Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading. In this installment, we’re covering New Star GPÂ by developer New Star Games.
New Star GP: (The Explanation)
New Star GP is a Formula One arcade racing game developed by New Star Games and published by FiveAcesPublishing. New Star Games have developed a number of sports themed titles like New Star Soccer, New Star Cricket, and New Star Manager, but New Star GP is their first motorsport game and although it is not a licensed game, it does take inspiration from real life racing circuits and uses fictional racing drivers to avoid any legal issues.
In New Star GP, you play as an F1 driver for the New Star Racing Team. You start the game with a short tutorial around a racing track to teach you the basics in how to play. After you have gotten to grips with piloting the car, you will be given the option to name and customize you character and car, and select the game’s difficulty level. With that out of the way, you will now be able to play the game’s career mode or Championship mode.
Career Mode serves as the main story campaign for New Star GP which starts out in the 1980’s and has you work your way through a series of races in order to compete in the next decade. There are five decades in total with each made up of several locations around the world and their respective GP, as well as Checkpoint Races, Time Trials, Duel Races, and Elimination Races. All races are pretty self explanatory in name. Time Trial: race as fast as you can around the circuit. Checkpoint Race: reach all the checkpoints in time. Elimination Race: make sure not to be in last place when the timer reaches zero or you are eliminated.
As for Championship Mode, you can play with up to two players and compete in a series of championship races. Each championship race has a set difficulty and a number of circuits. You will need to compete in all races in order to finish the championship in the hopes for the top spot on the Podium. You can also create your own Championship by selecting the number of circuits it will include, the weather conditions, and other parameters to suit your tastes like whether to inlcude pitstops or not, reverse tracks, short track, and number of laps required to finish the race. In this mode, all cars throughout the decades are available to choose from and you can set yourself up with an advantage that will increase your handling and speed, which is ideall for those who are new to racing games and could use the extra assistance.
So, lets talk racing. That is what we are all here for isn’t it? For the most part, all races have one particular objective in mind… Win. As simple as that really but simple is putting your foot on the accelerator, winning takes a whole lot more than that. When racing in GP races for example, you will compete against 9 other drivers, you will also have to decide on whether you plan to make a single pit stop or two over the course of the race. Fewer pitstops means you will carry more fuel but the extra weight may make you slower than your competitors. On the other hand, more pit stops will make your car lighter but going to the pit stop may take up valuable seconds and cost you pole position. That said, some tracks may actually benefit from making more stops as less fuel in the tank will help you take corners better as well, especially on tracks that have a lot of tight bends.
When on the track, you will have a coloured marker on the floor that will show you the recommended route to take. When it is green, you can put your foot on the gas and let rip (ZR button). when it is yellow, you need to take your finger of the accelerator so you can slow the car down to facilitate taking a bend. If the marker turns red, you will need push down on the Break (ZL button) and slow your speed down significantly otherwise you may not make the turn at all and may spin out or crash.
Should the worst happen though, you have the ability to rewind and rectify your mistake. You can rewind a total of three times in each match and there is also a perk that will allow you to rewind more than three. On the flip side, some races will penalize you for using the rewind function meaning you won’t earn as many Cups in a race upon finishing (more on this in a bit).
Upon finishing a race, you can earn BUX, and Cups. BUX are used to purchase upgrades for car to improve its handling, acceleration, speed, tyre grip, aerodynamics, tyre wear, breaking, fuel efficiency, etc. You can also spend BUX on keeping the crew happy between races so they don’t up and leave you to work for another racing team. It also comes in handy for when unsuspecting breakages occur before a race and you need to pay for repairs or risk a blowout, or worse, which can cost you the race.
Another thing I should point out is that upgrades for your car are pricy but are a necessary evil if you want to keep up with the competition. When some parts are a little out of your price range, you may be able to license similar parts from other drivers which can be cheaper than what you are looking for but are only temporary upgrades, usually lasting for a few laps or so.
As for Cups, the way you earn these differs depending on the type of race. In GP races, you can earn these by finishing the race in 5th position or higher (the higher the position, the more cups you can earn. In Time Trial, you can earn cups by beating the expert time without using rewinds. Cups allow you to unlock perks for your crew. Once you have earned enough, you will be given the choice between one of two crew perks.
These perks can really give you an edge in races as there are some to improve initial boost speed of the starting ling, increase the amount of BUX you can earn in a race, improve tyre change speed, and more. I should point out though that which ever perk you choose, it will make that crew member happier whilst the other will be slightly less happy. You can remedy this though by splashing a little cash their way to boost their morale.
New Star GP is a racing game that is very easy to get into and enjoy. I have played many other racing games and simulators and have struggle to really get into them. I would always spin out over the silliest of things, could never catch up with any of the other racers and would still crash somehow after slowing down to a snail’s pace in order to take a corner.
This game on the other hand, while it is still possible to do all those things, things like the course marker and the way CPU racers adapt around how you play, makes the game that much more enjoyable. As you play and improve, the CPU improves with you so races always feel fair. There is no rubberbanding and should you find yourself flying in first with second far behind, you would have to make a serious mistake for them to catch up with you. That said, in the next race, the CPU racers upgrade their vehicles so you don’t have such an easy time the next time around.
Another thing that I really like is how the CPU drivers may react to you. In the very first race of the decade, the racers will be cordial towards you. If you bump in to them too much or cause them to crash or spin out, they will soon get annoyed with you, and become your rival or worse, your enemy or nemesis. When this happens, they will drive much more agressively and will actively block you are try to get ahead of you. On the flip side, racers who are much more friendly towards you may lower the rates of their licensed tech so you can use it for cheaper and they are less inclined to get in your way during races.
To wrap up this Explain & Play review, New Star GP is an excellent racing game. I really had a lot of fun playing this game, and it is certainly in my top five for racing games. It can be enjoyed by casual and veteran racing game lovers, and I think Formula one fans may even get a kick out of it too.
New Star GP: (The Gameplay)
Game Specifications:
Developer: New Star GP
Publisher: FiveAcesPublishing
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Racing, Arcade, Sports, SimulationÂ
No. of Players: 1-2 players
Release Date: March 7, 2024 (EU & NA)
Price: $29.99
File Size: 883 MB
Nintendo.com Listing
