It really is. I still prefer Mario Kart or ExciteBots overall, but as a 600 point downloadable title, Light Trax delivers the goods, and then some.
The simplistic art style is really cool.
You are the white light track, and you must navigate the course, avoiding obstacles, while slipstreaming next to other light trax to gain boost and overtake the leaders. It's an uphill battle from the get-go, because you're forced to start from 7th position. You can not travel in the same lane as another light trax, but you do want to travel next to one so you can accumulate your boost. Changing lanes reduces your speed, but cutting corners on the inside will give you an edge. You can even screw over light trax behind you by changing into their lane, forcing them into another potentially hazardous direction. There are plenty of perspective changes as you race, which can be confusing at first, but I feel they add style to the game, and force you to be on the ball.
There are a few different game modes, from single race to tour (three-race cup with points), to freeway mode. Freeway mode is different from the racing, essentially you are on a highway and want to accumulate points within the time limit by slipstreaming past other light trax, while going faster and faster.
The game is quite difficult, and I love it. I spent a good few hours trying to get 1st in the 3rd cup, and finally getting it, to unlock the 4th via the freeway mode, was very rewarding.
The music in this game has a techno/electronica vibe to it, and to say the least, it's awesome. Every race has a different tune.
I'll leave you with a video, and impressions from a long-time NW member. In short, buy this game.
So I picked up Light Trax. I have Dotstream, but I never played it much, and I now realize that I didn't understand the mechanics at all. It is sort of a single-player slot-car racing game, but it's SO FUCKING WEIRD, the strategies you have to employ and such. Basically, you build up boost by slipstreaming, and you slipstream by being next to another light track (or, ideally, between two). Very abnormal, but pretty cool. There are also power-ups, and you can cash in a 'life' for a mega-boost. The 3D stuff is nothing more than a neat visual gimmick, as far as I can tell. You automatically shift between planes and keep the lane you were in.
There are two main modes in Light Trax - the original race mode from Dotstream and the new (?) Freeway mode, which is very neat. The rules in Freeway mode are different. You have to slipstream until you can shift to the next gear, which makes you go faster and faster. Very exhilarating. Especially with the cool, minimalist visual design. I really enjoyed what little I played of that mode.
I played the first cup and the first Freeway. I've gotta say, I'm liking it! I don't know why, but I'm enjoying this game a lot more on a home console. The aesthetics really shine (aside from some jaggies), and now I actually know what I'm doing (ProTip: RTFM!). I'm very happy with my purchase.
