|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 A tyke's Turismo with aspirations of Gran-deur. By Russ 'Zombie' Fischer | Sept. 9, 2003  80Very Good
The Lowdown: A nice little racer that maximizes the theme but could use more options.
Discuss this Review How the review scores work
Platform: PlayStation 2
 Game Type: Racing / Action Developer: Metro 3D Publisher: Metro 3D ESRB: Everyone Full Game Information Advertisement
Play where you want with the Logitech® Cordless Controller for PlayStation®.
Look At Dat Paint! First off, the graphics grabbed my attention. Many companies would use a less than serious racer as a forum for half-baked technology, but this is a really solid engine. Cars and tracks alike sport huge amounts of detail, and it's not uncommon for the screen to be packed with moving elements with nary a hitch. The courses are mapped out onto life-sized roadways and other environments, so you face dangers such as full-size vehicles and pedestrians with an anti-RC bias. The people are the only places the engine fails, as there's a lot less detail to the humans than everything else. But each course is distinctive, with a lot of character and many individual touches. Unfortunately, as cool and well-rendered as the track detail is, there are more than a few places where "clutter" is too apt a term. Some of the courses become downright difficult to navigate with all the stuff strewn about. A small arrow at the bottom of the screen is often your only heading indicator, especially if you're well ahead of or behind the pack. But once learned, the courses continue to be challenging, as the snapping alligators, rickshaws, and gun-toting soldiers complement the simple difficulty of navigating with a vehicle that's prone to sudden directional changes. That's not to say that the control is an issue, though -- it's exactly the opposite. While it is incredibly easy to flip your car or spin it out of control, the handling is tight and responsive. The array of nine vehicles is broken into sleek speedsters, four-wheeling trucks, and six-wheeled monstrosities, and each behaves appropriately. A boost control gives you much needed speed, but as a real RC car would, the soft tires on each car don't let inertia prolong your boost. In basic terms, that means you can hit the gas for a long straightaway, only to let off at the right time to make a smooth, tight turn. Turning Tricks Besides the boost, your car can also jump, activated by a shoulder button. While in the air, you can perform tricks based on spins and flips, but the system is underdeveloped. That's the main gripe with Smash Cars, as the tricks feel half-baked and rushed. There are a couple of tracks which rely on trick performance, and they can feel like a chore. When you trick successfully, points are awarded which translate to cash at the end of a race. You can also earn money by ramming other drivers or objects on the track. These hits also fill your boost meter between checkpoints. With a cash surplus, go ahead and upgrade the boost, engine, and tires of any car. Any purchased upgrade is applied to your whole garage, so there's no need to choose which vehicle gets the five-star treatment. Some of the races in Smash Cars are standard stuff, based around timers and checkpoints. A field of competition is driving to beat you to the finish line, with many shortcuts and alternate routes to keep the courses lively. The first time through a track may be difficult, but once you've got the course down, it's pretty easy to best the CPU competition. Cash prizes reward your performance, though almost every race has an entry fee, but the championship circuit peppers the straightforward races with some great variants. Off the Beaten Track For example, Smashdrive dispenses with all but two of the standard checkpoints, but in between you want to seek out head-on collisions, which payoff in significant cash bonuses when you finish the race. Hot Pot replaces the checkpoint guideline with a directive to collect plutonium deposits hidden in the environment. Now that's social consciousness! Time Attack is a nice solo run against the clock, where a car representing your best run is on the course with you, so it's easy to tune performance by racing against yourself. But the standout is the Dark Horse race, in which you've got to shepherd another vehicle to the finish line. To do so you've got to clear a path by crashing into, and otherwise hampering, the cars in the lead. Think of it as throwing a fight to win the bookie's payoff later in the evening.  A race through Bovine University.
Write your own review in the forums!
Essential Links Reviewer System Specifications PlayStation 2, Memory Card, Logitech® Cordless Controller. System Requirements PlayStation 2, Memory Card, Standard Controller. Reviews Index |
Most Popular
Video Games
Powered By PriceGrabber
|
||||||||
