CSR Racing full review (video)

Some of the best games on Android tend to be racing games. Sure, there’s some bad ones, but there’s a lot of good ones out there too, and CSR Racing is one of them. It has some stunning graphics, a variety of awesome cars, and you can even upgrade those cars with turbos among other awesome upgrades. If you’re in a rush, feel free to jump to the video, otherwise, stick with us for our full review of CSR Racing.

Features

When you first open CSR Racing, you immediately begin your first race. The first thing we noticed is just how gorgeous the game. Everything is very detailed, and you can tell a lot of work went into producing some great visual in this game (more on that later).

The gameplay in CSR Racing is very simple. When you race, you need to tap the gas to start at an optimal RPM. After that, it’s mostly a matter of tapping the shift buttons at the best time, and using NOS once you’re able to unlock it. Otherwise, it’s pretty much just a simple drag race down a straight road.

It’s a matter of opinion, but one of the best parts of the game is that there’s no turning. All you’re doing is racing straight, so there isn’t any weird physics to deal with, and there’s just not a lot of features that require a lot of focus. It’s up to you to decide if that’s a good thing or not, but ultimately, CSR Racing is a game where matches can be completed quickly, and easily, which is great for those that are in a rush and need a quick break.

Furthermore, as you earn money and coins, you can purchase upgrades to outfit on your car, and there’s quite a few cars and decals in the game that can be unlocked, too. Additionally, there’s social network integration through Facebook, and a page where you can view all of your stats.

Design

And we arrive at the graphics. As mentioned before, this game is gorgeous. In fact, it’s probably one of the best games we’ve ever tested. While the cars have their own shine and beauty to them, the environments are very well put together. It really separates itself from other racing games.

Add to that all the decals, various car models, and the occasional change in venue, and you’ve got a game that really is as much fun to look at as it is to play. The sound effects and music definitely aren’t going to win any awards, but that doesn’t really matter or affect the game. The sounds effects are accurate, and the music is the same old techno stuff we’ve been hearing in video games forever.

Performance

So, how well does CSR Racing run? On the latest generation of smartphones, it runs great! We tested it on the Nexus 4 and the HTCOne — the game performer remarkably well on both. CSR Racing will probably run optimally on devices from last year as well, such as the HTCOne X and Galaxy S3.

Other than the fact that the intensive graphics could cause problems for older devices, there really wasn’t much wrong with CSR Racing. No lag, no glitches or bugs, and no force closes. However, something to keep in mind is that this game won’t work on all devices, but it should perform quite well with current devices.

What we liked

There’s a lot to like about CSR Racing. The cars are gorgeous, and so are the environments. The gameplay is fast, fun, and it doesn’t requite a lot of attention. There are even built mechanisms that prevent you from playing the game for hours on end.

We also liked the wide selection of cars. When you plan racing game, and even Ford cars are present, you know the developers really cared about adding variety. Nothing against Ford or anything, but it’s not every day that you’re racing with or against a Ford Focus, or even a Mustang. All in all, it was a really enjoyable experience.

What we didn’t like

Like most games, CSR Racing has its positives and its negatives. While there’s a lot to like about CSR Racing, not everything in the game is appealing. First of all, we didn’t like the generic audio. Close your eyes and listen to the soundtrack and sound effects of CSR Racing and 9 other games. Chances are, you won’t be able to tell a difference. Of course, it’s not all about the music, but it would’ve been nice to have something different.

The game takes on a free-to-play model, which means you have your standard in-game currency, and then a currency you have to purchase with real money. However, with CSR Racing being a free game to download, we can’t really complain. After all, the developers have to pay the bills somehow, right?

Aside from that, there are points in the game where you have to grind for money to upgrade your car. You need these upgrades to beat bosses. Grinding has become a natural part of gaming, but that doesn’t make it any more fun.

Video review

Final thoughts

When it comes down to it, and considering that CSR Racing is a free to play game, you can’t really go wrong with it. The pros outweigh the cons by a landslide, and it’s simple gameplay and outstanding graphics set it apart from other racing games out there.

CSR Racing could even spark the interest of gamers who aren’t particular fans of racing games. It’s obvious that fans of this genre are going to enjoy it a lot more, but if you want to expand your into other genre’s like racing, CSR Racing has our full recommendation.