Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger – Freeware Gem ‘Nitronic Rush’ Expands Again

Nitronic Rush was easily one of the best indie games of last year. The fact that it was free was just an enormous layer of icing on the cake. Unlike most DigiPen graduate projects, Team Nitronic have continued to expand and improve the game, and the latest update is a doozy. A new car based on the Back To The Future’s DeLorean, 2 new official tracks, 7 of the best fan-made tracks (the game is moddable, too!), 4 new music tracks (including a couple of dynamic ones that change with the action) and more. Here’s a trailer:

Old-school hardcore gamers may have felt their blood turn to ice during that. Some deep-seated memory thought forever purged, bubbling back to the surface? Yep, one of the new official levels is a glorious full-3D remake of BattleToads’ infamous Turbo Tunnel, complete with remixed music. There’s also a bunch of new silly things for the narrator to say, and a bunch of new components for community members to add to their custom tracks.

With all the updates the game has received since launch, it’s safe to say that it outstrips many premium retail games in terms of content on offer. The fact that the price-tag remains a consumer-friendly $0 makes things all the more delicious. Go on, treat yourself. Download the new build, dust off your (highly recommended) 360 controller and play with crazy neon rocket-cars some more. And if all this isn’t enough, then there’s always fan-made levels to be found on the official forum.