Last year's SpeedX 3D brought Gamelion's endless tunnel racer from the mobile phone market to the 3DS, adding a third dimension and physical controls and proving that mobile games can make excellent eShop experiences. Now the race returns with SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition, and while it's still a whole lot of fun, it's neither the sequel nor the clearly definitive version of the game we were hoping for. Hyper Edition boasts some notable improvements, such as better graphics and an unlimited boost, but it's also missing several features of the original release.
For players that missed out on the original SpeedX 3D, the concept is simple: you'll race towards the horizon over a constantly evolving course, avoiding obstacles from a low-down, first-person perspective. There aren't any other vehicles to worry about, and the goal is purely to go as far as you can. It's basic, but lots of fun, not least because it more than lives up to its name: SpeedX can be very, very fast.
The track design here, like in its predecessor reminds us quite a bit of F-Zero X and its GameCube sequel, with flatland sections that twist themselves into half-pipes and both the inside and outside of full-pipes, which are just as fun to fly along here as in Nintendo's racers. The big difference is that you won't need to worry about turning in SpeedX; you'll move left and right along the track, but it's only to steer clear of the edges and the geometric obstacles that pop up frequently along the way. These stationary shapes and bouncing cubes are easily spotted by colour-coded sections of the track leading up to them, and while navigating around them starts out easy enough, whipping back and forth quickly gets much trickier with the serious speed you'll pick up as you go.
Thankfully, passing over orange power-up tiles will charge your shields, allowing you to smash through obstructing obstacles with impunity up to four times. If you're feeling particularly brave, holding down 'X' or 'B' will activate the new 'hyper mode', an unlimited, breathtaking boost that shoots you along much faster in exchange for a 1.5x multiplier on your score.
In addition to the shield pick-ups, you'll find a few power-ups scattered around the track: running over red tiles will give you a super bomb that destroys all on-screen obstacles, blue fields temporarily slow down the pace, and green fields negate the effects of the tunnel's Hazard Zones. These dicey areas are announced in advance, and each complicates things in a different way. 'Blackout' mutes the track colours and gets rid of the helpful trails before obstacles, 'Gravity Well' distorts your vision and affects your handling, 'Hue Shift' and 'Dark Nebula' change the cube and track colours, and 'Plasma Cloud' introduces a super-obstacle that will take away both a shield and a power-up.
In its original mobile release, SpeedX 3D utilized tilt controls, but has smartly switched to the Circle Pad on the 3DS. Navigating the continuous course is smooth and responsive, with a pleasing sense of momentum that makes flicking back and forth around obstacles especially satisfying. For right-handed stylus-fans, the touchscreen can be used to trigger power-ups or pause the game, and the face buttons serve the same purpose for lefties or those who prefer physical controls.
The combination of an endlessly twisting track, a steady stream of shapes to dodge, and the insane sense of speed make SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition a blast to play, just as the original was. Unfortunately, it's also missing a few key features from the first eShop release. Most noticeably, there are no longer any modes or difficulty levels to select from - you'll simply start up the game and hit "Play" to start an endless race. There's a nice, gentle difficulty curve that gradually ramps up in speed and challenge as you play, but that also means you'll have to start out from the beginning every time, even if you're already a veteran speed demon. The previously optional motion controls are also nowhere to be found in the new Hyper Edition - and though we weren't particularly enamored with them, it's another odd omission worth noting for players who prefer tilt to touch.
One major improvement from the original release, however, is that the framerate is now rock solid, and that makes a huge difference; the incredible sense of speed is one of the game's main draws and it never stutters for a second, fixing one of our main complaints with the first version. Graphically, SpeedX is very simple, but very stylish. Its minimalist look takes design cues from the über-cool WipEout series, with futuristic fonts and a track awash in bright, blurred neon. It also makes phenomenal use of the 3DS' stereoscopic display - twisting around the inside of tunnels looks amazing in 3D, and this is one game where maxing out the slider adds immensely to the experience.
Turning up the volume - and ideally plugging in a pair of headphones - has a similar effect, as SpeedX's electronica soundtrack is a perfect fit for the action. There are five new tracks, ranging from pulsing techno to dance beats and bass-heavy shuffle, and you can switch between them whenever you like with the shoulder buttons. As with the original's soundtrack, they might not be tunes you'll find yourself humming once you've put the game down, but they create a fantastically hypnotic atmosphere while you're careening down tunnels at breakneck speed.
In terms of replay value, fewer game modes and difficulty levels mean there's a bit less to keep you coming back to Hyper Edition when compared to the original. There are no online leaderboards, or even local ones - the game only keeps track of your highest score - but the core game is such that score-chasers will still find plenty of fun in trying to top their best run.
