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Race Driver: Create and Race: Forza style + PGR control = DS semi-sim racer
mausmalone
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Race Driver: Create and Race
It's a road racing stock-car game from Codemasters, makers of TOCA Race Driver and Colin McRae Rally Rally games for the Nintendo DS that should be out on Tuesday September 25th. The game surprisingly hasn't been getting much press but it looks damned solid.
Eurogamer Review - very descriptive :^: (thanks to sethsez for linking the review)
So why is it noteworthy?
Because you get to create your own tracks using the in-game editor:
(Though I still worry about whether or not you get to place hills & valleys. It looks like it's very flat.)
What about other features?
Comes out in 2 days. Let the Fall of the Hemorrhaging Wallet continue!
UPDATE: It's now October 9th, a good 2 weeks past when I made this thread, and the game just last night appeared in a local gamestop. Now that the game actually has reviews I'm linking one at the top of the OP. It got a pretty good score (8 of 10) but this review is good because it's very descriptive about a game that got next to no hype. So with that, I'm updating the OP with some (abridged) impressions:
(a) Controls well. Semi-sim/semi-arcade. Most comparable to PGR.
(b) Graphics are nice. Cars are recognizable, real-world tracks are recognizable, but some corners get really blocky. The replays are also dull and uninspired, much like Forza 2 (except that Forza 2 was all about showing off the cars & reflections and this game just doesn't push that kind of polygon power). Keeps a high framerate, fluctuating between 30fps and 60fps.
(c) Car sounds come out well enough, but there's absolutely no music, which is just kinda strange.
(d) Tracks are well represented and recognizable. Graphically impressive for the DS. Not quite on par with the Playstation Gran Turismo games, but still very nice looking. Everything is some speedway though ... there doesn't seem to be any city tracks or deep forest/trial mountain tracks (fake but imaginative). Because speedways are built with as few obstructions as possible, it can be hard to judge your distance to a turn. Track memorization becomes an essential skill at high speeds.
(e) I haven't gotten to multiplayer or track editing yet so I don't have any impressions to share on them.
Overall I'm liking it so far. It's a fun arcade/sim hybrid racer. A good choice for the type of people who would play Forza or Gran Turismo but don't want to miss the Daily Show (because if you watch TV during the race you won't notice the lack of music).
It's a road racing stock-car game from Codemasters, makers of TOCA Race Driver and Colin McRae Rally Rally games for the Nintendo DS that should be out on Tuesday September 25th. The game surprisingly hasn't been getting much press but it looks damned solid.
Eurogamer Review - very descriptive :^: (thanks to sethsez for linking the review)
So why is it noteworthy?
Because you get to create your own tracks using the in-game editor:
(Though I still worry about whether or not you get to place hills & valleys. It looks like it's very flat.)
What about other features?
- Multi-cartridge multiplayer
- DS Download Play
- Online play over WFC
- Track sharing with other players
Comes out in 2 days. Let the Fall of the Hemorrhaging Wallet continue!
UPDATE: It's now October 9th, a good 2 weeks past when I made this thread, and the game just last night appeared in a local gamestop. Now that the game actually has reviews I'm linking one at the top of the OP. It got a pretty good score (8 of 10) but this review is good because it's very descriptive about a game that got next to no hype. So with that, I'm updating the OP with some (abridged) impressions:
(a) Controls well. Semi-sim/semi-arcade. Most comparable to PGR.
(b) Graphics are nice. Cars are recognizable, real-world tracks are recognizable, but some corners get really blocky. The replays are also dull and uninspired, much like Forza 2 (except that Forza 2 was all about showing off the cars & reflections and this game just doesn't push that kind of polygon power). Keeps a high framerate, fluctuating between 30fps and 60fps.
(c) Car sounds come out well enough, but there's absolutely no music, which is just kinda strange.
(d) Tracks are well represented and recognizable. Graphically impressive for the DS. Not quite on par with the Playstation Gran Turismo games, but still very nice looking. Everything is some speedway though ... there doesn't seem to be any city tracks or deep forest/trial mountain tracks (fake but imaginative). Because speedways are built with as few obstructions as possible, it can be hard to judge your distance to a turn. Track memorization becomes an essential skill at high speeds.
(e) I haven't gotten to multiplayer or track editing yet so I don't have any impressions to share on them.
Overall I'm liking it so far. It's a fun arcade/sim hybrid racer. A good choice for the type of people who would play Forza or Gran Turismo but don't want to miss the Daily Show (because if you watch TV during the race you won't notice the lack of music).
mausmalone on
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CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
Which game and which platform?
I own Race Driver 2 & 3 on PC. I've spent many, many hours playing them online in the last few years. I can't imagine anyone calling it difficult.
I've seriously been looking forward to this game on the DS. The release date kept getting pushed back, naturally.
Gamespot has covered this game fairly well, better than just about anyone else I've seen.
#2 on the XBOX.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of Codemasters from what I've played of the TOCA series. Nevertheless ... my thought process at this point is that one semi-simulation racer on the DS is better than zero.
