Milestone Set To Release 'Screamer' In 2026

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Images: Milestone Games
The iconic 1990's milestone Games franchise, Screamer, is set to make a return in 2026. The franchise returns in the form of a story-driven racing game that is based on animated cutscenes and a futuristic racing style.

Created in collaboration with Japanese animation studio Polygon Pictures and featuring the famous vocal abilities of industry superstar Troy Baker, Screamer will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, as well as on PC.

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The cutscene artstyle of Screamer

With plot themes of human will, revenge, love, and greed, Screamer aims to reimagine the sci-fi genre of racing. Despite this game being a revival of a successful title, sci-fi racing titles have crashed and burned in 2024. EXOCross is the primary example. Will Screamer swiftly follow upon release?

Screamer aims to put players in the middle of a clash between the character's desires and external forces that seek to control them. The story unfolds through the eyes of a cast of characters involved in a street racing tournament organized by a mysterious figure, of whom you will discover the identity towards the end of the game.


All of the story promises and the sci-fi setting do sound interesting. An anime-style futuristic arcade racing game is indeed a brave choice, but the audience that played that original title is undoubtedly excited. For new fans, the idea of a futuristic setting when racing could be a big sticking point.

This brand-new Screamer seamlessly blends high-octane arcade action with revolutionary gameplay dynamics and a deep storyline enriched by interwoven character arcs. Drawing inspiration from anime and manga from the '80s and '90s, the game’s narrative and visual framework will be its beating heart and soul." - Milestone Games

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New renders of cars included in Screamer are starting to appear

What do you think about this reimagination of Screamer? Is it an arcade title you could see yourself trying out, or will it follow the same pathway as EXOCross did? Let us know in the comments below!
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Connor Minniss
Website Content Editor & Motorsport Photographer aiming to bring you the best of the best within the world of sim racing.

Comments

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OK, it's a car game...
My mother inlaw bought me a puzzel one christmas... he likes cars that'll do!
The picture was a 3rd gen 80's metalic turquoise Mustang convertible in a New York nightime skyline background setting.
Well it's cars isn't it!
 
Screamer = yay! (when they were called Graffiti)
Screamer 2 = yay offroad!
Screamer Rally = yay more offroad!
Screamer 4X4 = let's ignore that one... not by Milestone! :roflmao:

Not so sure on this new one, might be a bit Ridge Racer Unbound, who knows. I like my futuristic racing games but there are quite a lot of them about now. It might have been nicer to see a rework of the original Daytona USA inspired game with modern tech/graphics... though I see games companies struggle to make arcade racers look as nice as the lower-res older titles (Daytona Championship USA vs Daytona USA for instance), maybe all those extra pixels means you lose something charming?

Then again, Over Jump Rally manages to keep the arcade-ness of Sega Rally Championship, whilst filling the stages with details...
 
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And a few years later Screamer 2 with software rendering, then gloriously 3D accelerated on 3Dfx with Glide. Good times !
Screamer Rally also had great Glide support, and could even run on Matrox Mystique SGL 3d accel with acceptable performance while waiting for a voodoo card :).

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During the 90s I loved Screamer 1 and 2... S1 came as a cloneish of Ridge Racer, but doing it's own way...
During the 90s I loved Need for Speed... TNFS1 came as a cloneish of Test Drive, but doing it's own way...

NFS had its highs and lows after that, and one factor that made I like it less and less is the storytelling... I'm the kind of dude that like racing games to race... the so called "gameplay moment". Today I just don't care anymore about NFS... and another franshise that I used to love now is going storytelling.

No problem with that specifically IF it don't mess my gameplay moment. NFS Underground 1 and 2 had storytelling if I am not wrong... but that didn't bother at all (most of the time, probably... can't remember)... Midnight Club LA has a lot of storytelling and character interactions, but nothing intrusive and just working in favor of gameplay.

Statistics prove that the rule is storytelling to not work with racing... hope this game comes as the exception... low hopes as basically 100% of videogame storytelling is lame and this trailer didn't help it at all.
 
A demo version of Screamer 2 that came on a CD offered by a gaming magazine was the first ever racing game I've ever played when my parents bought the first ever family PC back in 1996. It was a 486 and I'm pretty sure the game was running at more seconds than frames, but my love of car games was born on that day and I ended up spending many hours playing that short demo over and over.

It's kinda nostalgic for me to see a new Screamer game almost 30 years later. I rarely play arcade racing games now but if this turns out good I might give it a try.
 
Screamer = yay! (when they were called Graffiti)
Screamer 2 = yay offroad!
Screamer Rally = yay more offroad!
Screamer 4X4 = let's ignore that one... not by Milestone! :roflmao:

Not so sure on this new one, might be a bit Ridge Racer Unbound, who knows. I like my futuristic racing games but there are quite a lot of them about now. It might have been nicer to see a rework of the original Daytona USA inspired game with modern tech/graphics... though I see games companies struggle to make arcade racers look as nice as the lower-res older titles (Daytona Championship USA vs Daytona USA for instance), maybe all those extra pixels means you lose something charming?

Then again, Over Jump Rally manages to keep the arcade-ness of Sega Rally Championship, whilst filling the stages with details...
Screamer 4x4 was actually a really good 4x4 sim game back then.
 
Screamer… my very first racing game I bought myself in the local toy store after playing Need For Speed which I had received as a gift I believe a year earlier. I can’t help but be disappointed spending my hard saved money on a game I had high hopes for because of the Countach on the big box. It was then when I realised I preferred racing games that looked and feel like the real thing.. which, for its time maybe, Need for speed was… at least to my child mind it was 🥰
 
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Gotta say I'm actually quite interested in this: it's been a while since we had an arcade racer with real soul and personality and this seems to be picking that slack up (credit to NFS: Unbound for trying to be fair even if it felt like it didn't commit enough and just kind of found itself in an awkward middle ground) so between this and the new TXR I'm hoping arcade racers will get a second chance at life
 
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