Review of the PSP version.
I never kept my love for the PSP a secret. It's the console that I probably played the most in my entire life, and despite having to replace the battery every few months or so, I still play it to this day. Here's a game deep in the trenches of the PSP library, that turns out to be one of the best arcade racers on the console. If you know how stacked the competition is, you'll know that it's an impressive feat.
From top to bottom, the game feels so charming and confident. The graphics looks quite impressive especially for an handheld title, and it aims for a realistic look without looking bland. Despite that, the satisfyingly wacky physics, cartoony animations and eclectic pop music injects a full sense of whimsy into the game. It's so fun to see your realistic hatchbacks spin around like a cartoon character getting whacked in the head after hitting other cars. It's very clear that the game want to have fun, but they ain't making a fool out of themselves to do it.
The game takes you to France, UK, Italy, US and Japan, as you drive in inner city areas that represent their country's architecture, distilled into great racing tracks. There's shortcuts to find, steep hills to climb, sharp corners to slide through. All the tracks use a lot of verticality, which helps to make more interesting designs, both gameplay and graphics wise. The environments in each track also looks amazing, from the seaside theme in France to the iconic Tokyo-esque urban design.
There's a bunch of fun modes other than just racing, like the "tag you're it" mode, coin collecting, tomato festival (basically Mario Kart battle mode lite), and car soccer. As you progress through the main quest mode (basically a series of races intertwined with the non-racing mode) you can unlock new hatchbacks to ride, and unlock cosmetics and upgrades for the car you're currently using. The main quest mode is very straightforward, and while it starts easy in the beginners level with no way to speed up the difficulty progression, the game is just so fun at its core that it never really bothered me.
All in all, GTI Club Supermini Festa is a blast to play and a feast for the eyes. Like the hatchbacks the game features, it's a neat, charming package that is much impressive than it might look at first glance.
I never kept my love for the PSP a secret. It's the console that I probably played the most in my entire life, and despite having to replace the battery every few months or so, I still play it to this day. Here's a game deep in the trenches of the PSP library, that turns out to be one of the best arcade racers on the console. If you know how stacked the competition is, you'll know that it's an impressive feat.
From top to bottom, the game feels so charming and confident. The graphics looks quite impressive especially for an handheld title, and it aims for a realistic look without looking bland. Despite that, the satisfyingly wacky physics, cartoony animations and eclectic pop music injects a full sense of whimsy into the game. It's so fun to see your realistic hatchbacks spin around like a cartoon character getting whacked in the head after hitting other cars. It's very clear that the game want to have fun, but they ain't making a fool out of themselves to do it.
The game takes you to France, UK, Italy, US and Japan, as you drive in inner city areas that represent their country's architecture, distilled into great racing tracks. There's shortcuts to find, steep hills to climb, sharp corners to slide through. All the tracks use a lot of verticality, which helps to make more interesting designs, both gameplay and graphics wise. The environments in each track also looks amazing, from the seaside theme in France to the iconic Tokyo-esque urban design.
There's a bunch of fun modes other than just racing, like the "tag you're it" mode, coin collecting, tomato festival (basically Mario Kart battle mode lite), and car soccer. As you progress through the main quest mode (basically a series of races intertwined with the non-racing mode) you can unlock new hatchbacks to ride, and unlock cosmetics and upgrades for the car you're currently using. The main quest mode is very straightforward, and while it starts easy in the beginners level with no way to speed up the difficulty progression, the game is just so fun at its core that it never really bothered me.
All in all, GTI Club Supermini Festa is a blast to play and a feast for the eyes. Like the hatchbacks the game features, it's a neat, charming package that is much impressive than it might look at first glance.