It has one leg up on Gran Turismo and Forza too .... I can play it while watching the Daily Show. :P
From everything I've read about the DS version, they've essentially moved the physics slider a notch or two toward the arcade side, added a track editor, and that's about it.
I don't expect game of the year material, but I expect to have a lot of fun with it.
EB/Stop has pushed the ship date back to the 27th as of this morning.
Also I think there are hills, as you can see in the screens there're tunnels and places where the track goes under itself.
Go figure.
The fact that it looks pretty spectacular doesn't hurt either.
Fixed.
Also, still the only console racer with an ANALOG CLUTCH. Man, greatest thing ever. I'm talking about Toca 2, for Xbox, for the record. Moar analog clutch plaeze.
I desperately want to be able to see this screen on my DS:
Just so people aren't left waiting, it's pretty much the best car racer on the DS. I know that's not saying... well, much of anything, really, but it's a really nice game. There's a decent variety of cars and tracks, and the cars have noticeably different handling. The handling is a nice balance between arcade and sim, and though I've seen some people say the handling feels weird I don't really think so.
There's a decent variety of different modes, so the game is pretty full-featured in that department. Multiple championships and tours (including the ability to edit your own), standard races, challenges, online play and a good amount of unlockables are here, in addition to the titular track editing. Graphics move at a mostly-steady 60FPS, and although it's not quite as detailed as some other DS racing games it's got a better sense of speed and weight than damn near all of them. Music is... well, not really worth mentioning, as it's bland and only in the menus. Car sounds aren't great, and are pretty much par for the course for a DS racer.
WiFi play is great, mostly lagless and allows you and three other people to race on custom tracks. Speaking of which... the track creation is certainly nice, but probably not as involved as most people hoped. It's all grid based, and any change in elevation is just a temporary element of a canned track piece. You're not going to be making any amazing hill-climbing tracks here. That said, it's still decent, incredibly easy to use, and the ability to use the tracks online makes it more worthwhile than it otherwise would have been.
Long story short: if you're expecting Forza DS, you're an idiot. But if you're expecting a fun arcade/sim hybrid with a healthy selection of features that's very well put together, you'll be more than satisfied.
...I feel slightly nostagic and old at the same time.
Tumblr
Besides, I was at the store and was trying to decide on a racer to get. Race Driver or...
My choice was clear.
Race Driver could've used more mutants or mice or something.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Quite decent. They're not made with the same assets as the track creator so all the hills and such are there, which makes racing them feel pretty accurate. Scenery isn't really worth a damn, though, so as far as looks go you've just got some vague approximations of the real buildings and such.
Admittedly it doesn't have much for gearheads, since you don't get to tweak cars at all beyond choosing automatic or manual. This is strictly racing, so if fine tuning is extremely important to you in these kind of games this WILL let you down. I've never really cared a great deal about it so it's not missed by me, but here's a fair warning for those who care about that kind of thing.
Outside of that, though, I don't really see how it's too simple. It's exactly what was promised, a game that straddles arcade and sim gameplay with a heavy focus on tracks and a decent selection of modes. No other car racer on the DS comes close, and as far as I'm concerned being able to take custom tracks online puts this up there with Mario Kart for WiFi racing, albiet for completely different reasons.
It's not a terrible flashy game though, so maybe that's what reviews were referring to. The interface is extremely simple (a good thing in my opinion, as games like Need for Speed Carbon and Asphalt 2 were irritating as hell to navigate), there's no music during races, and there's damn little in the way of fanfare for anything. It's not something I ever really noticed, though... the presentation fits the game.
So far it sounds good, but all I need is one question answered to determine if it's a buy/rent/nothing for me.
How is this game in comparison to "Stunts"
If this game is basically Stunts for DS, I'm in.
I WILL NOT BE DOING 3DS FOR NWC THREAD. SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OVER.
Spoiler contains Friend Codes. Won't you be my friend?
More Friend Codes!
Mario Kart Wii: 3136-6982-0286 Tetris Party: 2364 1569 4310
Guitar Hero: Metallica: 1032 7229 7191
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM: 1935-2070-9123
Nintendo DS:
Worms: Open Warfare 2: 1418-7870-1606 Space Bust-a-Move: 017398 403043
Scribblenauts: 1290-7509-5558
Nothing alike, really. This is a realistic racer (well, as realistic as you're ever going to get on a DS, anyway), so there are no crazy options in the track builder. Get one of the Trackmanias for the PC (preferably the newest one, obviously) if you're looking for a Stunts update.
Yeah, most of the reviews I've been able to find so far have basically portrayed the game as being very similar to existing Race Driver games, in terms of the interface & driving experience.
