Taken for a Quickie | Riptide GP: Renegade

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Vector Unit’s water-faring racer reaches Xbox One and Windows 10 tomorrow, Friday 24 February. While getting both for the price of one as part of the Xbox Play Anywhere initiative provides unquestionable value for money, is it worth its salt in the first place? Join us for a quickie and we’ll find out.

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by Sam
​Sant

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​@SlamShotSam

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Developer: Vector Unit
Publisher: Vector Unit
Platforms: Xbox One,
PC, PS4, iOS, Android
Players: 1 - 8

Is Renegade an arcade or simulation racer?

100% the former. After being banned from sanctioned jet ski races you enter the world of illegal off circuit competition, embarking on a tour of some bonkers locales. These outlandish tracks afford a wealth of opportunities to catch air and perform death-defying stunts, which are imperative to taking pole position, as landing tricks fills your boost gauge.

If you played Hydro Thunder Hurricane, the team’s 2010 revival of the dormant Hydro Thunder franchise, then it’ll all be very familiar.

I loved that game, why am I only hearing about Riptide GP now?

The series has been focused on mobile platforms, where it’s garnered critical and commercial success. A port of GP2 did reach consoles and secure a small following, but you’re easily forgiven any ignorance on this one.

Is Renegade a good place to jump in, or do I need to grab my phone?

There’s a barebones story but the racing is very much the focal point; there's no reason not to get involved with this entry.

Renegade tickled an adrenaline-fuelled fancy that’s gone somewhat unsatisfied since the likes of Hydro Thunder Hurricane and Pure released an entire console generation ago.

A story, you say?

Following your expulsion from official competitions you find yourself at the bottom of the pile, and the only way to climb back up the ranks is by beating a number of notable racers. Text-based interactions with these larger-than-life characters serve as a basic repeating groundwork - impress them, best them, recruit them - that structures the game.

Does that not get a bit repetitive?

No more than ploughing through 100+ career events across four distinctions (race, slalom, elimination and freestyle) and nine tracks. A bit of repetition is nothing out of the ordinary for the genre.

​Can you customise your jet ski to suit each type of event?

The only customisation is aesthetic, though fixed performance upgrades can be bought with the cash you make. Different skis do have different stats, but you won’t realistically make the money to keep several competitive at any one time.

Any multiplayer modes?

Challenge pits you against player ghosts in an attempt to beat their times and climb the leaderboards, but if that's a little too indirect for you, multiplayer races are available both online and in local split screen play.

So would you say it was a goer?

Definitely if you’re into arcade racing, or even curious when the asking price is just £8.39. Riptide GP: Renegade tickled an adrenaline-fuelled fancy that’s gone somewhat unsatisfied since the likes of Hydro Thunder Hurricane and Pure released an entire console generation ago.

​With an incredibly release-rich March approaching, now’s the time to jump in before it potentially gets lost in the pack.