Traffic Jam 3D

An endless highway driving game where the scoring actively encourages the thing that kills you. Passing close to traffic pays a bonus proportional to how close, so the optimal line is the dangerous one and the game becomes a negotiation with your own greed. That is a well-judged incentive and it gives the game a shape most traffic runners lack. A cautious run lasts a long time and scores poorly; a reckless one scores quickly and ends quickly, and the interesting play is somewhere between — taking close passes where the lane beyond is clear and backing off where it is not. Traffic moves at varying speeds in different lanes, so reading which gaps are opening is the supporting skill. Speed climbs continuously, the runs last a minute or two, and restarting is one press. The 3D presentation keeps traffic legible at pace, which is the only visual requirement. Coins buy cars that are faster and therefore more dangerous. It plays with two or four inputs on a keyboard or by tilting on a phone, and it needs a moderately capable machine for a smooth frame rate.