Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 21/Feb 04:25

Gear.Club Unlimited 3 – Review

Our last encounter with the Gear.Club Unlimited franchise was back in 2019, and we honestly thought we had seen the last of it. While the first two installments were fun games, we assumed they struggled to find their place in a genre that already has many top contenders. Originally published by Microids, the series now makes a return under NACON’s publishing label. The latter isn’t always the best sign, if the recently released Rennsport is an example of their racing game portfolio. Even so, we were happy to see this arcade-like driving sim make a return, and we were eager to see how the franchise handled its jump from Switch to Switch 2. Story Just like its predecessor, Gear.Club Unlimited 3 has a simple storyline to lay the foundation for your rags-to-riches story. GearClub France has been doing well for many years now, but Marc, the CEO, is looking to branch out to Japan, and he’s looking for someone capable of managing things over there. Instead of hiring someone the traditional way, Marc has different drivers race for the opportunity, and the winner of those races just happens to be you. You set up shop in Japan with Marc’s trusted advisor, but you won’t have a big budget to do so. You’ll have to start from the bottom, make a name for yourself, and earn the respect of the local communities. As stated earlier, it’s a simple story, but it’s still nice to have a narrative to link all the races and your career progress together. Graphics Graphically, Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is a huge step up from its predecessors. The cars look nicely detailed, and the glossy finish reminded us a bit of older sim racing titles, where this effect was being applied heavily. We do have to commend the developers on the interior design, as the cockpit view is actually rather impressive, especially when we compare it to some of the interior designs of NACON’s published sim racing game, Rennsport. The tracks themselves also look nicely detailed, but you do notice the contrast between the highly polished car models and the more simplistic track designs. All in all, the performance was great in the performance mode, even when playing split-screen. The short story segments are presented in a visual novel-like form, which is a nice touch. The character designs, however, look a bit as if they are taken directly from a freemium mobile game though. Sound While the sound design wasn’t bad, we were left with mixed feelings nonetheless. The engines sound the part, and the available cars also have different sounds, making the experience more realistic. We were mainly conflicted about the music. The tunes aren’t bad or annoying; they just sound a bit generic, and the menu music loops too quickly. We miss the days of licensed music. Gameplay Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is, like its predecessors, an arcade-like racing game that throws in a few simulation aspects. In the story mode, you’ll go from one race to another while upgrading your garage with new workshops and decorations. Outside of traditional racing and time trials, you’ll also have highway challenges, where you avoid traffic while creating distance between you and your opponent. This reminded us of the old-school Tokyo Highway Challenge games, albeit a lot more basic and compressed into all the rest this game has to offer. There are also local versus and co-op options, which is certainly a nice touch, as many modern racing games often omit local multiplayer. All in all, everything is pretty straightforward, and if you played any of the previous installments, you already know what to expect here. The driving mechanics lean a bit closer to sim mechanics rather than solely arcade driving, so you’ll have to mind your speed when taking corners, and you can’t just drive into everything without getting penalties. Luckily, there are some assist features to help you on your way, so if you have little experience with sim drivers, then Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is still a very accessible game. There are many different cars to purchase in the campaign, while the multiplayer modes already have all the cars available. In the story mode, when you unlock cars, you’ll also be able to upgrade them via the different workshops you build in your GearClub branch garage. Conclusion Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is a great sequel to a somewhat disappointing second installment. This third entry has significantly upped the quality with improved graphics, fun driving mechanics, a nice roster of available cars, and a reasonable amount of tracks and modes. The building elements were still a bit basic perhaps, and some parts of the experience still reminded us of a freemium mobile game, but these components were also charming in their own right. In many ways, it’s more of the same as the previous titles, albeit with a new lick of paint and a whole lot of additional polish. If you’re into racing games but not a fan of heavy sims, this one might just offer the right balance between arcade and sim.