Tender: Revision of the injection

Visual

Realistic looking games don’t tend to age well over time, and Race: Injection is no exception. Many critics didn’t think it was a particularly attractive game by 2007 standards, so 12 years later it can be a painful sight at times. The cars themselves hold up well, but the interiors, settings and background details all look extremely old-fashioned.

Plus, not only do the weather effects look bad, they don’t do much either. I found pouring rain in Race: Injection a non-relative factor compared to many more recent titles.

The main problem is that while this is a 2007 game, it runs on a 2005 engine that prioritizes realistic physics over visual fidelity. Image Space Incorporated’s rFactor, which shares this engine, suffers from a similar problem but in its case the driving feels truly world class.

I’m not convinced that Race: Injection’s basic driving mechanics are good enough to justify how mediocre it looks. Today, the ISImotor engine has effectively ceased to be used and has been replaced by superior alternatives such as the Unreal Engine.

Final verdict

Race: Injection was a good option in 2007, but it’s by no means a timeless classic of the racing genre. In the meantime, I still enjoy playing Race Driver: Grid, Burnout Paradise and Test Drive Unlimited, all titles from a similar era that remain great racing games even today.

Race 07 and its expansions struggle to do the same. Some may look back on Race: Injection with nostalgia, but for me it’s yet another slightly above average racing game the world should forget about.

If there is a saving grace, it is the price. Considering there’s still a respectable level of content available, G2A and Kinguin’s offers at around $ 5 are tempting. Unfortunately, Steam’s current price of $ 12.99 is too high when more modern titles like Project CARS are often on sale for a lower price.