There was a time when pretty much every movie tie-in game was just plain awful, but for some reason in the mobile gaming world there have been quite a few really good ones. Games like Temple Run Oz or Fruit Ninja Puss in Boots take an already proven formula for a game and weave the movie theme around it to make a natural fit.
One of the newest movie tie-in games released is a joint venture between PikPok and Dreamworks Studios for the upcoming movie Turbo. The movie is about a snail named Turbo who dreams of being a race car driver, and following a freak accident involving a nitrous oxide spill that gives him turbo speed he sets out to make his dream come true.
PikPok’s take on the movie is called Turbo Racing League (Free), and follows Turbo’s escapades on his way to becoming the fastest snail in the universe. Is that even something to be proud of? That’s like being called the smartest dumb person in the world. But I digress.
Turbo Racing League itself is actually a very fun kart-style racing game. By that I mean it’s very casual and arcadey, with a heavy emphasis on drifting and hitting turbo pads spread along the track. The game’s 9 courses are all made out of real-life mini locations like a kitchen table or a garage, and you can trick Turbo out with spoilers for his shell that give him improved attributes.
It’s all pretty standard racing game stuff, but it’s very well done, like most PikPok games. What sort of blew my mind is that in conjunction with the release of Turbo Racing League, Verizon has stepped in to throw a competition called the $1,000,000 Shell Out and are giving away a million dollars in prize money. For the next 8 weeks the top 10 racers per week will each win prizes from a $500,000 pool, then all 8 of the 1st place winners will fly out to Los Angeles for the finals and a chance to win the grand prize which is the other half of the million.
A million dollar prize for a mobile movie tie-in game seems nuts to me, but here we are. You can get the full rules and all that jazz from the official $1,000,000 Shell Out website if you’re interested in entering, but even if not, Turbo Racing League is a pretty neat racing game that’s free to check out. People in our forums have been enjoying it as well, and as for the actual movie, that’ll be opening in theaters in July.
