So, I hear you like racing games. Well, boy, do I have the game forz-a you (please laugh, I’m funny, I swear). Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Tracks Edition is the latest from Eden Games, and is published by Microids and Anuman. It is the follow up to 2017’s title of the singular nature. Gear Club 2 is a racing simulation (sim) where you purchase cars from shops, compete in tournaments, and then use your race winnings to upgrade various features of your cars.
Racing games were a staple in my family, but in different ways. I liked going as fast as I could and ramming other racers off the road ala Burnout. My brother, on the other hand, loved the Forza and Gran Turismo games, where everything from shifting gears to upgrading your vehicle was an imitation of what could be done in the physical word. I have always looked to games for escapism, and with that in mind I hadn’t paid much attention to the racing sim genre. But, I was younger then, and wow, did Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Tracks Edition hook me!
There is a lot of stuff to go over, but the game is overall a joy to play. Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Tracks Edition utilizes the hardware in the Nintendo Switch masterfully, and plays just as good in handheld mode as it does docked. On that same note, the graphics are truly impressive, especially in handheld mode. The track locations each boast a different high quality terrain, such as desert or snow, and the detail on the cars themselves looks extremely polished and clean.
Let’s talk about the cars for a minute. My word, you can get lost in how many vehicles there are to choose from, and from real-world manufacturers! You have Nissan, McLaren, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, and so many others. Real work and care was taken to make Gear Club feel as attached to reality as possible. Which brings me to the campaign mode. This may be one of the better campaigns I have played in a racing game. There are fully rendered and expertly designed characters that are with you as you compete to re-establish the relevancy of your team. You play through tournaments, going up against other rival teams, and complete exhibition races to earn money to upgrade your cars.
The last big thing I want to mention is the user interface. For a person who has had very little experience with the racing sim genre, I felt the game drew me in extremely well and adjusted me to how this sort of racing is different from say, Mario Kart. Everything about this game gives the appearance of a well-polished product.
But looks can be deceiving. For all Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Tracks Edition’s ambition, there are some major issues to be found. I mentioned that the game sucked me in right away, but as I put more and more time into it, certain aspects became very tired. For instance, I was impressed with the music selection, but it begins to become extremely repetitive the more you play the game. Same with the environments.
Like I mentioned, for the Switch, these graphics are impressive. They use the hardware limitations to make cohesive environments, but often that leads to races in the same regions feeling familiar and stale. I was begging for something to spice up the racetracks and make them feel more alive and unique as the story progressed. I was sorely disappointed.
Lastly, I want to talk about the loading times. Like the other two things I have mentioned, when I first started playing the game I didn’t see much issue with the loading. Irritatingly, though, it seems that as you become engrossed and want to utilize all the features, you are bogged down with loading screen after loading screen. Every time the player wants to switch screens, there’s a loading screen. You are encouraged to upgrade your car between races in tournaments, which seems unique and cool. What it translates to is: race results screen, choose to upgrade car, LOAD, upgrade car in the shop and exit, LOAD, taken to the main map screen (and not back to the tournament screen), select the tournament again (thankfully, you do still pick up where you left off), LOAD, and then you’re back to the race. What could have been 2 or 3 screens becomes so much more of a hassle.
There is still so much to love about Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Tracks Edition. I truly was absorbed into the game, and it does feel polished. However, I feel that they knew they were pushing the hardware of the Switch, and chose to opt for more loading and more repetition to account for their large ambition.
One last thing I want to talk about is that I had the honor to play the Tracks Edition of the game. This edition offers a completely new way to play the game, in addition to re-imagined cars from the base game and five brand new cars to race in. The new modes offered in the Tracks Edition pump the racing simulation up to eleven, if not higher. The Tracks Edition presents a more NASCAR style racing environment with both the Endurance racing mode and the 24 Hour Le Mans. In these modes you need to manage the amount of fuel you put into your vehicle and the wear on your car’s tires, making pit stops during the race to do so.
This mode plays exactly how you’d imagine NASCAR racing feels. Every brake, acceleration, and gear shift needs to be precise. You go off of the racetrack, you’re gonna have a bad time. The Tracks Edition addresses some of the staleness I mentioned earlier, by providing the player with a whole new set of rules, and a whole new setting to experiment in. For the majority of the base game, you are doing street racing and off-road competitions with anything from a Fiat to a Ferrari. In the Endurance and Le Mans Modes you’re playing with traditional racing-style cars (with some of the base cars getting a circuit racing makeover) on professional style tracks. This brought a level of challenge and excitement that may have intimidated the heck out of me as a novice, but I am certain lovers of the racing sim genre are bound to enjoy.
Overall, Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Tracks Edition is a fantastic title for the Switch. Even if it has its flaws, it brings the racing sim to a market that was typically dominated by Sony and Microsoft. I love that there is now a racing sim for Switch, and that I can play the game anywhere. Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Tracks Edition can feel like a slog at times, but the actual gameplay is immensely satisfying, and the Tracks Edition DLC adds even more to be absorbed. Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Tracks Edition makes me feel like I can jump behind the wheel of any supercar and race off into the sunset. With the mechanics of braking, accelerating, and shifting in different environments, knowing when to accelerate through a turn or use the hand-brake. I know all there is to know about supercars. So, you know what? I’m going to buy one. I’m going to buy a McLaren, who’s gonna stop me!? I PLAYED THE GAMES MAN, I know how to drive this car! Just take my money, I’LL BE FINE.
7.5/10
Disclaimer: The reviewer does not know how to drive a supercar, playing Gear Club 2 does not give you the experience needed to do so. He will not be fine.
Check Out the Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Tracks Edition Trailer:
For more information, please visit: http://www.microids.com
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Nintendo Switch Review
I am a writer from Portland,Oregon who has loved gaming since early childhood. Writing and sharing about the best in visual arts is one of my favorite things. Some of my all time favorite games are: The Last of Us, God Of War (2019), Journey, Persona 5, Borderlands 2, and Shadow of the Colossus.
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