Get into gear and tackle a new turn on an old arcade concept in New Star GP
Reinventing the old school arcade nostalgia of yesteryear seems to be something of a sure fire route to my desktop these days. Between the Time Crisis inspired VR shooters, I found time to get in gear and grab the wheel for New Star GP, a Daytona style arcade racer that bring the mayhem of high speed racers to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Series S|X, and Nintendo Switch. Available now and lining up against the likes of Hotshot Racing and Formula Retro Racing,, the latest from new Star Games wraps some deceptively old school aesthetics with some adrenaline fuelled chicanery. Putting players in the role of a rookie driver, it veers headlong into 3D racing action, across decades of content and glamorous locations.
Originally launched into Early Access in August 2023, New Star GP is a natural progression for the team at New Star Games. After kicking off Retro Goal and producing a top down version of this sim during 2014, the new twist on the likes of Daytona and will likely feel familiar to those of you that remember the early days of Microprose Formula One Grand Prix. While the developers behind New Star GP don’t like to be nailed down by any particular moto series, it’s clear that this owes plenty to the grandeur of Formula 1. Opening on street backdrops and track circuits that could easily be mistaken for the world’s elite motorsport circuits, New Star GP quickly apes the bright palette, flat color, and synth soundtrack that you’d expect to pump out of a Pentium processor, but with a knowing nod to 90s era 3D racers. Cars, similarly, could have come straight off the screen from the aforementioned era. Big wide intakes and curved front beaks all take design leads form the era of Senna and co, with character designs and car liveries arriving with equally noisy options. There’s even a character creator for first time drivers that includes flashy shades and over the top facial hair that could only pass muster if your surname rhymes with Migel Nanssell..
Despite the early era aesthetic, there’s plenty here to please the modern palette. New Star GP comes with a variety of game modes, including Career and Championship. While Championship can offer up a quick hit of action solo or against friends, New Star GP keeps most of its secrets under the hood until you play Career. Pick the longer form option for this racer, and you’ll be asked to select a car and team, then get racing. Spread across a variety of familiar sounding tracks and starting off in the 1980s, this progressive campaign starts out simple enough.
Getting behind the wheel and turning off into the distance is a breeze. Controls are quickly introduced, but kept straight forward. Much like the wider design, movement steers towards the arcade. Getting to grips with breaking and navigation is a push button affair, and the in game physics provide a minimal challenge. Sure, there’s damage system and spinning out can occur, but you won’t need to worry about weight distribution or back wing angles. Instead these complexities are whittled down into more manageable car stats like handling and acceleration. The simplicity of accelerate, break, turn, and dont crash combines with some solid mid range PC performance so it thrives in front of a gamepad. Even better, it feels superb when parked up on a handheld device like the ROG Ally. The sense of speed never falters and little tweaks like the in race boost, an overly helpful slipstream, and an on grid starting bonus meaning you can follow the best racing line and enjoy the ride without worrying too much about micro managing your rig or the car chassis.
The arcade skew means that the new Star GP isn’t a purist pursuit. That is obvious when Career mode replaces the traditional GP with a drastically reduced set of laps. Race day still exists, but it has some extra accompaniments you’ll need to overcome. This includes trials such as time attacks, checkpoint races, and elimination modes. Like any career, you’ll still need to globetrot and overcome all opponents. Once you’ve placed in each location’s required race types, the competition moves on to a sequence of other tracks. It’s all pretty straightforward, so why not throw in some in game drama?
Between races drivers that you’ve shown up, pit crew, and other staffers, the press and the world at large sound off at you. Interactions with each of these entities might mean loosing a pay day, changing your in garage reputation, or just having an unhappy engineer. Borrowing a little from roguelike games to shake up your carefully crafted team equilibrium means we get some interesting developments mid season. Competition sabotage, team defections, and other unnecessarily aggressive opponents can all end up crashing into a vital race.
While an unsettled opponent might be a problem on the track, interpersonal events can add a bit of spice when picking through the in game progression systems. The simpler side of progression involves exchanging race rewards for car upgrades and using currency to licence new tech. Increased acceleration, better handling, and enhanced grip are all purchased and packaged as components. Engaging in this customization is essential to keep ahead of rival team advancements, and should be accessible for even the most unenthusiastic petrolheads.
The pit perk system, however, is a bit of a left turn. Instead of spreading vital cash for a speedier car, the staff perk system provides some very specific buffs. Whether you’d prefer to reduce car collisions or increase slipstream speed, these can be crucial when picking pit stop strategies or tire compounds off the grid. Each perk can also add a secondary bonus of sorts. Perks that include an ‘Ecstatic’ morale upgrade can vastly improve the mental wellbeing of staff and keep them from throwing a wrench in the works mid season.
These choices are far from window dressing. Once you’re done picking perks or throwing other currencies at your staff wellbeing, you’ll have to manage press demands, fan requests, the option to hire rival crew, and even throw in some sabotage.
By tacking on an event and team management system to a traditional drive to survive, New Star Games includes some meaningful management options that aren’t overwhelming. Don’t expect to tweak the wing angle, choose the fuel composition, and micro manage every potential element of this motorsport sim. It’s a solid balance that enhances the experience when you get out on the racetrack.
Go Go Go!
At it’s core, New Star GP is an arcade racer. If you revelled in the audacity of Hotshot Racing, then this doesn’t stray too far from that track. There aren’t any big boss bombs, but it does park up with an audacious swagger that invites players to simply jump in and go. The brash colors, silly moustaches, and easy action steering make this an entertaining option, especially when handheld. The magnitude of the Career Mode and the strategic decisions, such as pit stops are meaningful but not obtrusive. New Star GP is just fun! It’s a great mix of ideas, tuned to perfection. GO, go, go to the official website and get it now.
