SRX: The Game Review (PC): Get Back to the Basics of Racing

Tony Stewart, who also goes by the nickname Smoke, is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion as a driver, and a two-time NASCAR Cup title winner as a team owner. He's also the only driver in history to win a championship in both IndyCar and NASCAR.

Along with Ray Evernham, a three-time Winston Cup Series champion with driver Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart co-founded the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), an American Short Track Racing Series that debuted earlier this month.

SRX: The Game benefits from both Tony Stewart's driving skills and Ray Evernham's expertise as a chassis specialist, and it shows. Interestingly enough, the game developed in collaboration with Monster Games was launched on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One even before the official sport made its debut on June 12th.

Unlike most other car racing games, SRX: The Game spotlights the player's driving skills rather than a car's power. That means that players race on tracks using equal cars and the one with the best driving skills takes it all.

In short, SRX: The Game lets you race in four different series with varied cars and rule sets, six world-class licensed tracks, and more than 50 additional dirt tracks. The highlight of the game is, of course, the chance to race against all the stars of the SRX series, including Bill Elliot, Helio Castroneves, Bobby Labonte, Tony Kanaan, Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart himself, and many more.

Each car feels like it has weight, so it drives differently. That's even more obvious when you use different setups in Career Mode. On top of that, there's a huge difference between racing on dirt tracks and driving on asphalt. Even though it's still an arcade car racing game, it's got some great simulation vibes.

To make things even more interesting, there's a tire wear mechanic in the game that adds a strategic layer to races, as you'll have to decide whether it's worth driving more aggressively or take it slow, especially since damage carries between heats.

In SRX: The Game, you'll have the chance to try out four different types of racing styles: sprint car, stadium truck, late model, and the official SR racing league. The most entertaining way to tackle SRX: The Game is to start with the Career Mode, which features 305 wingless sprints, stadium trucks, and dirt late models on more than 50 additional dirt tracks. But you can always jump into a race via Quick Race mode, or race against other players in the Online Multiplayer mode.

Now, Career Mode puts you in the role of a rookie driver, so you'll have to make your way to the lowest of the four series, the Sprint Car series, to the top. What I enjoyed about SRX: The Game's career mode is that it lets you experience all the intricacies of being a professional race car driver.

For example, the first few races are not only meant to allow you to promote to the next Sprint Car series, but also as a chance to find a sponsor for your car. You'll have to build your car racing team throughout the entire career mode, so you'll have to deal with hiring new staff (i.e. business manager) and upgrading R&D facilities. It's almost as if you're building a career, right?

I also enjoyed the cutscenes in career mode with Tony Stewart and Ray Everham. It's great to have two veterans talking about each step in your career as a race car driver, let alone being very serious about it.

Now let's talk a bit about the “enemy” aka the AI drivers in SRX: The Game. For the most part, the AI is above average, especially in career mode where you can have some decent side-by-side combat action going on. If you're an average player, even the smallest mistake can cost you a top rank in any of these races. Don't get me wrong, the AI is not perfect, but it doesn't make too many mistakes.

Another important aspect of the game is the customization part. I'm happy to let SRX fans know that the game has tons of car and driver customization options. If you're really into car design, you'll definitely spend a lot of time making the most out of your vehicle.

Lastly, SRX: The Game lets you compete in 25-player online races, but since the game kind of flew under the radar, it's a bit hard to find lobbies at the moment. When you do get into an online race, it's definitely fun. Obviously, the only way to fix this issue is to convince more players to play the game.

Conclusion

SRX: The Game promises to offer players an authentic and realistic experience, and for the most part, it delivers on that promise. My biggest critique about the game is the presentation, which leaves much to be desired.

Although this is clearly a budget title that focuses entirely on game mechanics, I couldn't help but notice the subpar graphics and overall aesthetic. On the positive side, the soundtrack is quite good. Even though it's only 11 tracks that you'll listen to throughout the entire career mode, at least it's an improvement in comparison with the previous games.

Despite the mediocre overall presentation and some weird car crash physics, I'd still recommend SRX: The Game to everyone looking for a laid-back car racing experience. It's an “easy to pick up, but hard to master” kind of game.
Rating: 75/100