It is not uncommon to find remotas of games premiered in past generations of videogames, but we can not deny that the most usual practice is that this practice occurs in titles that are particularly successful or acclaimed by the public. This time comes the
improved version of Baja: Edge of Control , a game originally released in 2008 for Xbox 360 and PS3 that now reaches the successors of both and Steam. The work of THQ Nordic to rejuvenate the visual section has the added merit of having counted as a basis with a title that at no time had an aspect according to the times in which it was launched.
A festival of height.
Baja puts us in the motor festival of the same name that takes place annually in the peninsula of Baja California, Mexico. It is one of the biggest and most famous events of the Off Road panorama and includes tests of different lengths and categories, with the Baja 1000
rally being especially relevant. As in other similar races, it counts the skill at the wheel, the knowledge of the terrain, the ability to maintain the concentration and management of the vehicle throughout hard and intense days on the arid routes.
Making a race from scratch.
In Baja: Edge of Control we have some well recognizable game modes for any habitual player: individual, race and multiplayer. The main modality, called Professional Low , makes us a rookie driver who must start from the lower power categories to make a name among the big ones. From there, it is about acquiring experience points that unlock access to new tests and cl
asses, as well as new vehicles through the classic credit system in the form of virtual money. Within each category we have a series of leagues in which we can register, which are composed of a certain number of tests and may consist ofraces to use, rall
y events, climbs or open races , which consist of tests in which a car of each class competes and the grace is that each one comes from a position appropriate to its power in relation to the rest, so that the less capable car should try to maintain its position and the, a priori, better prepared has the mission to overcome all positions.
As these independent leagues are overcome, we will unlock cars to use in the other game modes. Although, in principle, it may seem that individual careers lose interest in favor of the professional mode, the truth is that there are incentives to devote p
articular attention to them, since the protagonist modality of the title is the definitive test and this is where we can enjoy it in different versions : Baja 250, Baja 500 and Baja 1000, depending on the kilometers of length of each rally, being able to face the ch
allenge in several different places. Of course, they are tests that require a lot of time and concentration, since the Baja 1000 will take us more than three hours of driving through the deserts and mountains of Mexico.
Find a challenge or take a walk.
Baja can offer quite diverse gaming experiences according to our approach and preferences, and it is fair to mention each of them because they can make the difference between an attractive game or not according to the audience. In principle, we can place it as a game halfway between the arcade and the simulation , since it always offers details that look for c
ertain realism as some mechanical damage, fuel consumption, engine heating, etc. but also gives the possibility to enjoy racing in the most crazy, with shocks and impossible maneuvers without fatal consequences. Regarding the first, it is satisfactory to verify that we can optimize the performance of our car with our driving style, because to burst wheels or
to burn motor are things that depend much on our attention and care, and not only to avoid stamping against rivals or objects. The fact that our
car can not be completely unusable from a blow (and, therefore, eliminated from the race) is the personal license to not frustrate the player who, after several minutes of competition, commits a fatal failure.
But when we said that Baja may seem like two different games we refer to something more than that mixture of realistic and fantastic el
ements, and that directly offers the possibility of alternating between the arcade driving mode and simulation . The differences between both are enormous, to the point that a player can handle perfectly in the first and be unable to give three consecutive curves in the second. In arcade mode we have absolute control over o
ur car, which turns smoothly on the ground and is not affected by irregularities beyond when it is lifted off the ground. The clutch and handbrake kit, a distinctive and hard-working detail, is useful and simple, allowing powerful and fun driving from the s
tart. Nevertheless,The simulation mode is a real challenge from the mere staging, and is that the way in which the track affects our car is even exaggerated, leading to totally unexpected behaviors that are difficult to correct on the fly. The degree of attent
ion we pay to the irregularities of the terrain takes on a new meaning and, although the difficulty can sometimes be stimulating, it can also frustrate many playe
rs (and not only those less accustomed to the simulation, since that realism is not the real problem in this case). It is worth mentioning that steer
ing with steering wheel leaves a lot to be desired, being totally recommended to stick to the command since, even with a configuration with the minimum deadlock and a generous sensitivity, we see ourselves in the need to turn too much so that our car starts to turn, making almost impossible any reaction minimally fast.
