''PixelJunk Racers'' is a

puzzle A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at th ...

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by

Q-Games Q-Games, Limited is a video game developer based in Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan which works closely with both Nintendo and Sony. Foundation Q-Games was founded by Dylan Cuthbert, who previously worked at Argonaut Software and helped create ''Sta ...

for

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

. It was released on the

PlayStation Store The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable content ...

in 2007 as the first title in the ''

PixelJunk ''PixelJunk'' is a series of downloadable games developed by Q-Games. The series made its debut on PlayStation 3 with ''PixelJunk Racers'', released July 11, 2007. The series was published internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayS ...

'' series. An updated version, ''PixelJunk Racers: 2nd Lap'', was released in 2010.

Gameplay

Bearing structural similarity to slot car racing games, the tracks of ''PixelJunk Racers'' consist of five separate lanes within which the cars move. The camera is always fixed above the circuit, giving an aerial overview of the entire track. The commands a player can execute are; changing lanes, controlling the throttle, and honking the horn. There are 32 gameplay modes available out of 16 core modes. Core racing modes have up to three levels of difficulty (Normal, Turbo and Master) varying with the speed of the gameplay. There is a total of 10 tracks on which each mode can be played. The single player mode includes a tournament, free racing (Quick Race), and Score Attack. In Score Attack, the player's best score in any mode is ranked online, and scores appear on

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

leaderboards. The multiplayer mode is exclusively offline, and up to seven players may simultaneously play the game on the same console.

''2nd Lap''

''PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap'', an enhanced version of ''Racers'', was released in 2010. ''2nd Lap'' was made available for free to players who had already purchased the original ''Racers''. ''2nd Lap'' includes new game types,

trophies A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...

, and a "Ghost Attack" mode in which players can race the recorded "ghosts" of any online player with registered high scores.

Reception

''PixelJunk Racers''

Upon its release, ''PixelJunk Racers'' received "mixed" reviews according to the

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website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

. The variety of gameplay modes was praised by some critics, though

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

asserted that the "diverse game types can't quite save the core mechanics", calling them "aggravatingly repetitive". The difficulty of the game in general was unappealing to many reviewers. In a review from ''

1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...

'', a phenomenon was noted in which the enemy cars would fill up all five lanes, making them impassable. Gameplay instances such as this were described as "controller-hurlingly frustrating". Another significant criticism stems from the lack of online multiplayer capabilities. The only online component of the game involves comparing high scores with other players. However, ''PixelJunk Racers'' does support up to seven players offline;

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

suggested this feature would make it an enjoyable

party game Party games are games that are played at social gatherings to facilitate interaction and provide entertainment and recreation. Categories include (explicit) icebreaker, parlour (indoor), picnic (outdoor), and large group games.Frankel, Lillian; ...

, even if organizing a seven-player session in one area could be considered a hassle.

''2nd Lap''

''2nd Lap'' received "average" reviews, albeit a bit more favorable than the original ''PixelJunk Racers'', according to Metacritic.

References

External links

PixelJunk Racers' Official website

PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap's Official website
* {{PixelJunk 2007 video games PlayStation 3-only games PlayStation Network games Racing video games Sony Interactive Entertainment games Video games developed in Japan PlayStation 3 games Q-Games games