There's a duo of arcade games that are often – and quite rightly – pined over by lovers of the genre, and all these years later the legends of Blur and Split/Second seem almost inseparable (indeed, the two were released around the same time, one of the many reasons behind their lack of success and the subsequent demise of the talented studios behind both games).
Spare a thought, though, for the equally often overlooked Pure, Black Box Studio's predecessor to Split/Second. Here was an arcade racer with an incredible sense of speed and verticality, and one that captured the thrill of hurling yourself down the side of a steep plateau that's rarely been matched ever since. If you loved mountains in all their stupendous drama and beauty, Pure was the game for you.
And now Riders Republic, it seems, might well be the game for you. I've spent half a day with the recent beta and been frequently stunned by it all, enjoying its overexuberance and over-the-top take on the various extreme sports it takes on. I've not really felt that same pure thrill of speeding downhill through wilderness and then getting the sweet release of a stupendous drop and equally breathtaking vista since, well, Pure – and Riders Republic really could be one of the very best big budget extreme sports games in all those long years hence.