-One complained that there was no music during the race
-One tried to warn Mario Kart fans that this game won't be as easy, thus they might be disappointed
-One complained about the driving physics, saying it was hard at first but with some practice got better
-One complained that there were no arrows showing you that a turn was coming up, so you might miss a turn if you don't know the track
-One complained that the tracks aren't as nicely detailed as the cars
-Most of them said it was a solid racing game & worth the buy regardless of these issues
-All of them sounded like the reviewers didn't play racing games very regularly
Almost all of the reviews praised the track creation function as the best part of the game, and the ones that mentioned Multiplayer said that though there weren't a ton of people on Wi-Fi yet, every race they ran was virtually lag free.
Okay, wait, it doesn't have to have crazy jumps over buildings or loops anything like that. I wasn't expecting that out of this game. Just as long as the track editor has some decent depth to it (like Stunts) and the cars don't control to the point of nigh-uncontrollable for beginners (kinda like games like PGR).
Hmm.......maybe the best example I could give would be the San Francisco Rush games but without taking the shortcuts and not expecting giant leaps through the air. Is it like that?
And if it's a realistic racer like you said, does that mean your car can damage?
I WILL NOT BE DOING 3DS FOR NWC THREAD. SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OVER.
Spoiler contains Friend Codes. Won't you be my friend?
More Friend Codes!
Mario Kart Wii: 3136-6982-0286 Tetris Party: 2364 1569 4310
Guitar Hero: Metallica: 1032 7229 7191
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM: 1935-2070-9123
Nintendo DS:
Worms: Open Warfare 2: 1418-7870-1606 Space Bust-a-Move: 017398 403043
Scribblenauts: 1290-7509-5558
That might have the answer you're looking for.
I WILL NOT BE DOING 3DS FOR NWC THREAD. SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OVER.
Spoiler contains Friend Codes. Won't you be my friend?
More Friend Codes!
Mario Kart Wii: 3136-6982-0286 Tetris Party: 2364 1569 4310
Guitar Hero: Metallica: 1032 7229 7191
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM: 1935-2070-9123
Nintendo DS:
Worms: Open Warfare 2: 1418-7870-1606 Space Bust-a-Move: 017398 403043
Scribblenauts: 1290-7509-5558
The car can indeed take damage, in that you can fuck up your steering, suspension, transmission, etc. Nothing in the way of visual damage though.
The cars are also perfectly controllable for beginners. It can take a little while to get used to, but this ain't exactly a hardcore sim like GTR2, so you're not going to be driving directly into walls for the first five hours. Just don't expect to be able to drift around every turn without ever taking your finger off the acceleration, either.
And yeah, I'd say the track editor is about as robust as Stunts. Like I said, it's grid-based and has plenty of pieces to use, but you can't control elevation. Could've been better, could've been worse, but it's fun to use and you can make entertaining and varied tracks with it.
Now Gamestop/EB says it's out on the website, but that it's also not in stock anywhere. None of the other stores I checked online (TRU, BB, Target) even have it in the inventory system at all.
I'm going to be looking for it tonight when I go out for Zelda, but I was just curious to see if anybody's actually seen it in the wild yet.
Eurogamer's review pretty much sums up how I feel about the game: http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=84833
Okay ... one finally showed up in a Gamestop near me today, so I've been playing it since I got home tonight.
My impressions:
(a) Damned good racing game. It's not a true sim, but it's probably most comparable to PGR in terms of simulation accuracy. It's not true arcade, but it's not all that realistic.
(b) Damn those AI drivers. Not only do they have absolutely no regard for you, but they seem to speed up and slow down at the strangest times.
(c) Controls are tight and responsive. After getting used to it, it's actually really easy to play.
(d) Graphics are very good. Some things get blocky, but it's almost on par with GT or GT2 but with less glitching. It maintains 60fps most of the time, and occasionally dips to 30fps, but easily keeps a playable framerate. Draw distance is far enough to see a good quarter-mile or so. I'm not very familiar with most of the tracks except Laguna Seca, which is far more accurately reproduced than I would've expected possible on a portable system.
(e) Sound effects are good enough I guess. I had the volume down while I was watching TV. :P
I've only been playing World Tour mode, but hopefully I'll play some more of it and post some impressions. I want to also try out the download and WiFi play tomorrow. It has a feature that people have been apparently clamoring for on Nintendo WFC ... a "rivals" list. Basically if you play someone online and you think they're cool you can put eachother on your "rivals" list so you can meet up again later.
tl;dr: IMO the best racer on the DS save for Mario Kart DS. Easily worth buying.
This was also in Metroid Prime Hunters, and probably some others as well. It's a nice feature though.
And to be honest, I think I prefer this to Mario Kart. All tracks are playable online, the ability to play custom tracks online adds a level of showoffness that makes playing online even more enjoyable than it already would be, and the lack of anything like snaking makes it more enjoyable for me.
Mario Kart's probably better in single player, though. But eh, it's a racing game... once you're done with single player, you're done unless you've got other people to compete with. And this really excels there.
This does look great, though
They've shown up in quite a few Gamestops around my area (Orlando, Florida) but maybe we just got lucky.
Once I work my way through the single player modes a little bit I'm going to venture online. I'm guessing maybe we can try using this thread for friend codes and a Game On at some point?