|
|
|
BY FAR, THE BEST SIM-RACER FOR THE PS2 |  Arend D. Hart from StationPlay says (19/Feb/2003): | ******
Pro Race Driver (PS2)
Codemasters
By Arend D. Hart, StationPlay’s Chief Editor
If you’ve followed my years’ of reviewing games for StationPlay, then you already know that I am a big fan of Codemasters, particularly their simulation racing games. From the amazing TOCA series (including the recent US release of the slightly modified TOCA3:WTC as Jarrett and Labonte Stock Car Racing) to the stellar Colin McRae Rally (CMR and CMR2.0) series, these people know how to make a person feel like he’s sitting behind the wheel without having to leave the comforts of his living room sofa. Sure, Codemaster’s games tend to lack the eyecandy of the Gran Turismo series (although CMR2.0 came damn close), but they more than make up for it in detail, integrity and excitement.
You see, Codemaster’s does an excellent job of expressing every minute detail when they make a racing simulation, and as a total package, they do it better than anyone else – yes, even better than the Gran Turismo series’ developers, Polyphony. When you add up the realistic physics, handling, adjustments, AI, and even damage modeling – nobody can compare…nobody. And no two Codemasters titles convey this attention to detail more decisively than CMR2.0 and Jarrett and Labonte Stock Car Racing. Both titles were so involving, they together nearly cost me my dayjob and did cause my wife, on numerous occasions, to threaten tossing my PSone out our third story window if I didn’t put the controller down.
I was such a fan of CMR2.0 and J&L, I somehow became the member of an online focus group for their next generation console racing games. I would receive invitations to fill out dozens of questionnaires and surveys – What would be a cool name? – Would you play a racing game which had an interlaced story? – and on, and on, and on…. It really made me feel like I was playing a part in the development process, and it was great. So, although I was dismayed to hear that the new game was to be called Pro Race Driver in the US, not US Trans Am Series as I had voted for so many times, I was overjoyed to hear that “my game” was finally to be released. It took nearly a year, but one Monday, an envelope unexpectedly appeared in my mailbox with that familiar Codemasters’ insignia – it had finally arrived.
I’ll admit, as corny as it sounds, I was a bit nervous to put the game in my PS2. I mean, have you ever waited so long for something, only to be depressed when it didn’t meet your expectations? Sure you have. I was afraid this might be the case with PRD. Thankfully, PRD as a whole is a refreshing take on the sim-racing genre, and despite a few minor issues, is in my opinion the ultimate sim-racing game on the PS2 (at least until CMR3.0 is released this month), surpassing even the great GT3:A Spec.
Too many times, reviewers start with the good and end with the bad. I generally follow suit, but in this case I’m going to change it up a bit. I don’t want any of the negative points to stick in your head for too long, because I’ll say it now:
If you are a sim-racing fan, you absolutely MUST get this game and force yourself to play it, as you will be richly rewarded.
If you are a racing fan (notice, I left out the word “sim”), I strongly suggest you pick this title up and force yourself to play it, as you will be richly rewarded.
If you are an arcade racing fan, I would advise you pick this title up and force yourself to play it, as you will be richly rewarded.
If you are a rabid NASCAR fan, I beg you to at least rent this title and force yourself to play it, as it will show you that there are much more interesting forms of racing in the world and you might just find yourself richly rewarded.
In each of the of the above lines, I mention “forcing” yourself to play the game. That is because as with all Codemasters’ sim-racing games, it’s going to take you a bit of time before you really get the feel for the cars, the tuning and the AI. Remember, Codemasters’ games are unparalleled in the racing scene. You can’t simply bump and grind your way to the front in your megasouped up sportscar a’la GT3:A Spec - the ultrarealistic car damage and opponent AI will wipe you out by the end of the first lap. No, you have to be good,; you have to know the track, you have to set your car up right and you have to drive like you know what you are doing. And when you can master all of this, you’ll absolutely love PRD. Until then, it may be a bit of a struggle.
