Détails de l’annonce

Titre: Toca Race Driver 2 Ultimate Racing Simulator - Xbox
Condition: Neuf
Éditeur: Codemasters
Genre: Video Games
Sous-genre: Legacy Systems, Xbox Systems, Xbox, Games
Date de sortie: 14/04/2004
Année de sortie: 2004
Description: PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
ToCA Race Driver 2 is the ultimate racing simulator! Experience 31 championships and 48 tracks spanning 15 different racing styles—Ice Racing to Super Truck racing and everything in between! ToCA 2 features an incredibly accurate physics engine that accurately models each car and road surface. Keep your car on the road though...a devastating crash engine will send body panels flying and axles snapping!

REVIEW


Codemasters struck gold when it merged story elements with racing in the first Pro Race Driver. Between now and then, however, the series has gone through much more than a name change, and I'm very disappointed by the transformation. The racing, in fact, has gotten better on several fronts, but TOCA has changed up its story structure and lost all the magic and appeal that once made the franchise stand out.

The story cutscenes are now seen through your eyes instead of Ryan McKane's (the protagonist of the original). That's fine, but the developer has also done away with the hub world with its separate email and garage areas. Sounds like a small thing, but it's better than the simple and boring menu interface now in its place. Worst of all, there is little choice because the original's tier structure (and its pool of races) is gone. At times in TOCA you'll be asked to pick from different circuits. You can go race pick-up trucks at an oval or semis on a road course, for example. I'm glad that the franchise has retained its variety and racing versatility, but without a good story context, the magic of the first Race Driver is lost. Also, because the tier structure and email challenges are gone, the game is more linear. In the end, I felt like the cutscenes were driving the story, and not my choices.

Codemasters has dialed down the difficulty, which is welcome, but has not sacrificed the intricacy of cars' handling. The more high performance cars and rally races are good cases in point. You have to know both when and how to slam on the throttle in order to get the most out of a car. Visually, the details abound and the sensation of speed is good. If you've got a high-def TV, you have to take advantage of the game's support of 480p, as it adds an extra dimension that must be experienced. You can make your car a sight to see by beating the living hell out of it, but I was hoping that TOCA would make vehicle damage a more meaningful aspect than in the first Race Driver.

The game's peripheral importance on being able to damage your car is a good example of why this sequel isn't as fun as the original. It doesn't spur you to do better. If I had to earn money to pay for my wrecked cars or had to purchase and develop new rides, then my ambition would have made this a more engaging title. Add in my disappointment with the new story structure, and this series has lost its driving edge for me.

I think people liked Pro Race Driver because its story produced an allure that was more charming than the stiffness of Gran Turismo. Codemasters has got the racing aspect of the game down – that's not in question. But you aren't going to beat Gran Turismo in the car department, and I don't want TOCA to. Instead, I want to feel that I'm in control of tale worth telling, and I just didn't get that impression here.

Concept:
Codemasters takes a second stab at the "caRPG" and fails where the first succeeded

Graphics:
Everything runs at a good clip and the draw distance is excellent no matter the number of cars. Split-screen is another story

Sound:
The dialogue is fairly well written and all the right car sounds are captured

Playability:
The difficulty balance has been made easier without cheapening the cars' handling

Entertainment:
I never thought I'd miss corny Ryan McKane, but he makes all the difference

Replay:
Moderately High

Rated: 7.5 out of 10
Editor: Matthew Kato
Issue: May 2004

2nd Opinion:
Race Driver 2 is a good example of the key role that choice can play in a game's quality. None of its essential elements are broken—the racing works well, the cars look great, and there are a wide variety of available vehicles and tracks. Even with all of those things working together, I couldn't get over the frustration of being given little or no choice as to the game's difficulty, what race I would undertake next, or even which car I would drive. Though it is impressive on many levels, RD2 just fences you in too much for it to be truly enjoyable.

Rated: 7.5 out of 10
Editor: Joe Juba


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Classification: T-Teen
MPN: 7.68E+11
Plateforme: Xbox

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