I don't know why it's called a back-to-Christmas racing game, but it is. Parking Garage Rally Circuit came out on September 20, Golden Lap comes out tomorrow, Victory Heat Rally comes out on October 3, and today – today comes the Steam Early Access release of #Drive Rally, an arcade racing game that haplessly tries to recapture the “spirit of the '90s.”
Ed enjoyed the demo earlier this year, and after briefly playing this Early Access version, I second his comments about the handling. It's forgiving, there's a significant amount of grip in every car I tried, and short braking distances. It's nice to be able to step on the gas pedal and not immediately wind each car around a tree.
There are a number of environments to wander around in this first release – forest, swamp, slippery ice world, desert – and each is a large area that can be expanded into multiple tracks later on. Nature tourism is one of the biggest draws of rally racing for me, and I'm hoping at least one of these tracks will have a mountain to fall on.
The developers say they hope to keep Drive Rally in Early Access for a year, with new content and balance adjustments made based on feedback. According to the Steam page, “This includes adding new cars to expand our garage, new maps and tracks to race on, new Co-Drivers to drive with, and additional car customization parts and items.” Based on my brief experience, I can say that the co-drivers definitely need some work. They're a throwback to the '90s in many ways, as the advice they give you is barely helpful, and they'll occasionally make nasty comments about your driving in a sort of stereotypical accent.
If you want to see the blocky, cell-shaded cars for yourself, they're available now on Steam.