Pro Race Driver – PS2 – Review

Truth be told … I was really
happy to pick this game up and review it, but I have to admit that I was a tad
bit skeptical at first. I had heard what a good title it was, but caught word
that it also included a story mode where you play as one character in
particular. That’s not really bad, but everything else on PS2 from GT3 to Total
Immersion Racing simply offered a good racing title with no actual story
attached. Well, it not only taught me to give it a shot before looking at it a
little weird, but it also proved to be one of the best racing games that I have
played on the PS2 so far.

 

Our story opens up fifteen years
ago as the last lap of a race is finishing up. McKane is once again in the lead,
and makes it across the finish line first. A jealous second place rival
sideswipes McKane after crossing the line, causing his car to veer off the
track, flip multiple times, then erupt in a fiery explosion. In the stands,
McKane’s two young boys watch in horror as their dad dies in the crash. We are
then teleported to modern day, as Donnie McKane … the oldest of the two … is
finishing up a race. He recommends his younger brother, Ryan, to a couple of
managers looking for a driver to go the distance. This is where the story picks
up, and it’s your job to bring Ryan McKane from an up and coming newbie to the
ultimate Pro Race Driver.

 

From this point, the game opens
into a shot of Ryan sitting in his office in front of his computer. From here,
you have the option of entering career mode, which allows you to play Ryan’s
career through multiple circuits and races and select sponsors through e-mail,
change options in the game like language, sound, and control setup, or take a
look at the map to challenge some of the top drivers around the world. You can
also select the option of “Free Time”, which opens up a whole other area of
things to do on your own.

 

The lounge area, or Free Time
mode will allow you to Run time trial laps, play multiplayer with up to four
friends, kick back and watch some videos and movies on the big screen TV, or run
a free race to practice tracks and get the feel for the handling and control of
each type of car that you want to use.

 

As you can see, there are a
bunch of things to do, and one thing that really impressed me up front is the
amount of unlocked cars, tracks, and circuits that are available up front.
Unlockable things are here of course with up to 38 circuits and 42 cars, but
Codemasters was nice enough to give you a number of cars and tracks to play
around with and make it enjoyable before even setting foot in the career mode.
In addition, the Free Race mode will also allow you to mix tracks from different
race circuits together and create your own championship, complete with
customizable weather conditions, to run with against opponents for points just
like in the career mode.

 

OK, lets talk about realism
here, since not everyone is into straight arcade racing. The cars themselves are
actual models from such companies as Toyota, Alfa Romeo, Ford, Lexus, and a
bunch of others from the US and international, and each one has it’s own speeds
and handling which are really tight. Prior to a race, you can go in and tweak or
adjust everything on the car from brake bias and suspension to individual gear
ratios, anti roll, and down force to what you think is best. The game will
select it’s personal choice for you, which worked fine for those of us who are
not engine and performance gurus, but it also allows you some additional fine
tuning options based on your own opinion and ideas on what will work best.

 

AI was also superior to a lot of
other games out there, and interestingly enough the computer is prone to making
any of the same mistakes that you can make out there on the track. Codemasters
had it working great, and the AI opponents will slam into each other, cause
pileups, or lose control if they go around turns too fast. It doesn’t happen
often enough to make them stupid, and it doesn’t happen too infrequently to get
annoying. Drivers also seem to remember things that you have done to them, like
ramming them in the back end or cutting them off at the finish line, and rather
than the computer following set paths like GT3 does, AI cars will box you out,
purposely try to run you off the road, or hit your back end in retaliation for a
mistake that you made that got them annoyed. The AI will also put up one heck of
a challenge, so don’t think that you will just blast them away as you start and
it will just get more difficult from there. You can find yourself running last
in the first go if you drive sloppy, but on the flipside one mistake from an
opponent can prove to be your advantage as you zip around a crash or driver that
has spun out. Basically, don’t ever think that you’ve won or lost until you have
crossed the finish line, and you really have to learn all of the ins and outs on
who has it out for you and who you can try to work with.

 

The story mode that I discussed
up front really helps this game out a lot by adding interaction with other
people, and adds to the experience overall in giving you a little more than “run
a race, get some money, run a race, buy a car” and on and on. You will get cash
and the opportunity to pick new sponsors after each season, and things that you
do will effect outcomes and CG scenes popping up as well. For example, picking
on one driver in particular by hitting them too much or constantly trying to
push them off the road will cause a CG scene after the race where they barge
into your garage and confront you about your driving ability, or lack thereof.
Now you’ve got a rival out there who is bound and determined not to let you win.
There are a few other examples to see and play through, but I won’t spoil them
for you here. I will just say that things that happen before and after a race,
whether it be positive or some kind of media or one on one confrontation, will
suck you into the story and make you feel like you are really getting to know
Ryan and the people that he interacts with.

