REVIEW: Speed Rivals (2025 Video Game) - on PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

Speed Rivals takes the old slot car idea that so many of us grew up with and turns it into a digital toybox with a lot of charm. It brings that familiar Scalextric feeling back to life on your PC, only with sharper effects and a livelier sense of pace. The result is a racer that knows exactly what it is trying to be, and for the most part it hits the mark.

The strongest part of the game is how it captures that classic slot car rhythm. You only control your speed, so every lap becomes a small battle with the track rather than a test of steering skill. Ease off too late and you pop off the rail. Feather the throttle at the right moment and you glide through the bend with a bit of style. It feels simple, which is exactly the point. Anyone who grew up fiddling with Scalextric pieces on the living room floor will settle in quickly, and the game leans into that feeling with a nostalgic grin.

The short bursts of racing work nicely. You drop in, try to set a clean lap, fail, swear, retry, then nail it. 

The track editor itself deserves a bit of praise since it opens up a whole second layer of play. Building a circuit is good fun, and sharing your tracks online gives the whole thing a sense of community that helps a relatively small game feel much bigger.

The trouble starts when you veer away from the nostalgia. Players who have never touched a slot car in their life might find the lack of steering quite odd. It goes against everything you expect from a racing game, and that first hour can feel quite restricted. The bigger problem, though, is the camera work. None of the options feel fully comfortable. The top down view is the most workable, although you still end up sliding the camera about just to keep your car in sight. First person made me feel a bit queasy, and the other angles make it too hard to judge how fast you should be taking each corner. It gets in the way of the flow, which is a shame because the core loop is otherwise very smooth.

Speed Rivals is a good time if you already have a soft spot for slot car racing. It offers a bright set of tracks, lively time attack challenges, a hefty track editor and a community focus that should help it grow. It is still in early access, so there is room for improvement, especially with the cameras, but there is enough here already to keep fans entertained.

Right now it is a fun, slightly limited racer. A solid 7 out of 10.

Out Now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3389390/Speed_Rivals__Build_Race__Share_Tracks/

REVIEW: CarCam (2025 Video Game) - On PC - Steam

Review by Jon Donnis

CarCam arrives on Steam with a simple pitch that taps straight into childhood memory. You take control of a tiny remote-controlled car and see the world through a camera perched on top of it. The idea feels instantly charming. The living room turns into an enormous playground where a table leg becomes a hairpin corner and a cushion becomes a launch ramp. It is a clever viewpoint and it gives the game a distinct personality, helped along by the sight of full sized humans wandering about in the background while you tear around their floor. That little detail adds an odd sense of scale and, in a funny way, makes the whole thing feel more playful. The use of classical music as the soundtrack gives it a quirky edge as well. I suspect the choices are down to royalty free availability, though they work surprisingly well and give the races a slightly whimsical lift.

The problem is that the concept is stronger than the execution at the moment. This is an early access title and you can feel that roughness in nearly every corner. Online activity is thin, so the multiplayer features often sit gathering dust. Free roam should be the mode that lets you kick back and enjoy the setting, yet the constant need to recharge your car gets in the way. Stopping on a pad to refill the battery breaks the flow and feels like an unnecessary chore. 

The controls do not help either. Being locked to keyboard input makes the handling far more awkward than it should be, particularly for a game that asks for precision and quick reactions. Races can feel confusing as a result, partly because it is not always clear where you are meant to go and partly because the camera perspective demands crisp steering that simply is not there yet. Even the menus feel bare, with very few settings to tweak, which reinforces the sense that the game has not reached its full shape.

CarCam has the heart of a delightful idea. The joy of seeing a familiar room blown up to epic scale is real and the tiny-camera perspective is genuinely fun. It just needs far more refinement to match that promise. Right now it feels like a concept rather than a finished experience. For me it is a pass at this stage, though I would not rule out returning in a year if the developers keep chipping away at the rough edges. The potential is there, it simply needs time to find its polish.

Out Now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3760600/CarCam/

REVIEW: Dixotomia (2025 Video Game) Released in Early Access on MetaQuest

Review by Jon Donnis

VR is littered with ambitious shooters, but Dixotomia stands out because of its odd mix of gritty sci-fi and supernatural menace. You're dropped into a crumbling colony, stuck between androids, mercenaries, and a cult of vampires who are all too happy to tear you apart. On paper it sounds a little wild, but in practice it works surprisingly well.

When Dixotomia hits its stride, it's a blast. The shooting feels weighty, the vampiric powers give you a fun edge in battle, and the freedom of movement across large industrial sites, Martian quarries, and neon towers makes it feel bigger than many VR games manage. It's easy to pick up and play, with straightforward controls that don't overwhelm you, and the visuals, when they're polished, look strong for a standalone headset. The sound design deserves credit too, with plenty of bite and atmosphere that sells the dystopian mood.

The flipside is the state of the game as it stands. Early Access is always a mixed bag, and Dixotomia is no exception. You'll run into bugs, rough edges in the visuals, and a general lack of polish that reminds you it isn't finished yet. Weekly patches are rolling out, which is encouraging, but that doesn't stop the frustration when a promising mission collapses under technical hiccups. There's also the fact that some boss fights and environments feel more like sketches of ideas than fully fleshed-out moments, which can be jarring in a VR game that leans on immersion.

Still, the potential here is undeniable. The combination of brutal sci-fi gunplay and bloodthirsty vampiric abilities is a clever hook, and the upgrade trees suggest the developers are serious about depth as well as spectacle. If Deep Matrix can tighten the rough spots, squash the bugs, and add a layer of polish, this could end up being one of the more interesting VR shooters out there.