So, on with the things that bug me about PRD:
First and foremost…I mentioned the fact that Codemasters’ games tend to not have all of the eyecandy, right? Well, PRD is not the most beautiful game I have seen on a console. It’s really a bit ugly to tell the truth. But then again, maybe I’ve become an Xbox snob suddenly. See, I picked up an Xbox a few months ago and have been playing Project Gotham, Sega GT2002 and Rallisport Challenge pretty religiously since, so I’ve been accustomed to the ultra hi resolution Xbox graphics. But the strangest thing is that not all of PRD’s graphics are bad…it’s a bit weird, really – the cars are a bit cartoony, and almost seem pasted onto a beautiful background which has been “softened” a half a dozen times to give it an out-of-focus look that sharpens as you approach. It’s really quite strange. It can be ignored a bit, but I was truly hoping for the game to look a bit better. Hopefully the Xbox version will clear this up, and if it does – we’ll have a Perfect “10” racer.
Secondly, as with all Codemasters’ titles, the menu navigation is a bit nebulous. It’s really nothing that detracts from the overall experience, and it can easily be figured out, but it does take some time to get in the groove. The menus are especially confusing when you want to find out the race weather conditions and rules – making setup all the more difficult.
OK, onto the good.
PRD is by far the most engrossing racing experience on the PS2. The first of its kind to mix the sim-racing experience with an involved (albeit slightly cheesy) story mode, you as Ryan “Your name” McKane must avenge your father’s death on the track and raise yourself up the ranks of the World’s top racing circuits to be come World Champion. Some will argue that the story is completely unnecessary – and it probably is – but it still makes PRD a refreshing alternative to the standard racing fare. And at any time, you have the option of creating your own series of races using the tracks and cars unlocked in the story mode, so you don’t always have to play as Mr. McKane.
As with every Codemasters’ racer, the attention to detail is incredible. Every nuance in tuning, every piece of broken fiberglass, and every hill and valley has a realistic effect on your car’s performance. This isn’t your standard “floor it and go” type of racer – you’re going to have to learn how to use your brake and gas effectively, because you can’t just pinball your way through a race in PRD.
From Codemasters’ press release, we find that PRD features 42 licensed touring and race cars which can be raced on 38 real-world circuits in 13 championship series. It is going to take you a long time to unlock everything this game has to offer. I have been working on PRD for a couple of weeks now, and I’ve only touched on a small portion of this game – it’s that big. All of your favorite cars are represented, and many you haven’t heard of before - unless, of course, you have played J&L or TOCA:WTC before and/or watch SpeedChannel in the wee early hours of the morning. All of your favorite courses are in attendance as well, with every elevation and curve represented perfectly.
The physics and handling are near perfection as well, but are an acquired taste and have a bit of a learning curve – especially for fans of Gran Turismo. See, Europeans tend to like experiencing the feel of the road, so their cars generally support stiffer suspension setups than we Americans like. And, since Codemasters is a European property, PRD (and the TOCA series before it) tend to mimic this preference. The cars don’t have the spongy bounce of the Gran Turismo series, and tend to be a bit more responsive yet more unstable. It may be a bit disconcerting at first, after some practice and a bit of time in the garage, you’ll feel completely at ease with your vehicle.
Given all of the previous high points, the true high point of PRD, like the TOCA series before it, would have to be the opponent AI. Unlike the Gran Turismo series, PRD’s drivers think and react realistically to what is happening on the track rather than simply taking the optimum racing lines through every curve. Since damage affects all cars equally, the AI drivers will realistically swerve to avoid possible accidents, sometimes losing control in the process, causing a bigger crash than they were trying to avoid in the first place. However, this doesn’t mean that he AI drivers are not willing to take on a bit of damage if it means gaining a position or two, heavens no – they’ll nudge and bump their way to the front…realistically. It really is spectacular to see AI perform this well in a game. Really, getting first place is quite often difficult, but thankfully not always necessary to coming out on top of your series.
