another example, being developer 34BigThings’ answer to the continued absence of Nintendo’s high speed sci-fi racer F-Zero. That series hasn’t had a new entry in nearly 20 years and Nintendo’s refusal to bring it back, beyond the occasional retro re-release, has been a sticking point with fans for a long time.

Italian developer 34BigThings is keenly aware that demand is there and while it’s not an exact copy, Redout 2 wears its F-Zero influences on its sleeve. Some might take issue with the comparisons, since technically futuristic racers are a distinct sub-genre of their own, that F-Zero did not invent, but 34BigThings is proud to admit to its inspirations, while also namedropping Sony’s WipEout series.

A sequel to the 2016 original, the premise of Redout 2 is, like all racers, very simple. The blistering sense of speed is helped by a combination of slight screen blurring, sound effects, and controller rumble and there is nothing more satisfying than managing to maintain a high level of speed as you barrel down a racetrack. However, while there are various methods of going fast, it’s not something the game wants to make too easy; you need to work at it.