Most games are easy enough to write about. A quick description, followed by something that amounts to a “yes/no/maybe” and I’m done. I try not to waffle on too often, partly out of laziness and partly because I think most people reading this prefer quick impressions over longer pieces of writing.

(I’m willing to bet that most of my longer blog entries get skipped over by the majority of people who subscribe to the RSS feed, which seems to be how most people read this site.)

Anyway, I’m a bit stuck when it comes to Car Jack Streets. I tried the Lite version a while back and wasn’t at all impressed, but the full version of the game was free over the weekend, so I decided to give it another chance.

First things first: I’m enjoying the full version a lot more than the Lite. Oddly, though, that’s mainly because I can drive the cars now, when I couldn’t before. The controls haven’t changed, as far as I can tell, I just seem to be fine with them now when I wasn’t last time I tried. Small adjustments and u-turns in tight spaces can still throw me, but general driving around isn’t a problem.


I can also appreciate better the things the game does well.

There are a lot of weapons around the map, meaning you’re never defenseless for long.

You never have to go hunting for missions as you get contacted all the time.

There’s a clever real time thing going on – when the game says you need to earn $50,000 in a week it means a week. There’s no game clock, the day and time are the real day and time.

And it’s got a powerful flamethrower, which is never a bad thing.

All in all it’s a more playable and interesting game than I thought it was.

It’s without annoyances, though. In the heat of the moment I keep getting lost and failing missions because I’m not sure what I’m doing. Now and again I fail a mission without any real feedback as to why, even though I think I know what’s going on. Sometimes missions come through that start in fifteen minutes, which is longer than most of my play sessions. And, most of all, having to go back to a safe house to save is deeply irritating. Fail to save at a safe house and when you next start the game you’ll have lost your car and all your weapons. Nasty.