Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: April 12, 2012

While not a true sequel, Wrecked: Revenge Revisited is without a doubt a spiritual successor to the PlayStation 2 sleeper gem Mashed. It released here in North America as Drive to Survive, but I prefer to call it Mashed as I will be mentioning it a few times in this review. If you are unfamiliar with this style of racing, Wrecked continues the legacy of using the Micro Machines gameplay style: racers battle for position and keep up with the leader or face being eliminated.

Wrecked contains both online and local multiplayer as well as a forgettable single-player mode. It consists of nothing more than a frustrating challenge mode and plays nothing like the multiplayer portion of the game. For each of the six tracks, there are four different challenges that go from simple time trials to planting mines throughout the course and even avoiding hitting any walls due to a bomb strapped to the top of your car. The most disappointing part is that in the majority of the challenges, you are racing against ghost cars. The camera is constantly panning around and zooming in and out, which makes it harder to get around the tracks.

In the few matches I was able to connect to, the experience wasn't as smooth as a racing game should be. While playable, it is not ideal and by no means as good as playing locally.

People are always talking about addictive local multiplayer games that everyone should play – Wrecked should be added to that list. As mentioned earlier, the game has a top-down view where you are jostling for position at the front of the pack. If you fall too far behind, fall off the track, or explode from your opponents' weapons, you will be eliminated. Points are given out depending on your finishing position: 4th place receiving a -1 score, 1st place receiving +2. Once the points are given out, the race resets near where it ended for a rinse and repeat. These mini races usually last less than a minute.

The six courses are varied enough to keep things interesting, but the clear winner for the tracks is the Ice Bridge. This track provides some of the most intense action in any racing game. The track, while simple in design, contains two long straightaways with a sharp hairpin turn at each end. Adding to the excitement is the lack of any side barriers, so expect to fall off the track...a lot.

The game has over ten different weapons that are surprisingly varied and variable loadouts that can be changed every match. Pickups along the tracks include machine guns, mines, mortars, rail guns, missiles, and more. Once you are eliminated from the race though, you are represented with a target reticle on the screen, which gives you the ability to fire off rounds at the remaining racers. This in itself has brought a lot of friendships to their breaking point.

The game supports up to four players per race; honestly, you really need all four spots filled to get the most enjoyment out of the game. Sadly, you are not able to add AI cars to races, which seems ridiculous to not include. Playing with only 2 players just isn't any fun.

You are also able to customize your car by changing various categories from body type to color, decals, and rims. More options become unlocked with more experience earned.

Simply Put

Wrecked is a fun game that hopefully doesn't get overlooked due to the disappointing single-player and lack of many online races. If you have been missing that classic multiplayer feel of having four people huddled together on a couch, Wrecked might be the perfect title to resurrect that classic feeling.