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TOCA Race Driver 2 Review Review
Chris Leyton
21/04/2004
Without doubt, TOCA 2 offers the most diversity that you'll ever find in a racing title...
Continuing to remain at the top of the field in the racing genre must be a hard task for Codemasters.
Realising that theyâve got about as far as they can go with the current generation, Codemasters have looked at what other areas they can improve, namely the scope of what the game has to offer; the end result is TOCA Race Driver 2 - sequel to the hit 2002 PS2, Xbox and PC title - which offers an unbelievable 15 different motor racing categories to take your hand at, including GT Sports Car Racing, Street Racing, Rally, DTM, V8 Supercars, Global GT Lights, Rally Cross, Formula Ford, Open Wheel Grand Prix, Classic Car Racing, Super Truck Racing, Stockcar Oval Racing, Ice-Racing, Covertible Racing and Performance Cars â“ phew, surely enough for even the most fanatical petrolhead.
This diverse combination equates to 35 different vehicles to take control of, including the likes of the Ford GT, Jaguar XKR, the Land Rover Bowler Wildcat, the ever-popular Nissan Skyline GT-R and even James Bondâs Aston Martin DB5. In total the game offers 48 tracks from 31 licensed and fictional locations, such as Hockenheim to Surfers Paradise.
Following on from the success of its predecessor, the bulk of the game lies in a career mode that features a running narrative, following the playersâ progress from rookie to Champion. Starting off with only the assistance of your cash-strapped Scottish team-leader, the narrative constructs the progress of the game, as you move through the various types of vehicles on offer and are tasked with different objectives varying from earning a certain amount of cash per tournament to achieving a set amount of podium finishes. As you progress through this mode, other characters make an appearance, whilst friendships and rivalries develop on the track.
Youâve certainly got to take your hat off to the Codies for continuously trying to re-invent the genre, and ensuring that itâs not simply race after race, after race. Sadly however the Story mode isnât the spectacle that we were quite hoping for, as the linear progression through it holds the mode back from being the true innovation that we were hoping for. If you fail to complete objectives then youâll find yourself having to just redo it, itâs a shame that thereâs not a degree of open-ended plot gression to the story; i.e. if you fail to complete objectives, then why couldnât the plot gress down another route instead of just making you have to redo it all over again. It would have also been nice to see some non-linearity to the rivalries that develop through the game, so that if you shunted one racer off the track, he would come and give you a blasting after the race in a cut-scene and look out for you in the next race.
Yeah sure weâre just nit-picking, and open-ended plot branches are not what youâd typically expect from a racing title; however weâre certainly hoping that this is the direction Codemasters will take with future versions.
On to the actual track and all the sense of any disappointment soon begins to fade; Codemasters are masters at racing titles and nobody can take that away from them. The sheer variety to the vehicles on offer ensures that the player has to adapt to a vast variety of different driving techniques; try blasting around the track in a Formula Ford like you would in a V8 Supercar and youâll soon find out what we mean â“ whilst Super Truck racing is a drive that every racing fan should try out.
The handling system is an enhancement to its subliminal predecessor; simply the sense of weight transfer across the vehicle as youâre hurtling down the track, is the best to find in any racing videogame â“ period â“ whilst you can get a real feeling to the way the track dips and bends through the control pad. The actual racing experience provides the scope for some of the most exhilarating rides youâll experience on a games console, certainly up there with the likes of Project Gotham Racing and Gran Turismo. Most of the races pit you against 20 other opponents, which set the scope for shunts, pack collisions and everything else youâd expect from an exciting race.
Whilst the AI throughout the game remains high, constantly challenging the player to push themselves forward, whilst keeping an eye for what lurks behind; we have to say that itâs not quite the racing pinnacle that Codemasters were keen to point out. Sure itâs still up there with the very best, but early suggestions of not being able to tell the difference between AI opponents and human is a little off the mark. Itâs still possible to use the age-old technique of beating computer-controlled opponents at the corners, where the pack completely slows down, making it easy for the player to break late and fight his way through the pack. That said, again weâre just nitpicking, youâll often come across AI opponents making mistakes and shunting other opponents, resulting in a believable experience â“ although we can certainly see constant improvements being made in this area in the next few years.
As youâd expect from Codemasters, the damage system featured within TOCA 2 is quite simply magnificent, simply nobody can beat these guys in this area â“ if it was anymore realistic then the game would have to come complete with Health Insurance. Dubbed the âTerminal Damage Engineâ, windows smash, doors can be ripped open, and more importantly a particularly nasty collision can end your race â“ no miraculous restarts, youâll simply have to redo the race again. Damage affects five main key areas of your vehicle, namely Engine, Gearbox, Suspension, Tyres and Handling; youâll certainly notice the found impact that damage has on your performance, ensuring that speed isnât necessarily everything in this game.
Benefiting from being developed specifically for the Xbox and PC, TOCA 2 quite simply looks magnificent. The various vehicles that youâll come across sport everything to the smallest details, from tiny decals to the most amazing reflection effect weâve seen in a racing game to date. The sheer sensation of speed is also worth noting, thanks to the 60fps youâll simply believe that you are hurtling down the track at 140mph, whilst the game shows no signs of slowdown whatsoever â“ even if there are 20 other competitors on the track. On a disappointing note the surrounding visuals canât compete with the cars or the trackside visuals, which still make use of sprites for spectators that have a nasty habit of pixellating when youâre heading the wrong way towards a tyre wall and the stands â“ thankfully youâll spend most of your time on the track, where everything is all good.
Special attention must also be paid to the sound engine, which does an excellent job of linking to the physics and damage engine; often the first time youâll notice that something is wrong with your vehicle, will come from audio clues such as a gear dropping, or the engine misfiring.
For all the Xbox Live! addicts, TOCA 2 also offers online multiplayer action. The game features leader-boards and grants players points depending on how well they performed in the race. Itâs not quite the masterpiece in online racing that is Project Gotham Racing 2, or the forthcoming Rallisport Challenge 2 â“ however itâs certainly an enjoyable diversion from the main bulk of the game.
