For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a fascination with cars. As a child, it was toy cars and Hot Wheels. Over the years, it became real cars. But as I’ve gotten older, I still love the occasional trek to the store to look through their selection of toy cars and I’ve always love played racing games. My love of racing games has never waned and has in fact gotten stronger the older I get. I’m usually more into realistic racing games and simulators but I will occasional dip into the more arcade-like games such as Mario Kart, ModNation Racers, and WipEout. All of these were great games on their own and really fun to play. So what happens when you take elements of all of these games and combine them together, but instead of racing actual vehicles, we instead race toy cars? Table Top Racing by Playrise Digital and Ripstone Games looks to answer that question with toy cars, crazy combat power-ups, and miniaturized race tracks.

If Table Top Racing looks familiar, then you’ve most likely seen or played it in mobile format on either iOS or Android. What makes this version different, and arguably better, is the fact that it uses physical controls and updated graphics. It’s also doesn’t have any ads, which as you know, can be quite annoying sometimes.

Presentation

In Table Top Racing, you basically race little toy cars on top of makeshift tracks created on top of tables. They could be dining room tables, picnic tables,  counter tops, or whatever with tracks laid out by everyday looking objects based on the environment. For instance, one of the levels has you racing on top of a hibachi table in a Japanese restaurant. You’ll see things like sake bottles, soy sauce bottles, chef knives, plates of sushi, and even paper lanterns. This makes each environment you race on quite unique to each other and it never feels like you’re just racing on the same tables over and over again. There are 8 racetracks in total, including the reversed version of each track, and each track has its own unique look and feel which helps make the racing environment that much more enjoyable.

For the most part, the environment and tracks look pretty realistic and convincing and it does look like you are actually racing on these tables. It’s not hyper-realist, but good enough to the point where it doesn’t look like a cartoon.

As for the toy cars you get to drive, these actually look really good. They look like they are based on real cars, but have that super deformed look to them with huge wheels. They are similar to Micro Machines or the Tomy made BitCharge-G mini R/C cars. There is a healthy variety of included toy cars (10 total) ranging from an ice-cream truck to sportier drift machines. Each vehicle is fully upgradable to make their stats better, but they also can be customized with new paint jobs and different wheels (which have their own unique properties).

Other bits of graphical goodness include some really good use of lighting, especially when it pertains to explosions, speed bursts, and environmental lighting. It all looks really good on the PS Vita and would probably look just as good on a larger screen.

The game includes an upbeat soundtrack (rockish) but you kind of forget about it once the racing starts and the hum of the motors drown everything out. And yes, because these are toy cars, you don’t get that traditional engine noise you would hear playing a racing game with real cars. These sound more like remote control cars, the electric kind which is pretty distinct. It’s a low hum that only changes if you apply the boost.

Gameplay

Unlike Table Top Racing on iOS and Android, the PS Vita version of the game is far superior with the ability to play using real, physical controls. That means you’re able to steer with the left thumbstick and accelerate and brake using the face buttons. The top right bumper is used for activating your special power-ups while tapping on the rear touchpad allows you to switch the camera view and look at what is behind you. All this allows for a much more enjoyable experience than just using touchscreen controls.

There are 4 different games modes included – Championship, Drift Events, Special Events, and Quick Races. Most of these are straight up races ranging from time attacks, head to head races, and eliminations. Some races allow for power-ups like in Mario Kart, while other are just regular races. Races start out easy enough but as you progress, you will need to purchase better cars as well as upgrading them so they remain competitive. Races allow you to earn coins which you spend for upgrades.

Table Top Racing also features multiplayer modes via online or ad-hoc local connections. I haven’t really been able to test either of these out as I don’t quite know anyone else yet with this game.

For those who don’t like grinding away at the game to unlock the best cars and upgrades, you can also purchase coin packs off the PlayStation Store. The 1,000,000 coin pack has the best value, though I’m not one who really likes these type of shortcuts. I like working for my unlocks but that’s just me. Others don’t have to time to grind so there’s always this option for those who want everything quickly. It’s not necessary to buy the coinpacks though as it isn’t too hard to gain money and buy upgrades.

Final Thoughts

For a racing game, Table Top Racing is pretty competent. It isn’t quite as deep as a game like Modnation Racers, but as a toy ar racer, it’s very fun. Races are very competitive and you never really feel like you are outclassing the other racers, not even the computer which in racing games, are notoriously bad. There have been many racing games in the past where the computer was just plain bad and you’d be lapping them by the 3rd lap. This isn’t the case with Table Top Racing. The computer opponents are pretty fierce but not overly cheap.

The game has a good selection of different modes and types of races, which I like and it keeps the game from feeling boring and repetitive. It does help that the level designs are quite good and I like the variety of different courses and locals. Overall, there is much to like about Table Top Racing and it plays very well on the PS Vita thanks to the physical controls making this the best version of the game to date.

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