Quantum Redshift is a futuristic Racing Game for the Xbox. Created by WipEout designer Nick Burcombe, the game puts the player in the shoes of 16 different characters, paired off in rivalries, whose stories unfold as tournaments are completed.
It was seen as the sleeper hit of 2002. However, due to lukewarm reviews the game had horrid sales and caused the sequel (which would have had online capabilities) to vanish into thin air.
This video game contains examples of:
- Alpha Strike: Getting all abilities to level 3 allows for one of these to be fired, at the cost of losing all collected power-ups at once.
- Arch-Enemy: A mechanic no less. They'll always be in every race you're in with a nice little "Nemesis" sign above them. You also get additional points for shooting/killing them.
- Bonus Stage/Brutal Bonus Level: After completing Redshift difficulty with all characters, you get to drive on Mars. Both tracks are littered with mega power ups and it's extremely common that people are taken out of the race.
- Cool Old Guy: Max Steinhauer is at 45 the second-oldest participant (officially), but still kicks ass during the races.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Kutoo is seen just before the end of the intro cinematic. Also counts as a Freeze-Frame Bonus.
- Empty Room Psych: The loop at Silver Rock Canyon (regular). Don't even bother with it on easy or you'll just fall upside down, and even then it's just wastes time.
- Subverted at sufficient speed levels - with the right timing of a Nitro Boost, it's possible to use the loop as a ramp and jump into the tunnel on the other side, shaving off precious seconds from the lap time.
- Expy: The relationship Kumiko and Ami have somewhat resembles that of Kasumi and Ayane from Dead or Alive: two girls from Japan, the first beloved and favoured by all, the second left in the shadows and thus full of spite for her sister. It also helps that their initials, K & A, match.
- The Four Gods: Byakko is painted on Ami's racer. Kumiko's racer is called "Kirin" (a common stand-in for the earth dragon of the middle).
- Germanic Depressives: Austrian driver Leah is sad and lonely after the death of her lover. German driver Max Steinhauer, her Arch-Enemy, is depressed about getting too old and thus becoming unable to fulfill his life dream of becoming world champion.
- Germanic Efficiency: On the other hand, Leah's ice weapons and Max' military-grade gear are pretty powerful, at the cost of some speed.
- Harder Than Hard: Elite difficulty, just below
Redshift difficulty. - It's Personal: Alicia is pissed off at Tara for killing her parents, even though everyone else has forgiven her. Hell, her quote is pretty much "I'll get you Tara!"
- Lemony Narrator: The game's manual in spades.
- Lyrical Shoehorn: Crusher (Title Screen) makes no sense. Trust us.
- Nintendo Hard: Redshift difficulty can be insanely difficult when all racers throw their weapons at each other, so keeping in the race, much less winning, can border on Luck-Based Mission.
- Nitro Boost: A few seconds of which are given to players at the start of each lap
- Racing Game: This is a game with hovering crafts going on circular tracks at high speeds, and with unusual physics.
- Remixed Level: Any track with "2" at the end. You'll be going backwards with some paths reconfigured to fit the new route. Sometimes, this makes the track in question more difficult.
- Rubber-Band A.I.: Depends on the game mode:
- Played straight in multiplayer to some degree; computers (and other players) will have the best upgrades amongst the human players. It's helpful in multiplayer so you won't have to grind with everyone, but computers blasting you with specials every lap? Oy...
- Thankfully averted in the campaign; AI racers have to collect items to fuel their weapons like the human players, cannot Nitro Boost at will, etc.
- Scenery Porn: A main offender. Critics were quick to note on how it's probably the prettiest game on the Xbox, and lists that as one of it's problems.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: Brakenstowe Vale. The track is set in the English countryside, but the song makes you think TRON.
- Vehicular Combat: Each racer has a specific set of weapons, but they generally work about the same. Blue weapons are things like lasers and bombs, red weapons are a form of Super-Persistent Missile and yellow weapons are actually defence shields that absorb, and at sufficient level retaliate against, enemy shots.
