I have played it a bunch. IMO, it’s my favourite racing game with a couple HEAVY caveats;
- Racing games are kinda my jam. I rarely encounter one that I outright dislike unless it is super light (Snail Race).
- It is high on the RNG, but thankfully the RNG is balanced by variable end game length. You can get very unlucky, but then the game usually ends very quickly.
- It has strategy, but it is light. More about positioning and using the dice you have as optimally as possible, but somebody who always rolls 6s will almost always beat somebody who only rolls 1s (although there are a lot of exceptions).
Choppe Shop is okay, Fatal Five and Big Rig is great, Carnival of Chaos is not as good as the regular game but it’s not bad. Game plays fantastic with 3 or 4, okay with 2 or 5 (I think it doesn’t actually have rules for 5, and I think that’s for a reason).
Oh, and I haven’t tried Joyride, but I suspect it is probably also my jam… can’t say if it’s better…
Alternatives:
HEAT is more strategic, and the multi-race format is real good. Flamme Rouge is more strategic for smaller player counts (2-3) and the Grand Prix is apparently sublime. Gravwell is faster and less violent (for players who don’t want direct conflict). Cubitos and Rallyman are more variable. And the “not race games but gambling games with races” opens up a whole can of options.
That stated: I will often suggest a closing game of Thunder Road after a solid session of something meatier. Big fan.