Posted on: March 5, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Iridium Runners (PS2) / 2008 SouthPeak / http://www.iridiumrunners.com /

I like the fact that the PS2 is still a viable platform. Sure, there is decidedly more of a focus on the PS3 and the PSP in 2008, but there are groups like SouthPeak Games that are ensuring that the PS2 does not die quickly. Iridium Runners places players in 2050, where there has been a shift in racing from cars and from slower types of marathons to a set of races (the Iridium Championship) that has individuals running at a far-beyond-human rate of speed.

SouthPeak has really stretched the abilities of the PS2 to the limit with this game, ensuring that the graphics capture a futuristic land that could conceivably be where humanity is at in 2050. The game is not just flashy; the controls are very easy to learn and intuitive enough for individuals to pick up fairly easily. This means that the L1 button fires a weapon, R1 jumps, X runs faster, and the bottom top buttons (R2/L2) is an elbowing attack. The main screen provides players with more than enough in the way of information without cluttering up the screen.

The map is stuck away at the bottom left corner, the timer and power bar up at the top corners, and the extras that a player has are at the last remaining corner. The number of racers that individuals can choose from is high; 20 different individuals are able to be chosen. The power-up and Iridium Crystals are given a very distinct look to them that ensure that individuals will not wonder what exactly they are picking up. Finally, SouthPeak has increased the replay value of the game by allowing individuals to play a number of different multiplayer iterations of the game. That means that there is a death match, a team mode, a collect X-tras mode and a survival mode, each of which tests individuals’ skills in a different way. While the premise (a racing game) is something that has been done a number of times in the past, SouthPeak has made the game compelling enough to ensure that players will stick with the game for tens of hours to come. If you have a compatible PS3 or still are running a PS2, make sure to pick up Iridium Runners; it is a game that is the perfect game, whether it is in a party context or a single-player mode.

Rating: 7.5/10

Leave a Comment