While I am no expert on racing titles, my days of playing Need for Speed at home and Cruisin' USA in the now archaic arcades, qualify me with at least a learner's permit.
While maybe not as “photo-realistic”, the graphics come pretty darn close. The cars host a myriad of sharp details and vibrant colors, especially on the lights and other reflected areas. The decals and logos for advertising also show up crisply and help bring that all important realism factor home even more. Sadly, there is no damage modeling here, a real let down. I was a HUGE fan of the Destruction Derby line of games, and I really missed seeing bumpers flying off and the like. The course themselves are well done if a bit sparse, but a few natural highlights like sun effects and waterfalls add a touch of life to the seemingly endless pavement. A number of intriguing effects also are present, from speed blurs and a very gripping slow-mo effect before major crashes. The sense of speed is decent, but from other titles I have played, it could be a bit better. The faster, the better is usually the way you go- this isn’t Pole Position anymore.
Sound wise, we have an interesting assortment of tunes, but not necessarily a very good collection… A lot of melodic jazzy stuff is present here, where I would expect to some heavy guitar riffs or techno beats to drive the pace of the game to match your torrid pace around the tracks. I don’t know about you folks, but when I want to drive fast, I put on some Fat Boy Slim or Chemical Brothers and go tearing out - not Kenny G. The sound effects comprise your usual racing game stuff - squealing tires, purring engines and an assortment of environment ambience, nothing ground-breaking here.
