Indianapolis 500 Evolution

If there's always one certainty in the racing genre, if there's a famous race that exists, you can be sure that there will be a video game dedicated to it. Indianapolis 500 Evolution is a title parallel with the same name's race. Although in this game, a few twists go outside what you'd believe to be a title based on the up-to-date racing event.

Indianapolis 500 Evolution is a game based on past events rather than one that shapes your racing career. It's something that sparks a little intrigue considering that it doesn't follow the copy-paste mechanics of a traditional racing game in a different location. But the question remains whether Indianapolis 500 Evolution stands out as a racing game or whether it's another one of those bargain-basement racing games.

Living in Your Former Glory

So Indianapolis 500 Evolution does stand out as there's a little more of a story than what you'll get from your standard racing games. You'll take over the role of legendary racers in a career mode that spans the track's golden age between 1961 and 1971. So it's not just the modern cars you'll be managing, it's old.

Those interested in the classic races and racing history could find much to immerse in Indianapolis 500 Evolution. However, those who don't understand the track's past may be left in limbo. So that leaves us to ask whether the game is fun for players that aren't aligned with the intricacies of racing history.

Well, the easiest way to describe it is your average racing game. It's not brilliant, but it's not bad either. Mechanically, it's pretty sound, and the handing of cars does feel challenging yet intuitive enough to make races enjoyable. However, you think the game relies heavily on the racing lore between the 60s and 70s to make Indianapolis 500 Evolution stand out.

There are a few nuisances with some racing mechanics, too, and the visuals aren't anything to get excited about. All considered you could easily paint Indianapolis 500 Evolution as a game that tries to sell itself by reliving the track's golden days. The gameplay isn't a lot to scream at, and there's not a lot of flexibility to allow players to race the way they want.

Blast from the Past

We'd argue that Indianapolis 500 Evolution feels like a history lesson in the sport rather than an actual racing game. Yes, you can get a little bit of fun in racing the old cars from the 60s and 70s, but if you don't understand the past relevance of the track, your enthusiasm for the game will wane quickly.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• An homage to the golden age of the racetrack
• Racing old cars are different than standard racing games
• Four different game modes to immerse yourself in

Cons:

• Bland racing mechanics won't impress genre fans
• Visuals aren't fantastic in comparison to other racers released at the same time
• You can breeze through the career mode pretty quickly