Extremely difficult and punishing yet so satisfying and worth every minute of your time.
I know Gran Turismo is the ultimate driving simulator but Polyphony Digital ain’t got anything on F355 Challenge. This game started as a simulation in the arcades with three screens to represent front and side views respectively along with a working clutch and stick shift with only one camera view. When it was ported to the Dreamcast, the three screens and clutch went away, but everything else stayed. The game was hyper-realistic with all of the elements perfectly in place. A realistic driving model, unforgiving AI, and the most control over a virtual car I have ever seen.
Now on the PS2 everything is still here with a few added features like a third-person camera (which to be honest is useless in this style of gameplay). There is also a great driver mode that scores you how well you drive, but the arcade mode is where I still spend all of my time. This is one of those games that you can never master. You can become good at it, but never truly master. Since all of the others cars in the game are F355s (hence the title, there is only one car) you can’t out power them like you can in almost every other game. Plus, the AI is vicious. They will aggressively “race” you. They are not stuck on a line (though they do take the optimal for turning) and will try to pass you every step of the way and if you don’t take the corners well they will.
You start every race in eighth place and have to work the pack. In order to win you have to take the corners faster and push the car to the edge. Remember, you are driving a Ferrari and for all the good that the horsepower and torque can give you, it is a very wild horse so to speak. You need to gain control and never mess up. You have to run a perfect lap to gain first and even to this day I can’t get first every time and I have played the game for five years in various forms. That is the reason I love it. It is an amazing simulation to real life and one that should not be missed by any fan of racing.
One last note is the music. Suzuki always puts 80’s rock into his games and this is no exception. You’ll want to turn it off though since the purr of the Ferrari is so beautiful and the sounds of race day are more than enough of a soundtrack kind of like a rally game in that aspect.
Overall, this is one game not to be missed by any lover of racing games. Extremely difficult and unforgiving yet totally satisfying when you do win the coveted first place. Highly recommended.