From racing game experts Codemasters and the developers
behind Sony's Motorstorm franchise, at first blush Onrush seems for all the
world like the off road Burnout-style game of our dreams. With fast-paced
action as you and a horde of other drivers tear through the wilderness trying
to wreck each other at every opportunity, Onrush is a blast. At least it is at
first, but then reality comes crushing down and you realize that destruction
for destruction's sake isn't actually all that fun for long. Onrush isn't
actually a racing game, you see, it's just a crashing game, and that gets
boring after faster than you'd think. Continue reading our full Xbox One Onrush review for all
of the deails.
Game Details
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Developer: Codemasters
- ESRB Rating: "E10" for Everyone 10+
- Genre: Racing
- Pros: Sense of speed; some fun modes
- Cons: Team aspect is undercooked; gets boring pretty quickly
- MSRP: $50
Click to Buy Onrush at Amazon.com |
That last mode, appropriately called Switch, is easily the
best and most interesting one as it is very hectic and crazy with lots of
vehicle classes flying all over. All four modes ultimately end up playing
pretty much the same, though, because of the core foundation of the game where
it isn't a racing game, it's a crashing game. You earn more boost and
"Rush" meter by wrecking your opponents, so that's your focus, and it
gets boring after a while. Matches in Onrush just feel like two packs of wolves
running through the forest while trapped under blanket snarling and snapping at
each other with no real objective. (Darn, that actually sounds cooler than I
wanted it to ...). By comparison to how boring Onrush starts to feel a few
hours in, Burnout is a great series because it is an actual racing game
underneath the crashes. Onrush is just crashes.
Another issue with Onrush is a weirdly undercooked team
aspect that doesn't really add much to the experience. The whole point of the
game is two teams tearing through the wilderness wrecking each other, but there
isn't actually any teamwork to be found. There are no special team moves or
unique crashes or really anything you can do involving the other cars on your
team. Because of the way the scoring systems work in each mode, you're 100%
better off just minding your own business and earning points, so what was the
point of giving the game a team focus in the first place? Different vehicle
classes do have special abilities like dropping nitro boosts and other things
that "could" help your team, but in my experience they didn't play
that much of a role. I suppose a coordinated team of human players online might
come up with some effective strategies, but I would assume that the best way to
actually win is still to just run your own race and score points.
It's a shame that Onrush is burdened by such weird design
choices because the actual driving feels pretty great. Each vehicle class has a
unique feel and they're all viable and fun to use regardless of mode. The game
has a fantastic sense of speed as well and the crashes can be brutal. There is
a little bit of inconsistency, though, as you never know when a tiny bump will
somehow totally wreck you or if sliding into a barrier .0001 MPH too fast will
lead to a crash, so it can be a little frustrating as the crash physics seem
almost random.
The result of all of this is a game that feels pretty good
to play but is held back by inconsistent physics and a lack of variety that
makes it feel pretty repetitive after just a few hours. All of the race types
end up playing the same and there aren't enough vehicle types or tracks to make
up for the lack of variety elsewhere. Onrush is a total blast for about two
hours, and then it gets boring.
The presentation in Onrush is just okay. The environments
look okay but stand out more or less depending on lighting. The vehicles are
made up off road Frankenstein's monster-type vehicles that look okay. There are
a ton of cosmetic items you can unlock, but they honestly don't add much to the
experience. As I mentioned above, the sense of speed is quite good and the
framerate is fairly stable (I didn't notice any significant drops, at least).
The music and sound effects are similarly okay.
In the end, Onrush is just too shallow to really hold
your attention for long enough to make a full priced purchase worthwhile. Not
to pile on, but the game has been on sale for 50% off every other week since
release, and had a free play weekend on Xbox One (which is how I played it) for
good reason - it isn't worth the full $50 MSRP. If you're interested in giving
it a try, wait for a sale as there are a few hours worth of fun here. If you're
expecting a deep and satisfying driving experience, however, Onrush won't
deliver.