Letting players blow up their competition in racing games is a tried and tested concept -- Mario Kart isn't one of the most successful video game series ever for nothing. But if people thirst for something less colorful and cutesy than Nintendo's take on the genre, there's something more metal in town now in the form of Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks.
Take the chaos of Mario Kart, the wilderness of alien worlds, and the sheer insanity of the 40k Orks and that's the core concept for Speed Freeks. It's a combat racer that requires players to be quick on the pedal as much as on the trigger. Choosing from a selection of unique vehicles -- which includes light and quick buggies as well as slow and heavy tanks -- players need to work with their team to reach target areas on the map as quickly as possible, and then hold them against the enemy before the next target opens up.
This smart concept allows every type of vehicle and player to shine, bringing something to the table for racers and gunners alike. Naturally, the game throws in a good deal of humor -- Orks are based on stereotypical British soccer hooligans, after all -- to sweeten the deal.
Speed Freeks spent some time as a free-to-play title in early access to refine its formula, and is now out for PC in its full version with a regular buy-to-play business model, having implemented many changes and improvements based on community feedback.
Developer Caged Element really appreciated the help throughout this period, rewarding all early access players by gifting them a copy of the multiplayer game -- that's around 250,000 happy racers.