Riptide GP2 Review – If you’re going to spend $3 on a game, buy this one.

Available for both iOS and Android, the Riptide GP2 app is the best wet racing game available…maybe it even beats some dry racers too.

Get ready to get wet

Unlike most other racing games, Riptide GP2 is a water based racer. That means lots of splash animations, flowing water, and ramps perfect for tricks. Each map is made with lots of detail and moving parts – even the other players (whether AI or real people) leave waves behind them in the water which you can get some air off.

There are two parts to Riptide GP2 – the campaign and the multiplayer. Let’s look at the campaign first.

Campaign – getting you ready

Right now there are 8 ‘series’ (at time of writing I’ve completed 3). Each series has a select number of events, and depending on the event there is a different objective. The first few events are traditional races (get 1st place), but soon you’ll find yourself racing against the clock, against other players in an elimination style race, as well as freestyle events where you have a set amount of time to pull off as many tricks as you can.

Each event has a tiered ranking system enforced by stars – for example if you get first  in your race you get 3 stars, and second place nets you 2 stars for the regular races. For the freestyle events there are set points to achieve to get stars.

Multiplayer – the tough stuff

Well it might not actually be too tough, but the bike upgrades you get from the campaign do carry over. I wasn’t aware of this when I first tried it and I got by butt handed to me on a silver platter. I haven’t delved too deep into multiplayer, but from initial impressions it looks like you enter a lobby and wait for other players to join. Then, at any time, any player can initiate the game – or you could wait until it’s full (4 players).

Check back within a week for a further update once I’ve got enough upgrades to fairly participate in multiplayer races, the important thing to know is that it’s there so you there’s actually ‘end-game’ content here.

Upgrades

First off there are 8 vehicles to choose from (bikes? skidoos?). Each has different attributes, for example the Typhoon has a high top speed but low acceleration and handling wile the Typhoon is very well rounded by default.

You can also upgrade bikes to have faster acceleration, a higher top speed, better handling and more efficient boost capabilities, but do note that even with all the upgrades another bike might still be better in that attribute.

You can also upgrade your player to an extent. Playing races gives you experience and when you level up you get credit points. These credit points are essential for maximizing boost. You can unlock higher-tier tricks for more boost, allow your racer to land tricks sooner and such.

Along with experience, each race gives some amount of cash. The cash is used to buy new bikes, and upgrade existing bikes. You can buy cash, and it’s pretty reasonably priced too.

Other good stuff to know

Riptide GP2 will set you back $3, but for the amount of content you get it’s well worth it. I’ve been playing it casually for a week, and I’m not even half way through the campaign and have yet to really get into multiplayer at all.

One tip I’ll share: when you buy new tricks, get similar ones. I’ve always had a hard time remembering different gesture combos, so I try to keep the other tricks simple and similar. I started with the front flip, back flip, double front and back flips. Just there I’ve got 4 tricks using only single/double swipes in/out which is a lot easier to remember than double up and one up one down.

If you think Riptide GP2 could be for you, check it out on the App Store (iPhone 3GS+) or Google Play Store (Android version 2.3+). Wile it’s downloading, check out Vector Unit’s official video on YouTube.