And finally, I’d like to mention the amazing damage modeling we’ve come to love from Codemasters’ titles. Every time I play a Codemasters’ title I’ve been floored by the level of detail in the damage department. Breaking glass, crumpled hoods, bumpers dragging and sparking, tires that peel off rims, engines that rattle and catch fire, I could go on and on. And unlike the Need For Speed series of games where damage was aesthetic only, PRD’s damage has realistic effects on the car’s performance. Lose a spoiler and you’ll get squirrelly, lose a tire and you’re grinding pavement, rock your engine and you’ll be limping to the pits. It’s nowhere near as unforgiving as F12001’s damage modeling (as F1 cars are pretty fragile), but it does require you to hone your driving skills or you’ll never finish a race.
In closing, I really don’t think you are going to find a better sim-racing title on the PS2, at least until CMR3.0 is released later this month. PRD may not have all of the graphical bells and whistles of Gran Turismo, but it does have the depth and grit of a true simulation. It’s my favorite racing game for the PS2 right now, and I really think you should give it a chance…you will be richly rewarded.
| MIXED BAG | | Bjorn from Roosendaal, Holland says (30/Aug/2002): | So there it is, finally: "Pro Race Driver" has hit the shelves. Very rarely has a game been more hyped up than this one. It seems to have been in developement forever, but now gamers finally have the chance to get their hands on Ryan McKane and his 42 cars raced through a total of 13 championships.
The game: is a mixed bag, there's good, there's bad. Whether or not you should rush out to get this one depends entirely on what you want in a game..
Graphics: Without a single doubt this is the games weak spot! The playstation2 RAM limitations and already fairly dated 300 mhz processor become painfully apparent in this one. Sure the damage looks great, sure the carmodels are fairly detailed BUT gamers should also be prepared for things such as sudden drops in framerate. Especially with multiple cars on screen the framerate takes a big hit. Furthermore the tracks have serious pop up which can sometimes result in the player spontaneously having ps1 flashbacks...yes it's that bad. HOWEVER...if you are prepared to settle for the games graphical shortcomings, there's actually a great game in there:
Sound: impressive crashes sound exactely right and so do the different enginetypes, top stuff!!
Gameplay: Carhandling takes some getting used to but once mastered will feel like second nature. There's a good amount of realism in the way the cars behave. For instance when you skid of the tarmac into the sand your vehicle instantly becomes an almost uncontrollable projectile just like in real life. The best thing about Pro Race Driver has to be the A.I. It's so good it's almost scary! Computercontrolled opponents will drive agressively and defensively according to the situation at hand. They will try to overtake you in different ways one of them being to sometimes hit your trunk at exactely the right moment to have you skid of the track. If you do a trick like that on a computercontrolled car it will sometimes actually try to take revenge on you..all very impressive stuff.
Overall the whole thing just oozes with a racey atmosphere, much more so than the mighty Gran Turismo for that matter. True petrolheads will have a field day with this one! So will the average gamer for that matter, just be prepared to settle for so so graphics and your in for a great ride....
Greetz
| Recaptures the genius of the series | | Michael Hayes from Tyne and Wear, England says (13/Sep/2002): | First thing's first, visually Pro Race Driver (TOCA over here in Blighty) ranges from good to embarassingly terrible. The car models are great, but the pop up and redraw is the worst I've seen since the infamous Formula One 98. In some instances the scenery flickers on and off like a faulty lightbulb, which is more than irritating and will instantly put off those reared on Rallisport Challenge and Project Gotham Racing. However, get over this and it'll become obvious that PRD is an exceptional game. After the genius of the first two, the third installment, World Touring Cars, was like having the bayliffs clear your house then discover one of them dropped a pound coin. Huge expectation, crushingly poor reality. PRD returns to the simulation style of gameplay, with three real championships (TOCATOUR BTCC, DTM and Aussie V8 Supercars) and a great sense of progression and acheivement as you work your way through the career mode. Everything is customiseable and it's all very solid, impressive motor-racing. I've missed out the story for a reason; the tale of infuriating rookie Ryan McKane is cheesy, badly acted and cliched. Codemasters; you have made a great game but please remember you're not movie directors...........
| | |
