Every gamer
wants to develop games. Not all of us try to make a career out of it. Most of us
don’t even bother creating mods. But we all have the dream of what the perfect
game would be.
Developers
have struggled to fulfill our dreams with a couple of adventure and RPG creation
games (such as RPG Maker) for PSone, Dreamcast and PS2. The awkward gameplay,
low-tech graphics and massive learning curve prevented all but the most
dedicated developer-wannabes from jumping on board. Consequently, there are no
plans for an RPG Maker on PS3 or Xbox 360.
On the
console scene, the only user-created content that has worked is within games
like Tony Hawk, which offered a terrific skatepark builder tool. Strangely, the
same cannot be said for racing games. If any other genre was capable of allowing
users to churn out great homemade content, I believe it’s this. Finally someone
agrees. Codemasters, together with Firebrand Games, have built a new
DS-exclusive that looks to be the start of a great franchise – Race Driver:
Create & Race.
Race Driver
is a simulation racer with very limited arcade elements. There are three
exciting gameplay modes: World Tour, Pro Tour, and Challenge. The first
selection is a semi-realistic championship mode with several competition tiers.
Seven opponents vie for your victory. They’re not an overly strong bunch, but
the steering mechanics are pretty strict. You won’t be able to turn sharply
without slowing down.
Crash once
and your opponents will take the lead – crash two or three times and your
vehicle may need a pit stop. It’s very hard to regain the lead once it’s lost,
regardless of how many laps are left in the race. Some courses are more
forgiving than others, at least in terms of catching up. But the winding roads,
track blockers and unexpected turns are an ongoing danger. There’s never a
moment of, “Phew, I’m in the clear.” There is no clear. You’re constantly in
danger of falling behind.
The game is
not easy to pick up, but that’s hardly a flaw – Race Driver isn’t geared at the
mainstream. Pro Tour is a harsher version of the World Tour mode that more
strictly enforces the rules. You’ll occasionally have the chance to gain an
unfair advantage by using a shortcut. The game recognizes this and will
typically allow one such advantage per race (in World Tour mode). Gain any
further advantages and you’ll be disqualified from the race. You won’t know it
until the end, causing heartache to those who thought they were going to win by
cheating. Pro Tour isn’t as kind, punishing players not only for cheating but
also for crashing and reckless driving (bumping opponents, veering off course,
etc.).
Race
Driver’s mechanics are good, but there are a couple techniques that will need to
be mastered before victory can be obtained. The most important is braking. Like
other simulation racers, there are signs that indicate when to reduce your speed
before entering a sharp turn.
Unfortunately, these signs are small, pixelated, and are impossible to read
while driving at high speeds, which is when they’re needed most. The only
alternatives are trial and error or glance at the map on the bottom screen. All
racers and their locations appear on your map radar. This technique isn’t easy
but is vital to your success.
The
Challenge mode requires you to complete Gran Turismo-style objectives.
Creation
Plantation
The
Create & Race portion of Race Driver is outstanding. Tracks are built using
a multitude of tools that allow users to create courses that are as simple or
complex as they demand. No tutorial is necessary, thanks to the game’s
straightforward interface. Using the free draw tool, players can lay down
straight and curved pieces of track. The blank grid consists of 20 x 20 squares,
which amounts to thousands of feet of potential track space.
Select the
stamp tool to lay specific items: trees, overpasses, swiveled roads, buildings,
parking lots, the race’s starting point, a stadium seating arena (for
spectators), and several other pieces that will change the way your course looks
and plays. Each piece can be picked up and moved anywhere on the screen. Pieces
may also be selected together (a la Photoshop or Quark Xpress) and moved as a
group.
These tools
are great, but the game’s work couldn’t end there. To prove its prowess as a
course designer, homemade tracks must translate to fun gameplay experiences.
After
spending a few minutes laying track, I clicked the race button to cruise my
creation. The results were uncanny. Visually, my course looked as good as the
in-game tracks. Even better, my design – thrown together without any prior
experimentation – was fun to race. I immediately noticed areas that needed
improvement and got back to work. Twenty minutes later the course was done and I
was ready to move onto my next creation.
Touch
and drag to build your dream course.
The green shapes represent trees and the white shapes represent track.
Above all
else, Race Driver is a great single-player game because the Track Designer and
track results are equally fun. You don’t have to be the next mastermind at
Codemasters to get the most out of this game.
Race Driver
is also a great multiplayer game, allowing users to share homemade tracks and
race against each others locally or via the DS’s Wi-Fi connection. It uses the
pain-in-the-butt friend code interface (brought to you by the handheld’s maker,
Nintendo), but it’s still a great feature. And for those of you without multiple
game cards, Racer Driver can be played using just one copy. The catch is that
you can’t use homemade courses or any other user-specific features (such as the
car aesthetic customizations, where decals and other images may be added).
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Gameplay: 8.4
Great simulation
mechanics, courses, and vehicles are the expected highlights of Race Driver:
Create & Race. The unexpected highlight, of course, is the Track Designer. This
spectacular tool will encourage users to continue developing their own tracks
for the next several months. It’s deep, easy to use, and is very engaging.
Graphics:
7.9
Glitches
(transparent vehicles, odd collision detection, etc.) prevent the game from
looking sharp at all times. Other than that, Race Driver’s graphics are very
well constructed. For proof, head straight for the Track Designer, build a
course, and test it out. You will definitely be impressed.
Sound: 6.0
There isn’t much
to the sound. You’ll hear engines, more engines, and cheesy menu music.
Difficulty: Medium
You won’t master
this one in day or a week. The same can be said for your own tracks, especially
if they’re designed with the same level of craziness that I applied to mine.
Concept: 8.8
Anyone can
develop a simulation racer, and anyone can add a track creation tool. But how
many games can you name that succeed at both?
Multiplayer: 8.0
Multiplayer for
all – single-card, multi-card, and Wi-Fi.
Overall: 8.4
The first
hardcore simulation racer for the DS is also one of the best racing games made
for any platform. You’ll have a blast designing and racing your own courses, and
get a headache trying to master the World and Pro Tour courses. Despite the
extreme challenge, Race Driver is a gripping, adrenaline-soaked experience.
