Anki OverDrive: Fast & Furious Edition is the perfect present for fans of the movie franchise. Using the incredible artificial intelligence self-driving vehicle technology from the original sets, the software now features the instantly recognizable voices of the Fast & Furious characters. Decidedly edgier than the anime inspired original set, the cars are ripped right from the movie screen. You'll drive Hobbs' MXT and Dom's Ice Charger in exciting races.
You control the car's speed, lane, plus offensive and defensive power-ups using your phone or tablet. (Be sure to check the Anki website to ensure that your Android or iOS device is compatable. ) There are virtual spike strips and grappling hooks in addition to the standard weapons. There is a lot of strategy in gameplay. Not only are you controling for speed and lane change, but also factoring in the range of your power-ups. Firing them off when you're out of range is just a lost opportunity. Shields, scramblers tractor beams and boosts all add to the fun. Even the way you fire your weapons has an element of strategy. Some weapons benefit from a "charge" phase before firing. Others fire single bursts; others in rapid fire.
Play can be player vs. player, or you can play against the AI. There are five included game modes: Race, Battle, Battle-race, King of the Hill, and Time Trial. Plus, if you get one of the optional Supertrucks, you can play Takeover.
Like the movies, there are strong male and female characters in the multi-ethnic cast.
One of the coolest features of OverDrive is the basic set allows you to build many different track layouts. This greatly increases replayability, but I also like that the track is flexible, so you can build multi-leveled tracks with overpasses. The set integrates with other toys, like blocks, for creative open ended play that goes beyond the game-driven design.
This is the perfect game for the holidays. Everyone can play: grownups and kids alike. The first time you see the cars driving around the track, negotiating the turns by themselves, you're going to feel the magic of Anki OverDrive!
You can buy Anki OverDrive: Fast & Furious Edition on Amazon.
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