I really had no idea what to expect going into this one ngl. The fact that it was a Gamecube-exclusive Japan-exclusive racing game definitely meant that this was on my radar, but as for what kind of racer it was going to be I had no idea. The cover sure as hell doesn't tell me anything, so I just assumed that this was going to be a "we have gran turismo at home" kind of a deal as that seemed popular at the time and the ol cube doesn't really have that many sim racers to call its own (despite honestly having a really nice controller for racing games).
Oh, how wrong my assumptions were.
Upon seeing the really uniquely shaded cars and colorful dreamcast-like track visuals I thought that was maybe just an aesthetic design choice, but once the first race began and my car boost started to a eurobeat tune while drifting through corners like a crazy person, I knew that I was 100% in the realm of arcade racer here. Gran Turismo for the PS2less, this game was absolutely not. If anything, this game reminds me the most of Auto Modelista, albeit not as stylized and controls just a TAD less jank. There are circuits, city streets, highway streets, and mountain courses to tackle and a variety of cups to challenge each with their own rewards and restrictions.
My only real gripes with this game come from its difficulty. It's kinda on the braindead easy side of things most of the way through the game as the AI provides little resistance and since there's no money system or anything like GT you can basically get away with picking your best qualifying car in the garage, giving it the best parts you have, and win pretty much every race in the game like that without trouble. The races also get longer as the game goes on and the soundtrack is a bit small so my initial hype definitely died down a bit by the end.
Overall it was a pleasant surprise. I think I like Auto Modelista a bit more due to it's harder committal to style but I think this game is absolutely worth a play if you are into race games. Apparently this is part of a series that originated on the GBA so perhaps I'll have to give those original portable entries a try. The world needs more colorful racing games like this out there.
Oh, how wrong my assumptions were.
Upon seeing the really uniquely shaded cars and colorful dreamcast-like track visuals I thought that was maybe just an aesthetic design choice, but once the first race began and my car boost started to a eurobeat tune while drifting through corners like a crazy person, I knew that I was 100% in the realm of arcade racer here. Gran Turismo for the PS2less, this game was absolutely not. If anything, this game reminds me the most of Auto Modelista, albeit not as stylized and controls just a TAD less jank. There are circuits, city streets, highway streets, and mountain courses to tackle and a variety of cups to challenge each with their own rewards and restrictions.
My only real gripes with this game come from its difficulty. It's kinda on the braindead easy side of things most of the way through the game as the AI provides little resistance and since there's no money system or anything like GT you can basically get away with picking your best qualifying car in the garage, giving it the best parts you have, and win pretty much every race in the game like that without trouble. The races also get longer as the game goes on and the soundtrack is a bit small so my initial hype definitely died down a bit by the end.
Overall it was a pleasant surprise. I think I like Auto Modelista a bit more due to it's harder committal to style but I think this game is absolutely worth a play if you are into race games. Apparently this is part of a series that originated on the GBA so perhaps I'll have to give those original portable entries a try. The world needs more colorful racing games like this out there.
benke
11 months ago