Nail'd (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) Review
Posted by John De Large on 11.30.2010
Deep Silver's awesome racing game is here! After months of previews and playthroughs, John De Large checks in with a full review of the game! How did it hold up compared to all those previews?
Nail'd
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Deep Silver
Genre: Off-road arcade racing
Players: 1 - 12, up to 11 computer players
Rating: E10+
Nail'd is a very special racing game -- one that I like to describe as being a racing game for people who hate typical racing games (not that racing enthusiasts won't feel comfortable with this game). Instead of the usual stunt bike or Tokyo drift affair, Nail'd puts you in the driver’s seat of either an all-terrain vehicle or a motocross where you will be performing monster jumps off of ramps, man-made constructs, makeshift kickers and even cliffs. You then face off against other players (human or CPU) to see who can survive three laps (or just one on the bigger courses) on the most hazardous looking courses ever designed.
If you're feeling intimidated by the game's description, you’ll be happy to know that Nail'd is very easy to pick up and play. The controls go something like this:
Right trigger = Go fast.
Left trigger = Go less fast.
X button = Go really fast.
The X button activates a gigantic boost in speed (one that lasts about a whole 10-15 seconds, which is a lot more than it sounds like) and comes in handy when making some truly death-defying jumps and steering your vehicle in midair, away from windmills, boats, tree branches and other obstacles. Yeah, you shouldn't physically be able to steer in midair, but Deep Silver went ahead and made it possible. They also made sure that flying and steering through the air is fun and easy as possible.
As mentioned before, the goal of the game is to win the race and endure the track for 3 laps, but you're also welcome to attack other racers, either landing on top of them as you descend from a monster jump, tackle them out of the air or shove them into environmental hazards. It's not just violent; it's fun in a perverse, sadistic way. Be careful though, as other sadistic riders will try to pounce on you too. And if YOU get pounced on, it's the respawn screen for you.
Nail'd also includes a lot of different modes too. There's the classic one on one -- or one against many -- called Simple Race. Up to 12 players can race each other locally or over Xbox LIVE. In the event that you can't find 11 other people to race against, don't worry, the computer can fill in the blanks for you. And don't worry about a lack of challenge either; the computer controlled racers are no push overs. In fact, it might be you who gets pushed -- into oncoming danger or some environmental hazards like cliffs, trees and even trains.
If regular racing isn't your thing there’s always a time trial to complete in and even more brutal fare if you're feeling a little bloodthirsty. Stunt Madness is another of Nail'd's multiplayer modes, this one puts an emphasis on stunts as you may or may not have guessed. While Nail'd doesn't let players do Supermans and tail whips, it does let players go higher and faster than any other racing game without moon physics or cheats enabled and that's what stunt madness is about. Players receive points for each stunt completed, such as landing a huge jump, maneuver through rings of fire and especially for knocking the hell out of other players. If for some reason you still need excitement and speed, Nail'd has you covered with Boost Madness, which enables unlimited boosting. That means players will go a hell of a lot faster and therefore, crash into a lot more stuff (which is another good reason to play Nail'd).
There's also a leaderboard that ranks your in-game performance against other players worldwide. While this might not sound like anything special, Nail'd's leaderboard has a very unique feature that sets it apart from other leaderboards. Most leaderboards show gamers their world ranking so they end up ranked in the 120,000's out of a possible 121,000-something. Ouch. However, Nail'd allows you to track your performance against a much smaller talent pool if you prefer, players from your home state. While you might not rank first among other players in the state, ranking 22nd out of a possible 194 or even 208th out of 2872 players is a less of a blow to the ego and it gives players more incentive to keep playing.
To complement all of this rich gameplay, Nail'd also has rich graphics and a great soundtrack. One thing I will say: if you're stopping to look at how pretty the game is you need to re-evaluate your priorities because you're playing the game ALL wrong. However, there will be moments when you can soar through the air for extended periods of time and take note of the pretty landscapes without worrying about crashing into anything. As I mentioned before, the game also has a great (see also: metal) soundtrack, featuring songs like "Count for Something" and "Through Walls of Flame" by Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, and "Decimator" by Wayne Static. The soundtrack also contains songs by Slipknot, Queens of the Stone Age, Rise Against, Aggressive Chill and Slaves of Dope, among others.
THE 411
How long you play Nail'd all depends on what kind of gamer you are. If you hate typical racing games, you're sure to enjoy how easy, fun and refreshing Nail'd is. If you like racing games, you'll love how fast you can go and how far the game takes its jumps. If you're into smashing stuff, Nail'd lets you smash lots of stuff, people included! Bottom line, Nail'd has everything a gamer could want: simple controls, lots of action, lots of gallows humor and lots of fun. Anyone who can keep track of what 3 individual buttons do can play this game and everyone will enjoy Nail'd, even spectators.
Graphics
8.0
The graphics are great, but you know there's a race going on, right?
Gameplay
9.5
Pick up and play at its best and fastest!
Sound
8.0
Good soundtrack with aggressive tunes to get you into the cliff jumping mood.
Lasting Appeal
9.5
You'll still be playing Nail'd sometime next year or two years from now.
Fun Factor
10.0
Whether you're racing against other players or attacking them, you'll be having a good time, guaranteed
