Atarihas revealedFatal Run 2089, a very late sequel to the very late 1990 gameFatal Run. More importantly, I don’t remember the last time I played a decent, new vehicular combat game. MaybeGas Guzzlers ExtremeorCarmageddon: Max Damage. Quite a drought in games about stapling miniguns to station wagons.
Fatal Runwas a very latterday game for the Atari 2600 and 7800. As such, it was pretty much unknown to anyone outside the core fanbase of those consoles until its inclusion in theAtari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. That’s when I played it, and while the 2600 version just feels significant for the way it translated the game to well-fermented hardware, the 7800 version was fun. Of course, as a fan of raster racing games and car combat, I was set.
Fatal Run 2089looks pretty fun. It’s running on Unreal Engine 5, but I wouldn’t have guessed that. It has the grungy metal look and simple terrain of an Unreal Engine 3 title. However, it does have it where it counts, by which I mean when you land a jump, the camera shakes to make it seem like your car is very heavy. Like inBurnout 3orSplit/Second.
There are corkscrews, 20 tracks, and I spy boss vehicles. The press release promises “branching paths, hidden shortcuts, and explosive set pieces that keep every run intense and unpredictable.” There are seven vehicles, four bosses, and you can upgrade your vehicle by picking up (in-game) currency.
Fatal Run 2089is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch (?) and PC sometime in 2025.
