|
This racing game with a difference sees players improve their
skills as drivers instead of modifying their cars, making
the ability to match a set of skills to the different requirements
of each competition making it an important part of winning
the race. Another unique skill is the Tiger Effect, which
gives drivers the ability to turn back time and correct any
potentially dangerous mistakes...
SCAR's
opening titles are quite impressive with a very nice understated
dance song, though one I didn't recognise. Straight after
the start up screen you have a choice of five different European
languages to choose from, I went for English, well that's
bad schooling for you. From there you go into the Profile
Management screen where the various parameters of both your
driver and your car can be tweaked to your hearts content.
Once
you're into the game you start on the Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway.
Whilst there a number of other European tracks on offer these
were all locked out, with no indication as to whether they
could be played if I just stopped being so pants at driving
games or whether this was a peculiarity of the review copy
is never really explained in the game. The only real choice
here is if, as a nubie, you want to go through one or nine
laps of personal humiliation. Now before I started the race
I was aware of my own short comings. In fact I'm really naff
at these sorts of games and most probably explains why no
one in their right mind would lend me a car, most look nervous
enough when I'm a passenger.
So
the first thing to do is reconfigure the controls as the default
controls are not great unless you want to develop a wrist
complaint in the near future. A further exploration of the
setting gives the impression that the game is best played
with one of those controllers that looks like its been stolen
from a Playstation, as the game supports force feedback which
whilst impressive would be more than a little unnerving coming
from your keyboard. There is also an option for steering assistance
which I turned on, hoping that it would mean there would be
a driver in the car. No such luck. There are also a lot of
driving assistance - I turned all of them on but still no
driver appeared. I was on my own behind the wheel of an Alfa
147.
Graphically
the game is much of a muchness. The cars seen from the rear
seem a little chunky, but to be honest I got so caught up
in the game that this really wasn't a problem. There are some
nice touches, the bollards stay down when you run them over.
And I should know - I think I hit every one. The sunlight
reflecting on the tarmac, whilst not a necessary enhancement,
gave a greater feeling of being there and my favourite one
is the skid marks on the track, they became a permanent reminder
for me of where id been and with a little practice where I
didn't want to go again. I'm sure they just put all those
brightly coloured walls up to give you something to crash
into. The one thing the game does not do well is crashing.
If it was there, I crashed into it, but neither my car nor
any of the others appeared to sustain any damage, which was
a shame.
After the race it shows you a replay of your car going round
the track. I presume that this is the same regardless how
well you drive as in the replay I stayed on the track; it
was just like in my dreams.
Though,
the game is not going to start any revolutions in the driving
genre, I have to admit that I was more than a little hooked.
A little more carnage would have been nice as would an idiot
mode where everyone drove as badly as me. The game also supports
both multiplayer and online modes, but there is a limit to
the humiliation that I will expose myself to. So play it,
you might enjoy it. I did.
Charles
Packer
Buy
this item online
We
compare prices online so you get the cheapest
deal!
Click on the logo of the desired store below.
|
|
|
£16.99
(Amazon.co.uk)
|
| |
|
|
|
£16.99
(Gameseek.co.uk) |
All prices correct at time of going to press.
|
|
