By Coller Entragian 25.10.2017
Halfway to the Danger Zone? Maybe it would be best to just turn around and steer clear of it completely. Do you remember the classic racer from Criterion, Burnout? Now think about if there was no racing element included in that at all? What if all there was left was speeding; the only thing to do was to put the pedal to the metal, throw caution to the wind, and then crash and burn? Get ready, as Cubed3 is about to enter the Danger Zone.
There really is a game tailored for pretty much everyone these days. Danger Zone marks the first time a videogame was made for the psychopathic World World II kamikaze pilot audience, though. The objective is to reach high speeds in a car and then crash it into traffic. To spice things up, drivers can gain explosive charges to cause multiple chains of close proximity cars to blow up. This is the extent of the gameplay and there really is no means to deviate from this since the playable car is prone to break down from even the most minor of fender bender. To further emphasise on the 'crash-into-whatever-is-on-the-road' mentality, all vehicles can only go straight and cannot be put into reverse at all. The cars handle like a bathtub with shopping cart wheels, so while it is possible to do a 180 degree turn, expect a ton of resistance and the very likely possibility of spinning out of control.
The sound Danger Zone emits is only the sound of an engine revving up, followed by a horrible crash and several explosions. This is the kind of product to play when life sucks, gambling debts are high, and it feels like hoping the sun would explode and engulf the world would be paradise. Rarely does a game tap into a bleak and depressing animalistic part of the brain because of the sounds it emits is a constant barrage of crashes and nothing else. There is no music at all, just a long silence that gets broken by the sound of a car engine and then is punctuated with a horrific crash. It is almost avant garde.
Danger Zone would have been a title to admire due to its commitment to its goal if it weren't for just how shallow and empty it is. Causing crashes and blowing up cars reaps points and a well timed charge can lead to bonuses. Earn enough points to reach the par with a ranking of bronze, silver or gold; then the next stage can be played. This is where the ugly part of Danger Zone is: load times. A single try lasts only a few seconds, given how the point is to crash and then let a domino effect of destruction occur, and retrying (or continuing) means reloading the entire stage, which takes up roughly the same amount of time. When gameplay and load screens are roughly equal in terms of length, don't expect the fun to last.
With about only 20 levels, it is really lacking in variety. Some stages try to mix things up by incorporating ramps, various creative set ups, and precarious situations but what was needed were more modes. The novelty of crashing gets old really quickly after how long and tedious the process is to continue. It doesn't help that the physics have a random aspect to them, so skill is not always a factor.
Danger Zone is a deeply shallow game that feels cheaply made. It doesn't even run smoothly, which is really unfortunate since the visuals look very simplistic and stock and shouldn't tax the Xbox One at all. Load times that last as long as a play cycle, and the sensory deprivation from the complete lack of music, give the impression that this is a work-in-progress - a very poor presentation for a very poor game.
3/10
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