CSR2 Demonstrates the Graphical Possibilties of Mobile Plaforms

NaturalMotion, a subsidiary of Zynga has just unveiled the sequel to its highly popular drag racer, CSR. With over 130 million downloads worldwide spanned across a 3 year period, this is one of Zynga’s most lucrative exports and looks set to offer a new standard of graphical fidelity for mobile devices. In an interview with GamesBeat, Torsten Reil, head of NaturalMotion argued:

“We wanted to go far down the road of believability and authenticity,”

“It’s a massive jump up in quality.”

“We want to be the best-looking racing game on mobile. But we also want this to be the best-looking racing game, full stop. It needs to feel like an authentic and realistic car.”

At first glance, the car models are impeccable and could easily be mistaken for a console racer such as Forza 5. However, underneath the hood, the modeled interiors whilst being fairly accurate use flat textures and lack depth. I don’t think this will deter many people since the game revolves around quickfire adrenaline fueled drag events.

In terms of gameplay, you can now store a number of hypercars from licensed manufacturers including Aston Martin, Ferrari, Pagani, Lamborghini and more! Each vehicle offers a great deal of cosmetic customization to add character to your garage. The audio has also been revamped to represent the signature engine noises of modern-day supercars. While new modes might be offered it seems the studio is focusing on drag races instead of becoming a traditional racing game.

CSR2 highlights the potential on mobile platforms but doesn’t alleviate concerns about the business model. Often, free-to-play handheld games involve repetitive sections which must be replayed an obscene amount of times to progress. The only viable option to keep the pacing and make the game interesting is through micro-payments. Notable examples such as Real Racing 3 are not subtle and constantly bug you until payment is made. I’m not entirely convinced that graphical quality is the main barrier between mobile becoming a real alternative to console gaming. The affordability, small screen and poor controls all contribute to a less than enthusiastic reception from the core gaming audience. Unfortunately, micro transactions are here to stay and even in full price retail games.

Do you think the gap between mobile and console gaming is becoming less pronounced?

Thank you Venturebeat for providing us with this information.