SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition

There's something about moving insanely quickly and yet being in a state of complete real-life safety and comfort that is hugely appealing.

That's why SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition is such a fantastic rush. If only there are a bit more meat on its bones, this would be an essential 3DS release.

It's as simple as this: You rush through the inside of a neverending pipe, dodging around obstacles for as long as possible. Your final distance is your score, much like in the popular endless-runner genre.

Along the way there are power-ups that allow you to take a hit or two before dying, or clear the screen of obstacles. The farther you go through the pipe, the faster and more dangerous the action becomes.

Every now and then the pipe will unravel itself and either become a flat plane or turn inside out so that you're on the outside.

In this regard, there's lots of variety in this randomly generated world. It's also rather gorgeous thanks to the stereoscopic 3D visuals, and the soundtrack matches the action well.

But it's the sheer feeling of speed that gives SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition its edge. You can touch the screen to go into Hyper mode and move faster for a points multiplier, and balancing the use of this ability is key to getting a massive score.

Yet, as with the original version of SpeedX, there simply isn't enough content here to justify the purchase.

Gamelion has added the aforementioned Hyper ability, and also thrown in some extra music tracks, slightly improved controls, and even more speed.

But even so, after 15 minutes of play you'll already feel like you've seen everything SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition has to offer. The lack of online leaderboards means that there's really no reason to come back.

It's not just the lack of leaderboards that kill the concept. This game needs additional statistics tracking, unlockables, extra level types, achievements - essentially the sort of elements that will actually make you feel as though you're getting something for your cash.

As it stands, SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition is a fantastic experience that grows tiresome far too quickly.