Harms Way is a racing

Racing game

A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...

 advergame

Advergaming

Advergaming is the practice of using video games to advertise a product, organization or viewpoint. The term "advergames" was coined in January 2000 by Anthony Giallourakis, and later mentioned by Wireds "Jargon Watch" column in 2001...

 developed by independent software developer Bongfish GmbH for the Xbox 360

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

's Xbox Live Arcade

Xbox Live Arcade

Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...

 service. It was released on December 8, 2010 for free

Freeware

Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...

 as one of the finalists of the Doritos

Doritos

Doritos is a brand of seasoned tortilla chips created by Arch West and produced since 1964 by the American food company Frito-Lay ....

-sponsored "Unlock Xbox" competition for 2010, alongside Doritos Crash Course

Doritos Crash Course

Doritos Crash Course is a 2D platforming advergame developed by Wanako Games for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. It was released on December 8, 2010 for free as one of the finalists of the Doritos-sponsored "Unlock Xbox" competition for 2010, alongside Harms Way...

. Originating from a hybrid racing/shooting game concept by Ogden, Utah

Ogden, Utah

Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...

 gamer Justin Carpenter, this game has a wasteland-like setting and feeling, similar to Borderlands

Borderlands (video game)

Borderlands is a science fiction based first-person shooter with RPG elements that was developed by Gearbox Software for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was first revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine...

. On December 29, 2010, it was announced that Harms Way lost to Doritos Crash Course in the second "Unlock Xbox" competition. However, due to positive feedback on both games, Frito-Lay

Frito-Lay

Frito-Lay North America is the division of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets and sells corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips,...

 decided to give both Carpenter and competition winner Jill Robertson the same US$50,000 consultation prize each.

Driver

Drivers ride across one of three courses in a three-lap race with power-ups and shortcuts to help lead them to their victory. To win, a driver must finish in first place out of 4 ranks. Drivers can drift to earn nitro boosts and do barrel rolls for shields, which prevent drivers from receiving damage and may ricochet gunfire back to snipers. The time it takes for drivers to finish a race can represent their ranks in the leaderboards.

There are four vehicles, each with three attributes: speed (which affects top speed and acceleration), armor (which affects the amount of damage the vehicle can take), and handling (which affects steering and drifting).

• Buggy - Has good speed and handling, but the worst armor.
• Pickup - Has average speed and armor, but the best handling. It is recommended for beginners.
• Truck - Also has average speed as well as handling, but the best armor.
• Bus - Has the best speed and good armor, but the worst handling.

Shooter

Shooters can snipe other vehicles and damage them. The shooters' goal is to damage and destroy the vehicle as badly as possible. A fatal hit to the windshield of a vehicle will instantly destroy it, giving the shooter 5000 points. Shooters can also hit wheels to stop or slow down a vehicle for 250 points. Shooters can also shoot at power-ups on the track to either prevent drivers from using them or to upgrade their own turrets with new weapons. The number of points snipers earn can represent their ranks in the leaderboards.

There are four weapons for each shooter, each available after certain number of upgrades:

• Sniper rifle - A powerful single shot from a sniper rifle can cause windshield kills and flat tires. Also has good zooming capabilities and a laser pointer
  Laser pointer
  A laser pointer or laser pen is a small portable device with a power source and a laser emitting a very narrow coherent low-powered beam of visible light, intended to be used to highlight something of interest by illuminating it with a small bright spot of colored light...
  
   that's also visible to drivers, though it's slow to reload. This is the weapon that shooters start out with.
• Burst Shot - A machine gun which rapidly fires relatively weak rounds. Has some zooming capabilities and is prone to overheating. This is the first weapon that shooters receive from upgrading.
• Air Strike - Launches a group of land mines from the air and onto the track, detonating automatically if untouched for five seconds. This weapon is earned after two upgrades.
• Missile launcher - A rocket launcher that can lock onto moving targets and cause heavy damage, which is strong enough to knock down objects that can fall onto drivers and block the road. It fires in straight lines by default. This is the last weapon that shooters can earn, requiring three upgrades.

Power-ups

There are five power-ups in the game that affects both drivers and shooters:

• Nitro - Give vehicles a small amount of nitrous that allows drivers to gain speed when they want to use it.
• Shield - Give vehicles temporary invulnerability and may cause gunfire from shooters to ricochet back to them.
• Smoke - Drops a smoke bomb on the nearest turret, making it harder for that shooter to see.
• Turret Upgrade - Can be earned from either a shooter or a driver, this power-up upgrades all sniper turrets for the team who gets it. It is not available in single-player driving mode.
• Turret Downgrade - Like the Turret Upgrade, but causes all teams' turrets to be downgraded except for the team that collects it. It is only available in multiplayer.

External links

• Official website
• Xbox game details page