Total Drivin [Review of sorts - more Initial Impressions LONG]
D J Densley
Got it Friday and I've played a fair bit since. I was going to hold off a
full review til I had a chance to play multiplayer, but as it stands I
wrote loads. So once I've player multiplayer more extensively, and
hopefully tried link up, I'll update this review.
The structure of the game is very good. I thought the structure of Rage
Racer was one of the best in a racing game, but this is right up there
with it. There is plenty to do and try, for the single player and more.
There are six settings to race in and six tracks at each of these
settings, making a total of 36 tracks. Though the variations at locations
are not always that different, sometimes changing sections of the track
and blocking off the old route, sometimes simpley changinf the weather
and reversing the direction. Of the six locations there are three distict
styles encompassing five types of motor. Rally tracks with ... erm ...
Rally cars in Scotland and Switzerland. Sports tracks with Sports and
Indy cars in Russia and China. Sandy tracks with buggies and Dakar rally
cars on Easter Island and in Egypt. There are also eight teams in the
game which each have individually styled cars for the various car types.
Initially only the first track is playable from each location, by coming
first on each of these tracks you gain access to the next at that
location. It's worth noting that this only applies for each team you
drive for. So if you complete level 1 in Scotland with the Italian team
rally car you can compete in level two with the Italian team only. So
completion of the entire game is a mammoth task involving a total of
(8*36)=288 wins. This is mentioning nothing of the secret tracks,
accessible by going off the beaten track and finding hidden glowy things.
Each of the different car types handle with it's own character, though I
haven't attempted to see if the various team cars handle differently. The
emphasis on all handling characteristics is fun rather than realism The
sports cars are very tight to control, maybe too tight for some, but it
is a good place to start if you are new to the game. I personally think
it makes for some nice clean racing. The Indy cars are trickier to
control but faster. The rally cars are very well done, nicer than V-Rally
in my opinion. The courses here are especially good, with rolling hills
and tight turns. The buggies could more aptly be named buggers, they take
some mastery to keep on the right line, though this is a challenge rather
than an annoyance. I haven't tried the Dakar cars yet, though from the
description they sound like bastard buggies as they are easier to roll
.... ohh joy.
There are 7 other opponents in one player, disappointingly none in
multiplayer. The best way to describe them is aggressive and not perfect
by any means. They may try and ram you, but they can be pushed off and
even out of the race if you can do it. The crashes are spectacular if a
little unrealistic. They are quite good at recovery though so use
Schumacher tactics with caution. They will make mistakes all by
themselves though, especially on thin parts of the track, there can be
three or four car pile ups on the second of the Scottish courses at the
beginning quite frequently. It all adds to the fun in my opinion.
For control I started using the normal pad, through which you can use
button combinations to get three degrees of turn on your wheel. This
works very well, surprising no-one has done it before on a PS racer. I
suppose the abundance of analogue controls means most companies don't
bother, this is another example of the attention to detail evident
throughout the game. I then moved onto using my NeGCon which works very,
very well. I don't normally like using it for some racers, it's well
suited to Wipeout but I struggled with F1. With this though it's great.
Very good with Sports cars and Rally cars, you can really wang it round
those corners.
The tracks themselves are imaginatively designed. I especially like the
Scottish rally tracks. The attention to detail is very good, with lots of
interesting stuff to look at while you fly past. Also there are some nice
spot sound effects. The tracks are also very long, most starting with
fastest laps of around two minutes. The initial race of each setting is
over 2 laps, this goes up to 3 laps for the second and third levels. I'm
not sure about the higher.
The graphics are rough around the edges, but a comprimise gives very
smooth
frame rate and a very long drawing distance. Perhaps the best I have
seen, certainly comparable to The Need for Speed. There are also some
nice touches here, from clouds effect on the windows of the cars to water
and dirt effects. The large tracks, variety and no-pop-up-ness mean
sometimes polygons are large and textures shimmer as they warp. Though at
the break neck speeds you get up to you don't really notice in play, it
certainly doesn't detract from the gameplay. While the graphics may not
be as polished as say Rager Racer or Wipeout there will be time when you
will pull up the car just to admire the view. The depth of field and
complexity of some of the scenes are sometimes really top class, what
they have achieved with the comprimises they set makes you realise that
it was probably worth it.
Sound is fine, the engine noise is ok but nothing special. The spot
effects I mentioned before are groovy. Plus the music is not half bad.
It's techno-y, not rock, good for racing. Not quite up to Wipeout
standards in some areas, but it is livelier overall and more suited to
this game.
Bits and Pieces ... The presentation is good. No unnecessary frills that
take eons to load. Simple to use menus and nice effects on screen change.
The loading of track data is shockingly quick. A little bar goes across
the bottom which shows how far it's got to go, but it's never there for
more than a few seconds. Especially surprising considering the detail and
size of the tracks. Once a track is loaded it can be reraced at any point
with no further loading, so if you fail you can have another go straght
away.
Overall it's a very fun game, well structured for the single player. The
graphics can be rough in places but superb in others. The game is not a
sim and does not attempt to be, unadulterated fun is the name of the
game. Great if you want a fun racer or if you just want one racer, cos
there is so much variety it lives up to it's name. Don't expect too much
and you will find it a classic of its genre. If I could have only one
racer on my PS it'd be this one. Not because it is absolutely the best in
every way, cos it's not, but because it does so much to a high standard
that it is the best *complete* fun racer around.
Dan
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D.J.Densley d...@maths.bath.ac.uk
University of Bath
UK http://www.bath.ac.uk/~mapdjd
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