Redout II Review

Redout II is the sequel to 2016’s Redout and is inspired by classic futuristic racing/shooter games such as Sony’s WipeOut, Nintendo’s F-Zero, or original Xbox’s excellent Quantum Redshift. The racing is fast-paced and intense. Races take place through the dystopian wastelands of a semi-abandoned Earth.

Redout II is an intense racing experience that requires lightning-quick reflexes and offers a decent variety of game modes. Aside from Career mode, players can jump into: Race, Time Attack, Arena Race (no respawn and increasing damage), Last Man Standing, Speed (stay above target speed to earn points), and Boss (race multiple tracks back to back).

This racing game doesn’t offer simplistic controls. While there’s the typical acceleration and braking, Redout II’s control schemes also include a strafe mechanic which helps when going full speed in sharp turns. But also when you’re going up, you need to pull your nose up and when going down a hill, you need to remember to bring it down to avoid slowing down and damage. It turns something that was meant to be crazy fun into a tedious chore. There’s also a boost button and speed tiles to give you a boost… straight into the walls. Thankfully, if you screw up you can rewind and correct your mistake.

The game’s main issue here is the difficulty curve. Even on the lower difficulty setting, the game is merciless and requires a lot of practice because, given its fast-paced, futuristic setting which makes it faster than typical car racing games, you need to master the tracks and controls even *before* attempting Career mode. This game will (unfortunately) mop the floor with casual players even on the lowest difficulty. If the other racers end up out of your viewpoint, it’s simpler to hit reset because you’ll never catch up to them no matter how good you race.

Presentation wise is where the game shines. Redout II is a visual treat; it’s highly colorful, has great track design variety, and highly detailed ships and environments. It also provides a great sense of speed requiring lightning-fast reflexes to avoid obstacles. Annoyingly enough though that When doing qualifying races, the camera is way too close to your ride. The soundtrack is a banging compilation of EDM tunes that will stay with you even after you’ve shut off the game. Definitely one of the best gaming scores of 2022. The game does offer neat little introductions to each track as well.

I wanted to enjoy Redout II and sit here and recommend this, but I simply cannot. Unless you’ve mastered the first game or have the patience of a God, simply avoid Redout II. While the game includes a decent amount of gameplay options, the controls make it feel more like a chore than a game. It looks and sounds amazing, but constantly replaying the same tracks and the lack of progress due to its gatekeeping casual players, only serious players need apply. Games should be fun, not feel like a chore. Instead of buying Redout II, I’d recommend hunting down an original Xbox and a copy of Quantum Redshift, that would be a wiser investment.