BallisticNG

It’s an amazing game for those who like racing at high speeds, with retro graphics and power-ups! With it’s 3 distinct physics/handling models, so if the “standard” 2159-physics are not quite your style, you can try the 2280-model that feels closer to Wipeout HD. You have the option for split-screen, as well as LAN/online racing against other players.

I play with a controller – left stick controls turn + pitch, and yes, you have to pitch your ship to follow slopes (especially at higher speeds). In addition, RT and LT control the right and left airbrakes respectively. You use these to slow down when necessary, and to drift through corners. It’s a suuuuper satisfying feeling to get this right, you’ve got to try it at least once before you judge it! If you really don’t like the pitching-aspect, the floor-hugger-physics lets you ignore pitch entirely.

There are several game-modes – Race, Team Race, Time Trial, Speed Lap, Survival, Knockout, Eliminator, Upsurge, Rush Hour, and Stunt (technically there is also Attract, but that’s just AI racing each other, so yeah…). You have tons of settings you can fiddle with to bring the experience to be exactly how you want it to be, at least in the “Custom Race” modes – adjust weapon damage, collision damage, respawn or one life, AI speed and skill, enable/disable specific weapons/powerups, and way way more.

In addition, there is a Campaign that takes you through all of the game’s content – however do not expect a cool story to be told or anything, it really is just a collection of different races and gamemodes. Ironically, the game does have a lot of lore available, but it’s mainly found in written form and is not immediately obvious.

A big feature of the game is it’s modding capability. The devs have made it very accessible to mod this thing, with Steam Workshop integration and an in-game 3D ship/skin viewer. To make custom skins, all you need is a photo editing program (GIMP is free), and off you go! 😉 The game is DRM-free on both Steam and GOG. These things are a major good-faith sign from the developers that they care about the long-term viability of this product!

It is, unfortunately, not the most popular game in the world. To find a multiplayer match you probably need to get onto their Discord (https://discord.gg/ballisticng). But there are weekly races going on, and people are often willing to join you if you are willing to host, regardless of driving skill and game-settings. Hop on and enjoy the fun.