Super Tux Kart
We’ll kick off the site with a review of what is – so far – my favorite native Linux game – Super Tux Kart. I’ll put a link to download it at the bottom.
I play it on my Ubuntu 10.04 laptop with 1 GB of RAM and I’ll update this post with my processor specs at a later date.
First of all, this game is clearly inspired by Mario Kart and is every bit as fun to play. It features its main character ‘Tux’ – the popular Linux penguin – and a host of other original characters that each seems to handle slightly differently during gameplay (or maybe it’s just me). And then there’s EvilTux
Graphics: The graphics are pretty good for an open-source 3D game with no commercial backing (to the best of my knowledge). The tracks that come with the game are pretty enough and range from beach settings to traditional race tracks and even what looks like a table in a math class (complete with pencils and books as obstacles). Definitely easy enough on the eyes. 8 /10
Sound: Maybe it’s just me but I’m not a big fan of the sound effects. They’re realistic and the music is okay but I seem to always turn them off as a distraction. 6 / 10
Gameplay: Well it doesn’t handle like Need For Speed that’s for sure! Still, it’ll take just a couple of races to get used to the feel of the controls and it’s really easy to change the configuration to something you’re more comfortable with. 8 / 10
P.S. It took me a while to figure out that there’s a separate control you can configure for taking sharp turns. You NEED to set it up for easy access via your keyboard to get through some of the more challenging tracks!
Summary: It’s a great free game and – in my opinion – the best racing game out there for Linux at the moment. It comes with a lot of tracks (plus more you can earn by completing challenges) and lets you use items to ‘ding’ your opponents in fun ways or give yourself a nitro speed boost. It also has multi-player capability but I’ve yet to try it out. The link to the Sourceforge page where you can download the game is below!
Now that STK 1.4 is out, we advise users of macOS 10.14 or later to give it a try because it fixes the problem with 1.3’s Gatekeeper crashing.
https://supertuxkart.net/
Send comments or email me if there’s a game you’d like me to review or anything you’d like to see or talk about Linux Gaming!