Customer Reviews:
 Best-spent $10 -- ever. October 9, 2003
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
For $10 there's no other game out there that matches this value. The tragedy of HSX is that it feels unfinished. The game does not save record times for player-made tracks, nor does it save weather on player-made tracks. Some of the sub menus only have one item in them and, overall, the game feels like it needed about five more months of work.
What stands out is that HSX allows players to design their own tracks -- anywhere on Earth -- from scratch. If you, or your child, have an imagination you want to grow, then this game is a constructive way to do it. No violende here (the ships crash, but they come right back), no guns, no blood, just high-throttle racing.
The game itself is not as frantic or fast as, say, F-Zero X, but on the courses your design it can be made to be. I'd have paid far more than $10, even the standard $50, were it finished. Even as it is, it's worth far more than $10.
 9.99! March 25, 2003
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I heared it wasn't supposed to be that good but for 10 dollars how can you go wrong.
An excellent value! February 1, 2003
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
HSX is much like Wipeout in its gameplay. It has very good weather effects (rain hits the camera like a Rain-X treated windshield), decent music, vehicles (nice variety), racetracks, vibration effects, etc. There are three view modes that should suit all tastes -- or most, anyway. Each track is different (there are five courses, each with six tracks) but not in a night-or-day way, but the sense of speed is fantastic and I looked forward to going onto the next one. Vehicle explosions are good but not of the Burnout variety but rather a small nuclear explosion way. It doesn't change should you miss the jump and run into a ship, a building or the ground...and the struck object shows no damage. These would be elements that would make this game rise above its four stars in my book. that and some sort of story or 'human' touch (people in the stands, standing next to the track in some places, etc.). But not to worry. Where this game really shines is in it's very intuitive track construction mode. I was able to construct a large, basic track in a little over a minute and was racing it seconds later -- loops, corkscrews and all. If I spent a little more time on the track, I would be able to add elements outside the track, change textures of the tracks and railing, and add special features -- hotspots -- on the track to enable accelerations, etc. Graphics-wise, this is one sweet looking package. If you love Wipeout games, you'll definitely enjoy this one.
I really thought this game would have been a bit of a dog considering the price -- especially for a new game. But I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
 A stripped down WipeOut January 31, 2003
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
First off I must admit that I'm a sucker for ultra-stylized games, such as the WipeOut Series, Frequency, the Extreme G series, etc...P>When I got the game, I was a little hesitant, because of the poor resolution of the cover art ...but heck, it could have just been a rush art job.The game isn't bad, if your expecting something like wipeout, you'll get it in a stripped down version. The controls are very, very, and I mean very loose, making the transition to HSX from WO:Fusion a tad difficult. Here's where the "stripped down" comes into play. The first thing that you'll notice is the very bland HUD (heads up display) featring plain text for speedometer, and boring, basic damage and boost bars. It feels like a beta version. The next thing that you'll notice is that the models are very basic, like that they could have been improved if left in development for another 3 months. My biggest complaint however is the music, it is dull and boring in-house techno. While the music is fitting, it doesn't add anything to the game like it does in WipeOut and Extreme G. Finally on the stripped down point, there is no weapon combat. In every stylistic racing game that I've played there has been some form of combat, either as an added feature or almost a primary function. The game feels really lacking without it. On the positive side, the game is FAST! The best way to describe the speed is that its like EG3 with the boost on all the time, it is ... quick. There also is little to no graphical break up in the speed. I won't comment on frames per second, because a standard tv displays 30 FPS no matter what. But I will comment that the animation isn't choppy. Also included in the game is the track editor, where you can make your tracks meant for speed or skill. I must warn that the track editor is not meant for everyone and can be a bit confusing and the inteface for it is very clunky. My final word is that HSX could have went back into development after its arrival in the states. Since the name of G-Surfers was dropped on its trip, why not make it a better game, and if it did become a better game, it could command a higher price tag...so if it was left in the development for a while, it might have been a a really sweet title, but it ends up with that budget feel. If you're looking for a great stylistic racer, go with WO:F first, but if you're looking for a fun budget tile, feel free to pick this one up.
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