Right now Dixotomia is a work in progress, and you have to treat it as such. There's fun to be had, but it's also frustrating in equal measure. The big question is whether the team can follow through and realise the potential that's clearly baked into the design. For now, it's one to watch.

Score: 6.5 out of 10, not quite there yet, but with time it could be something special.

Check it out on MetaQuest

https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/dixotomia/8341732499261883/

REVIEW: Recharge (2025 Video Game) - Early Access Release on PC

Review by Jon Donnis

Recharge drops you straight into the world of RC racing, but not the kind you remember from toy shop shelves. This is a sim-cade experience that blends the precision and realism of simulation with the immediate fun of arcade racing. The cars don't just look like their real-world counterparts, they behave like them too. Every twitch of the steering, every bump of the suspension and every bit of tyre grip is dictated by physics that make these tiny machines feel alive on the track. It's all wrapped in a visual package that's surprisingly striking for a game about cars you could pick up with one hand.

From the moment you line up on the grid, the presentation pulls you in. The graphics are sharp and detailed, from the shine of the paintwork to the spray of gravel under the wheels. The audio is spot-on too, with the high-pitched whir of electric motors and the crunch of tyres on different surfaces. You can pick your camera angle to suit your style, whether that's the classic behind-the-car view or a front-facing angle that ramps up the difficulty. A cinematic drone view is available for those who want to admire the action, though most racers will probably stick to something more practical when chasing lap times.

The game's current content is split between single-player racing and online multiplayer for up to 12 players. The multiplayer side should benefit from cross-platform play, meaning you can test your skills against racers no matter what system they're on, but for now you can stick with PC gamers since this is early access. The track list mixes professionally designed circuits that demand precision with more casual layouts that let you just enjoy the flow of driving. RC controller support is a smart addition, letting enthusiasts bring their own gear for an authentic feel, but traditional controllers still work well, even if some fine-tuning of the button mapping is still needed.

Customisation is another highlight, giving you a wide range of cosmetic and performance tweaks to make your RC car your own. Whether you're just adding a custom paint job or tuning the car for maximum speed and grip, there's enough depth here to make your build feel personal.

It's not without its early access rough edges. The menu system needs attention, particularly the lack of an option to turn off motion blur, which can be unpleasant for players sensitive to it. (The option is there, but wont save it) A few bugs crop up here and there, though nothing game-breaking, and controller settings still need a bit more refinement to feel fully dialled in.

The roadmap for the game is ambitious. Split-screen racing, custom track creation, drift modes, open-world areas to explore, car damage, pit stops and even combat racing are all promised for future updates. If the developers can deliver on that, Recharge could evolve into a uniquely deep RC racing experience that appeals to both casual players and hardcore hobbyists.

Right now, it's a fun, well-presented racer that already captures the essence of RC competition. The word that comes to mind is potential. As it stands, Recharge is an enjoyable, good-looking game that feels satisfying to control. Given what's on the horizon, it could well become the go-to title for anyone who's ever dreamed of mastering the perfect lap in miniature.

Out Now on Early Access on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3225420/Recharge/

REVIEW: The Karters 2: Turbo Charged (2025 Video Game) - A Kart Racer Built for Speed and Skill

Review by Jon Donnis

The Karters 2: Turbo Charged has arrived on Steam early access, and even in this stage, it's already making a strong case for being one of the most exciting kart racers on PC. Developed by Pixel Edge Games, it leans into skill-based racing in a way that sets it apart from much of the competition. The drift mechanics, inspired by Crash Team Racing, are tight and responsive, but there's an extra hook with the reserve system. The more reserves you bank, the faster you go, with no speed cap to hold you back. It means races can flip in an instant, and those last-lap comebacks feel earned rather than lucky.

Right now, there's a generous amount of content to dive into. Sixteen tracks, six battle arenas, and modes that go beyond the usual. Road Breaker plays like a kart-racing take on Fall Guys' survival chaos, while Quick Cut throws procedurally generated tracks at you, keeping things fresh every time. Then there's the 1,500-plus mods already live via Steam Workshop, ranging from new tracks to completely different characters. The fact you can browse and install them directly in-game is a welcome touch that makes modding painless.

The game's multiplayer is just as ambitious. You can go split-screen with up to six players locally, jump into online matches, or combine the two with split-screen online support. Ranked matchmaking, tournaments, ELO leaderboards, and ghost races with downloadable data from the top players give it the kind of competitive backbone you don't often see in the genre. Dedicated servers keep things smooth, and there's even a Next Best Ghost feature to constantly push you against a close rival.

Even in early access, the polish is impressive. The karts handle beautifully, the visuals pop, and the performance feels solid. There's a single-player challenge campaign to tackle if you want to sharpen your skills, along with cups of up to 24 rounds for longer sessions. Replay and photo modes are already in place, which is great for sharing those over-the-top moments.

Looking ahead, Pixel Edge Games has more planned. A Story Mode is on the way, adding characters and a narrative layer, while an in-game track editor will let players create and share their own courses without leaving the game. Given what's already here, those updates could make an already robust package even stronger.

The kart racing genre is crowded, but The Karters 2 is carving out space with depth, variety, and sheer speed. If this is the early access build, the full release could be something special. Right now, it's already a blast to play, and the ceiling for where it can go is very high.

Out Now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2269950/The_Karters_2_Turbo_Charged/

Special Thanks to Pixel Edge Games for providing the game key.