darkSpyro

Something's been puzzling me about the racing in the console games. I've played the offline races in the 3DS version and 'single race' mode in the console version, both on easy (I have barely any experience in racing games, and aren't very good yet). I'm clearly near the head of the pack for most of the race, and pass the 3DS ones with little trouble. However, every single time I've done a single race on the console I've been first by a fair margin for the first two and a half laps, struggling with two other racers for the last half a lap, and get overshot by an AI racer in the last stretch.

Is this an example of 'rubberbanding', or am I just that bad? I don't mind if I'm just cruddy, but it's a bit frustrating as I want to try the boss pursuit mode and I can't until I get at least one star. Setting up a good lead in the first half of the race doesn't seem to help at all : ( I've been playing the story mode on hard with no troubles, including the vehicle sections, so I feel like I'm missing something when it comes to races.

So, uh, any advice for a racing newbie?

Yeah, I've noticed this too. I'll have a pretty commanding lead the whole race and then during the home stretch, everyone climbs up my butt and shoots the crap out of me. Really, I think you just have to get lucky with your health. If they make you spin out, you're toast.

I actually bumped up the difficulty because Hot Streak makes staying in the lead too easy. I had a normal player pass me in the last second once by some crazy way(it was a Barrel Blaster so no dash moves) but after enough Nitro charges the crosshairs only appeared for a few seconds before the AI would get too behind again.
But that's an experience with a single vehicle,it might be more visible with others.

That's rubberbanding. You have two options to deal with it.
1. Take all of the shortcuts and boosts you can as just going along the course regularly will cause them to catch up.
2. Hold back around third or fourth and then blast ahead on the last lap.