Speed onto the streets in StreetRally on Facebook

It's no surprise that one of the most difficult video game genres to port to Facebook is the racer, as there's a fine line between perfectly balanced controls and oversimplifying the experience. With an overhead perspective similar to arcade racing games released on consoles years ago (Grand Theft Auto or Super Off Road immediately come to mind), and an in-depth car customization garage, StreetRally from Hypester certainly looks to be trying to hit that sweet spot.

There are two major elements to StreetRally: the actual racing, and the car tuning. You'll be given $10,000 to start, and can choose your starting car from a few (admittedly pathetic) options. In this (and in many other elements) the game takes on a feeling not entirely unlike the Need for Speed franchise on consoles, as you'll be able to purchase new cars with faster speed, better acceleration and handling, and upgrade them to even higher levels, before purchasing another new car and starting the process all over again.

When you want to enter a race, you'll do so from within your garage, and can then go about the process of completing races on an increasingly difficult series of tracks. Each car handles differently, but the controls are the same: use the arrow keys on your keyboard to accelerate and steer, while the shift and space keys control your nitrous boost and handbrake for tight turns. Races are slightly more complicated than just crossing the finish line first, however, as you'll need to pass through flags and route markers on your way, or else face a penalty at the end. Have a high enough penalty, and it won't matter how quickly you actually cross the finish line--you'll still lose.

As you complete races, you'll be able to travel around the world (England, LA, Miami, Tokyo and Australia are currently available to unlock) and race on different themed tracks, earning money and experience points as you go.

For the car-tuning fans out there, there are plenty of options here ranging from the visual options like windshield tinting, body color and rims to interior improvements like replacing the oil filters, adding new springs or shocks to the suspension and even changing out the brake pads. As you play, you'll actually be required to tune your car in parts, as parts will become somewhat damaged over time and need to be replaced.

For social features, there are leaderboards ranking your performance in races against players all over the world, and an open chat room also allows you to chat with any other player currently logged in. You can also challenge other players (including your friends) to races, but as the game currently only has 5,500 players, it might take some time for you to actually find someone to race.

There look to be additional features in the works in StreetRally, as new cars are marked as "coming soon," and we can only assume that more races would be added over time, if the game continues to gain in popularity. For now, there actually isn't any demand for a premium currency, so you can upgrade your car until your heart's content, all without spending a dime, but I also wouldn't expect that to be the case forever.

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While a little light on features, the gameplay in StreetRally looks to offer enough challenge for those looking for it, and enough car customization to keep those who don't busy, at least in the short term. Whether the game can pack a punch in the long though, remains to be seen.

Play StreetRally on Facebook -->

Have you tried any arcade style racing games on Facebook? Will you try StreetRally, or will you stick with racers on consoles instead? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.