Conclusion
SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition is a fun and seriously fast tunnel racer with an alluring neon aesthetic, and it's a great showcase for 3D done right. It's also not the unequivocal upgrade from last year's release that you might expect, because along with the improved graphics and a lower price-point comes a drop in gameplay modes, difficulty levels, and control options. The framerate improvement alone is enough for us to recommend this as the version to pick up for newcomers, but it's a shame that it comes at the cost of a reduced feature set. For those who already own the original, it's much harder to justify what is essentially a repurchase, especially when you're losing nearly as much as you'd gain from the "upgrade". Still, if you're looking for a blink-and-die endless racer - and if the original isn't already on your 3DS - SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition is an excellent choice.
Comments 30
Wow, I didn't expect that in several ways.
The omission of additional modes and the stage system suck, but multiple tracks and lag-free visuals are a great improvement!
I'll consider this game bought!
Those pictures remind me of an Atari Jaguar game for some reason.
@Midnight3DS Probably "Tempest 2000". It had a bit similar graphics style.
As for the game - I'll still pass (provided that this version ever comes to Europe). Endless racers are not my kind of games...
Still can't decide whether to rebuy this. 5 new music tracks sound worth it, but I wasn't expecting to get less game content.
That’s disappointing that literally all of the gameplay options from the original are not present here. I had my eye on this game until I read this review and had all of that brought to my attention. Looks like I’ll just stick with the first game.
Also, the frame rate and visuals are just fine in the original.
I can't complain about the price of this game on the eshop at the very least. The lack of the extra game modes from the original boggles my mind though.
I might pick this up then...
I saw the original on a friend's SIII. For 3 bucks it does not look that bad, although the original sounds more enticing.
What makes me so ever confused is why didn't they just get the original and add all the extra stuff to it (through dlc or another title), the game has some extra things but it also loses things, almost sounds like there is not enough data on the 3ds which there is, it's like they want you to buy both versions to to feel in any extra needs. /rank
Im not to sure if I will get it, might get it if I ever need some extra club Nintendo coins.
I really enjoyed the original, but I just don't think I can justify buying Hyper Edition. The fact that there is less content is really disappointing. I had no idea this game was coming until recently but I considered it an instant buy until I read this review. The improvements sound cool but they just don't justify a repurchase.
i liked the original.
very happy that they improved the framerate. the original had slowdowns every now and then.
5 new music tracks is awesome too, cause the original only had 1 !!
i dont really mind that you only have one game mode in this sequel. the game modes in the first game were not very different to begin with.
if there is some sort of discount for people who already bought the original i maybe would buy this one too
The interesting thing is that this new version is a buck cheaper than the first one. Watching the videos on the eShop, this one really looks faster.
I'm not sure how many music tracks the original had, but it wasn't just the same music the whole time, so I don't think it's fair to say it only had one music track: it's just I don't think you could control which music it played and it would loop from one music track to the next automatically.
Just bought it. Never owned the first one so all I have is this one to go by...great fun game! The 3D is super fresh too! 861 pts on my first run lol.
I own both, but I wish I had only bought the new version.
@iphys
it had one track. i played the game. it sounded like several tracks but it was one and it got super boring after 10mins
I think I will finally dive into this. I had been holding off for some online multiplayer play. Looks like its a good racer although no online. Plus the fact it reminds me of Tempest 2000 on Jaguar which could be considered one of the best arcade games of all time
@Dpullam Agreed most re-releases keep the old content and simply add more, this tactic is quite strange. Also, the lack of leaderboards make this a no go for me.
Loved the original! Shame about those lost modes and settings but for just $3 and a better framerate, its worth buying I think. Wasn't the first one released in Europe first? I hope we get this one soon.
I was really disappointed with the original because of the TERRIBLE framerate. But seeing as they fixed it this time around, I'm definately going to download it.
I don't really mind the lack of options. Minimalism at its finest!
Good price. Might pick this up someday. I bought it for my smartphone years ago and enjoyed it. Tilt controls worked well on the smartphone, but the 3DS is too awkward to adequately use them. Glad you control movement with the circle pad.
@6ch6ris6 Went back and played it, and it had 2 distinct music tracks that it alternated. The first one is just over 4 minutes, and the second one is just under 2 minutes. It never really got on my nerves, but 5 music tracks would definitely be an improvement.
The original was the first game to get erased off my cell phone. I just,......didn't like it.
Getting this one on release day, after Zelda Oracles.
When holding X when Hyper Mode brings you to over 200 m/s makes me feel like Sonic the Hedgehog himself! Amazing improvement over the original (and a lower price tag, can't beat that)! This is the type of game Sonic would play if he was real!
@6ch6ris6 I don't think there would be much of a discount, since the Hyper Edition costs less than the original.
@Morgan Sleeper
Okay, now I'm confused, it sounds like the developers intended for you to buy both to get the full experience. Which version do you think is best? Leaderboard don't really matter to me, but additional modes...
The lack of levels make it less than 8/10 for sure.
Maybe nobody will answer me but I remember the precuel has motion controllers but I just downloaded this and It didn´t have it.
@DarkEdi
This line in the review: "In its original mobile release, SpeedX 3D utilized tilt controls, but has smartly switched to the Circle Pad on the 3DS."
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