I, like many other racing fans, eagerly awaited Firemint’s latest offering in the mobile offering, RealRacing 3. I bought both previous games in the series (even got RR2 for two different devices). I was excited when I saw the videos, and excited to know it would be free! So when it was released, I kept checking my iTunes Store to grab it as soon as I could. I got it!
Then I read the backlash. I checked the IAP prices… Yowza, that’s ridiculous. Should I just forgo the game and play the still-great RealRacing 2? Well, let me try it a bit.
Man, it looks good. The controls are as good as I’d expect. The physics is fun, and the grip model is not “all or nothing” like RR1. It’s good.
The issues come when you have to repair your car and they put their hand out – either to get you to pay actual cash or wait a few minutes for basic repairs, for example, oil changes are necessary and take about 3 minutes. Tires take a little longer, and so on. Really, it’s not that bad. I just queued up oil, brakes, and tires (about 10 minutes) and took a little break. I wrote a blog post. I’m not sure how the game will progress, of course. Will it be ‘pay to win’? But there’s one thing I’m very certain of right now.
I will not pay a thin dime in IAP.
I’m insufferably cheap with these things. I would have dropped a few bucks for this game, so I guess I have my profligate moments. But if I can merely grind to get farther in the game, I will.
So far, this looks like a reachable and reasonably fun goal.