Gadget Reviews, Product News, Electronic Gadgets

Getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic can seem quite hellish, especially when trying to get somewhere fast. At times like these, more than a few drivers probably wish they could just throw caution (and civility) to the wind and race down the crowded highway dodging in and out of traffic. Highway2Hell gives players a small taste of what it might be like to just go rampaging down the highway at top speed.

Traffic jams aside, it’s a little hard to divine exactly why this game references hell in its title. The fiery paint job on the car controlled by the player is really the only thing in the game that seems even remotely hell-themed. Still, whatever the title or theme, Highway2Hell is a very simple game in which players tilt their device to control a muscle car barreling down a straight, four-lane highway. Of course, this being a highway, players will encounter lots of other cars and trucks which they will have to avoid to continue. While racing through traffic and breaking almost every concievable traffic law, players will also be pursued by the police intent on stopping their car. Power-ups can be used to avoid them and get through the traffic and other obstacles more easily. Ultimately, the goal of the game is to travel as far as possible without crashing into something.

The tilt controls actually work surprisingly well, and they can be calibrated to each player’s specific taste. Tilting left and right moves the car left and right while tilting forward and back will make the car accelerate and decelerate. The car’s movement is smooth and predictable which is good because weaving through the traffic is not easy at all. The game demands fine control over the car, and luckily the controls provide it making it possible to get farther than one would think possible.

The gameplay is fairly bland, though, and there isn’t much variation in the environment. The cars and trucks are all carbon copies of each other, and the road just continues straight ahead into infinity. Maybe this game is more like a metaphor for hell, or maybe it’s just a quick and dirty little app that will get players through a few train rides or bank lines.