Reviews

• Silvador

  Feb 8, 2023

  At first glance you might think this was one of those cheap mobile app games you frequently see advertised. Some would probably agree with that assessment, and I can see why. But, personally, I think it's a bit more. Highway Driving is a simple but potentially addictive game. Pick a car, pick a highway, and drive. That's it; just drive. You can zoom down the road, weaving in and out of traffic, or you can cruise along at a leisured pace, playing the law abiding Sunday driver. Or, you can pretend you're Keanu Reeves in Speed, and try to keep your speed above 80 so the bus doesn't explode. Actually, you kind of have to go out of your way TO make this bus explode because the bomb is super generous and you can basically bull your way through traffic with little to no concern, as long as you don't ram into several vehicles in quick succession. There's a variety of vehicles to pick from, from the good ol' sedan, to an expensive looking sports car, to the staple box car truck. Upgrading your vehicle's steering, brakes, and engine improves performance and handling, which is surprisingly good. Seriously, I plugged my PS4 controller in and used the triggers to accelerate and break, and the thumbstick to steer, and the handling was super smooth and responsive. Unfortunately, the exceptional handling of the vehicles does seem to be the peak of this game's design. While there are several options between locations, vehicle type and colour, and wheel size, the only thing that really seems to affect the driving experience is the upgrades, which are permanent. When you drive, you build up a score based on several factors, such as near misses, driving into oncoming traffic, and driving at high speed. When you crash (or time runs out, if you're played a timed game), you get an amount of money based on your score, which can be used to unlock new tire sizes, colours, and to upgrade your vehicle's capabilities. But, when starting this game, I already had a million bucks, which is more than enough to buy everything right off the bat. I don't know if this is intentional, an oversight, or because I played and still had the demo installed. Either way, it kind of made the whole making money thing a moot point. Still, the driving experience itself is fun. This game makes for a good little "brain off" time killer, where you can just vibe and drive. If that's something you're after, I recommend giving this game a try. But, if you want something more substantial, you might find this game a bit on the boring side.