Firstly, let's just clarify that High Speed Chase 2 is not a sequel but rather is in fact a major update to High Speed Chase, a game that we haven't covered here prior to this release. It brings with it a whole heap of bug fixes, changes and graphical improvements, but does it best the free browser game?

Well, yes and no. Let's start with the good first - although the touch control is the default option, it leads to erratic swerving at high speed. We were about to give up on the game until we found out that the developer has included an alternative configuration in the Settings app - an accelerometer based one which works flawlessly. It's by far the stronger control scheme out of the two and really should be made the default one. Anyway, with that set up, you'll be powering down the roads gunning down, well, everything in your path.

Oddly enough, each mission is tracked on the same leader board

Basically, the aim of each mission is to obliterate a given number of targets. You can do this any way you choose - ramming them from behind until their car is destroyed, slamming them into a barrier or other heavy vehicle, shooting them until the car blows up, or by launching off a ramp and bunny hopping onto the car. This method is the most fun and requires quite a bit of skill to get a chain going, but it's a fun sight to see. Take too much damage, however (by careless pedestrian ramming, or getting hunted down by the police, or simply by not collecting enough health crates) and you'll have to start over.

When you do complete a level, credits awarded in game can be used to purchase upgrades for your vehicle - namely performance, car dexterity and the gun that is replaced by faster or more powerful weapons. Oddly enough, each mission is tracked on the same leader board - perhaps it would have been a better idea to have focused on objective based missions where you had to complete a variety of challenges, and saved the high score tracking for a 'survival' mode that let you hunt down as many targets as you could.

The ultimate problem that High Speed Chase 2 has is insufficient differentiation from it's free, browser based version, which includes global high scoring rather than this game's local only leader board. While it's presentation is great, it can get repetitive as there are only three random environments that take place on dead straight highways. It would have been fun to incorporate a more free roaming style to mix up the gameplay somewhat, especially as the missions all follow the same basic formula. And although the sound effects are realistic enough, it could use some music to liven up the action. Overall, it's not a recommended purchase unless you fancy having the browser based game on your iPhone, but 59p is an attractive price for it and so it merits a C grade.

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More by this developer

Plunderland, A

Review by Brett Nolan, August 25, 2010

Why not try...

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