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By Rob (15th Apr 2008)

The release of Iridium Runners proves that, although the Playstation 3 has been out for some time, its predecessor’s popularity and continued console sales have kept developers interested in further development for the system. Despite churning out some duds, occasionally some of these late releases have an interesting premise. Iridium Runners is just that: A futuristic running game where opponents can blast, shove, and rocket past each other in a variety of outer space levels. But, does the gameplay live up to its potential?
Iridium Runners seems to be a mash-up of various successful titles from the past. The gameplay and weaponry are reminiscent of Diddy Kong Racing for the N64, and the graphics aren’t much better. The game also shares level resemblance with the F-Zero series of racing games. And the most obvious comparison that can be made with this game is that its theme seems an almost complete rip-off of the late 80s action film “The Running Man” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both are based around foot races. Set in the future. Where the runners are pawns for company profits. Hell, Iridium Runners copies the flick down to the spandex one piece sprinter costumes. But as I am a huge fan of the movie (though not necessarily the attire), I was thoroughly stoked for this game.
Well, it didn’t live up to my expectations. When I started playing I finished dead last in my first half dozen races. As I soon found out, the player’s ultimate success or failure in Iridium Runners is based off of their ability to pick up “Iridium Crystals” which are scattered throughout the race course. The more crystals you collect, the more “Iridium Energy” you get. And the more Iridium Energy you get, the more “Iridium Boosts”-a repeated tapping of the “X” button producing a sprint-one can use to blast by the opposition. And that is where the gameplay falls apart. Without constantly using Iridium Boosts, a finish in the back of the pack is guaranteed. But since Iridium Crystals are plentiful, you can literally boost through the entire race which enables an easy win on most races. This constant boost comes at a price though, with monotonous and painful tapping continuing throughout the entire race. And with some races lasting in excess of 10 minutes each, all that tapping can become quite the chore!
The long track lengths prove cumbersome in more ways than one, with saves in the Championship mode occurring only after an entire stage has been beaten. Tracks lasting as long as 10 minutes each, with 5 or so tracks each stage? Forget about a quick gaming session; this handicap makes Iridium Runners a drawn-out exercise, which is one its biggest shortcomings. Games of this type are best enjoyed in sporadic, frantic bursts; 15 minutes here, a half hour there and then on to other things. But Iridium Runners tries to forcefully engulf the player in its play, requiring beating stages and levels in order just to access the next and repeat the process again.
Graphics- wise, Iridium Runners is a letdown. The audio is mostly generic techno beats, with a few mildly innovative tunes interspersed to jazz things up a bit. Crappy unlockable extras include the ability to play songs in the “Jukebox”, and view stills from the game and concept drawings in the “Wallpaper” section. To add insult to injury, all Wallpapers are already visible before being unlocked, they just can’t be zoomed in upon. Whatever happened to the element of surprise?
Now, to the positive features of the game. Although the first few levels are mundane, later ones have some inspired architecture. Running through a suspended glass atrium while surrounded by revolving spheres of light is a definite check box in the “good” column. Of course, price is also a big factor. I would be downright insulted if I paid $60 for a game such as this, but the $20 price tag makes Iridium Runners an easier pill to swallow. And I must admit, the game did grow on me the more I played it; I guess that’s why the saving is so sporadic? The control system is easy to pick up, though it can get loose at faster speeds. The various Championship modes are fresh twists on the racing genre, with classic racing mode being accompanied by a frantic fight for the finish in which the last player each lap is eliminated until only one is left. And, erm, did I mention the glass atrium?
Iridium Runners is mildly entertaining, but it’s not nearly what it could have been. Just because a game is released late in a console’s life cycle doesn’t give the developers the right to cut corners. The menus, extras, and weaponry are standard for any racing games from the last 10 years with not much spice. Mock ads between races conjuring memories of Futurama are a notable exception, such as “The surgery is painless!” and “Best Bet-The Casino Service that Cares! Sign up and we’ll send agents to feed your dog!”. Besides that, there just isn’t much else of note here to make this one stand out from the crowd. A slowdown in frame rate at high speeds is a killer when a sense of mind-numbing movement is trying to be conveyed. Matched with the dark level designs, I found myself constantly running into walls and simply fumbling myself to the end of some levels. It is somewhat unique - How many other future space running games can you jot off from memory? But Iridium Runners certainly isn’t going to have fans clamouring for a continuation in the genre when there are so many other more deserving racing games out there. For a new release, the $20 price tag is nice, but I would rather play Mario Kart 64 or even Pen Pen Triicelon for the Dreamcast in a heartbeat over Iridium Runners.