 

The Map mode that allows you to
challenge other drivers from around the world is also a fantastic addition to
this game, and as you move up in the ranks and other drivers feel threatened,
they might challenge you (if you don’t get to them first) to see who’s the best.
You race head to head for pink slips in this one, using such vehicles as one of
my personal favorites … the Dodge Charger. This really adds a whole new level of
depth to the game, and is something that really continues to add to the feeling
that you are becoming involved in the story, rather than just watching as it
happens.

 

Lastly on the realism note are
the cars themselves. The automobiles all have some really tight handling, and
make them a joy to drive. Each one has it’s own unique HP output, and making
those adjustments that I discussed a couple of paragraphs ago will surely be
felt in the driving and handling. One big bonus for the game in the vehicle
department as well is the sheer feeling of speed that is missing from some other
games out there, and when you are running 150 MPH, you will feel it in the frame
rate. Add together everything that I’ve talked about so far and the fact that
unlike other “realistic racing” games out there the cars will sustain realistic
damage in the body as well as the inner working of the car like the brakes or
drive shaft, and this is by far a great and deep experience.

 

Graphically, Pro Race Driver
does a lot of things that other racing games out there are missing. As you race
along, real time reflections of trees, signs, and other things around the track
will show in your paint job during the actual game rather than just in a replay.
The replays are fully adjustable in slow motion, rewinds, and fast-forwards, and
the lighting effects are fantastic. In addition, hitting little bumps in the
road or trading paint with a rival will result in the car bouncing on the
suspensions realistically, which is something that even “king GT3” doesn’t
offer. As I said earlier, the cars also take realistic damage here, which
include crumpled hoods, parts like bumpers and spoilers falling off the car, and
even driving on the rims after a tire has been knocked off. The particle effects
of paint, flying metal, and shattering windshields looks awesome, and is a
highlight of making you really want to watch a replay. The CG movies are well
animated and also just add to the game overall, and despite the fact that it has
a slight bit more pixilation in the background than GT3 did, it still looks
incredible. 

 

From a sound perspective, the
game opens up with Sweet Home Alabama playing in the background, and background
music tracks are there but not while you are driving. The voice acting of the
individual characters is great, and each dialogue that takes place between Ryan
and a host of other people worked well and adds to the overall enjoyment. The
cars also sound really good in everything from creaking metal and screeching
tires to the engines roaring, and the crowd cheering as you zip by was awesome.

 

Overall, I really don’t have
anything negative to say about Pro Race Driver except the fact that it will
probably be overshadowed by other more popular titles. If you are a racing fan,
you would do yourself a serious injustice by not picking this game up, and it is
well worth the $50 price of admission. In my personal opinion, the complete mix
of tight handling, great AI, realistic car tweaking and damage, awesome graphics
and sound, multiple game modes, and a great story line definitely surpassed my
overall enjoyment of GT3. All of you may not feel that way, but it should
definitely clue you in on whether or not you will be disappointed by this game.

 

Reviewer’s Scoring Details

 

Gameplay: 9.4
Codemasters
really did us racing fans a favor by putting this game out. The handling is
fantastic, there are tons of gameplay modes, cars, and tracks to select from,
and the story mode not only adds to the realism and overall gameplay, but makes
you feel like you really are there with Ryan McKane. The AI is free thinking,
and you never really know what they may do or who you might get into it with
next. This is also the first racing game that I have played in which being first
or last during the race doesn’t determine what happens on the final lap.

 

Graphics: 9.4
The cars
themselves have realistic reflections in lighting and track decorations both in
the replays but also while you race. The car reactions also are accurate,
including bouncing on suspension when they need to. In addition, they will also
take realistic damage and will lose parts accurately. The effect of smashing
glass and flying pieces looks awesome, and the backgrounds, dirt and rain
effects, and character animation was smooth and looked good.

 

Sound: 9.0
There isn’t
any in game music while racing, but it won’t be missed due to the fact that you
are concentrating on winning the race and paying attention to the AI and what
they are doing. The cars and screeching tires or collisions sound great, and the
voiceovers are well done.

 

Difficulty: Medium
The cars all
have realistic handling, so unlike arcade racers you can’t take a turn at 150
MPH and expect to be OK. For some, this will present a little bit of a learning
curve, but veterans to other realistic racing titles will fit right in. The AI
also is challenging from the get go, but is also prone to making some mistakes
and never got too frustrating.

 

Concept: 9.5
This game is
another racing title, but does so many other things that other games in the same
style haven’t done. The story mode did wonders for a “been there done that”
genre, and the execution of the game in it’s entirety was superb.

 

Multiplayer: 9.1
Up to four
players can go head to head in either a single race or a “create your own
championship” kind of thing. It ran smooth, and I didn’t see or notice any
slowdown or problems.

 

Overall: 9.5
I honestly
have to say that this is one of the only games that I have played where I cannot
think of anything to say that Codemasters could have done better. This
definitely pushes my thinking of what makes a good racing game and what makes a
great racing game, and I will be shocked if more companies don’t pick up some
things from it. If you are a racing fan, pick it up … end of story. It’s
definitely worth the $50 price, and you won’t be disappointed.