Although they’re not a household name, you may well know Jagex as the developer behind the phenomenally popular fantasy MMORPG RuneScape. While the Cambridge-based coders have been busy with their flagship title for over a decade, they’ve gradually expanded their portfolio and, with Carnage Racing, are making the leap (or the stunt jump) onto Facebook. That said, they don’t plan to make this just another Facebook game.
As Steve reported last month, this is a project that Jagex have been taking very seriously. Sat in the driving seat are developers who have worked on Midnight Club, while the Unity game engine is throbbing away under the hood. Jagex are determined to make this a triple-A title.
“Triple-A gaming isn’t often associated with Facebook gaming and we are determined to
change that,” says US studio director Jay
Panek. “We
wanted to take all our experience from the Midnight Club series and apply the
same quality.”
Carnage Racing allows up to eight players to race against each nother across thirteen different courses, but these races aren’t really about sportsmanship or professional conduct. As you might have guessed from the screenshots (and, to be fair, the name), all’s fair in love and Carnage Racing. As players gain experience and in-game currency, they’ll be able to spend these on a selection of over 40 weapon upgrades and a host of gadgets that they can clamp onto their vehicles. Should the competition get a little to close for comfort, or your friends all be eaten by wolves, you can always race against the AI instead.
Carnage Racing is out… well, it’s out right now, actually, right this moment, so if you fancy a drive, you’d better get going. It’s almost rush hour.