


Each driver scowls at the camera before you take them on, wearing racing suits with no insignia. Apparently, this whole thing is a fever dream of reality television, with no-name drivers, that you must face off against. Then there’s the cringeyist setup ever for the entire game, the Gravel Channel. They are fun to drive, but it seems so random. Rally trucks and cars, which are all somehow manufacturer licensed, and then…armored vehicles. Random right? Details like this are what give Gravel its charm. Just about every ramp has fireworks that blast off when you go over it. One thing that I became a big fan of during my playthrough with the dynamic lighting. Little camera tricks keep the action feeling intense. I turned the sensitivity up a bit on my wheel. Gravel is at its best when you have the pedal to the metal, and you are careening down a hillside. The game isn’t flawless, but it is a great diversion over a weekend. Gravel is much more of an arcade racer than Forza though, and when it is viewed through that lens, it totally holds up. If you compare Gravel to the other arcade-ish racer that came out in 2018, Forza Horizon 4, it’s a piece of dog shit. Paradoxically, the user reviews and professional reviews are accurate. I figured what the hell and decided to give it a try.

A quick look at the reviews by users revealed a common message of “Good for what it is.” Looking at some of the big review sites like IGN revealed fives, and sentiments such as, this is a mediocre racing game that is at least a generation too late. I scan the games on sale section on Xbox each week, because well, I have a gaming problem, and a few weeks ago the racing game Gravel popped up for $5 and some change.
