A slightly better than average racing game in a long sad history of average racing games...
Keeping in mind that this game came out towards the end of 2000, for its time, the graphics are pretty good. Overall, the cars look the way they should. When you hit a wall, your car will take damage, which adds another aspect of realism. However, the many pedestrians that you encounter do not deserve the same compliment. After seeing about five or six different templates, if you will, of people, you eventually get bored with looking at them. This is especially true since they all seem to have blocks for heads.
The controls are nice enough. Players can use either the directional pad or the analog sticks to make their way through the game, and if you have ever played a racing game before, you already know which buttons do what. You also have an added addition that lets you honk the horn of the particular car you are driving…Yeah, that’s about as special as the controls get.
What is special however is the sound system. I don’t say this because I love the sounds of the engines tuning up, or because I love the way metal sounds when it crashes against metal. I say this because the pedestrians in the game provide you with easily the most enjoyable moments in the game. For instance, while driving around London, if you pass a pedestrian at just the right speed he will yell out: “Bloody hell, what was that?” Or, if you hit another woman in London, she will scream as if she is being eaten by wild boars. There are hours and hours of entertainment to be had with the pedestrian voices alone.
However, that being said, this is not a game for everyone. The casual gamer will more than likely find it boring. There’s really not much in the way of extras to keep ones attention. However, if you play through the game enough to unlock all of the cars, the game will become slightly more enjoyable, as you can drive around in versions of cars like Mini Coopers, and Mexican Low-riders.
As well as being able to drive around in some really nice cars, the different modes of play also add a bit of fun and strategy to the game. Career mode for instance, has you pitted in a weak storyline against the best racers in the world. Staring in New York, then eventually traveling across the pond to London to take on the next set of harder competitors. At the end of the London set of races, you take on the world champion…But by the time you get that far in the game, you will most likely know all of the back alleys, shortcuts, etc. and the race will be easier than…well, easy.
If you are just in the game for the short thrills, arcade mode is the one for you. You can play one race at a time, or you can go through the proverbial circuit, racing through all the tracks you would find in career mode, only at a much quicker rate.
At any rate, even after saying that races can provide you with “quick fun,” the fun really doesn’t start that quickly. Load screen show up everywhere: at the beginning of races, at the end of races, when you change modes, etc. It gets aggravating fast, especially if you are lacking in the patience department.
The best aspect of the game, for me, however is the “Cruise” ability. Either in career or arcade modes, you can pick from a large array of cars and simply drive around seeing the sites of New York and London. This is where the game really shines. Take London, for example. Instead of just having Big Ben, Parliament and the London Bridge all in a one-block radius and calling it London, you are actually able to travel through the streets as if you are actually there. Everything is basically true to scale. This isn’t just for London; it goes for New York as well, and allows you to see the Empire State Building and Times Square among others.
However, if seeing the sites of these two magnificent cities is not your thing, then you will probably not have much to enjoy from this title. The fun is short, and unless you are like me, and are easily amused, the fun of hitting pedestrians and enjoying the rag doll physics will only briefly amuse you. Then you are left with the core of the game: A basic racer among many average racing games that really brings nothing new to the genre, but didn’t really try to either. If you are a hardcore racing fan, then by all means, pick this one up. If not, there are many other games that are more worth your money.