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World Racing 2 Review
Derek dela Fuente
16/11/2005
Playlogic returns with a sequel to its mildly entertaining racer; but does it have what ti takes to compete with the big boys...
Of late, it does appear that there has been a glut of racing games, from GTL Legends to CRC, which has not come from premier publishers but from the minnows of the scene, and have been excellently received
Many could well remember WR (World Racing) from TDK a year or so back which got some good reviews and in essence was a safe and standard structured racing experience. There was nothing untoward or wrong with the game which was the typical racing game with a career mode, a series of races in some great locations and the usual plethora of vehicles. Nowadays games without a licence either need to be really innovative or offer some tasty machine spec innovations and come with a number of bells and whistles to add the âwowâ factor that many gamers are after.
A cool introduction sets the scene for the player, along with some head banging music and you are quickly thrown into the main menu set up where you can choose Career or Free Ride (but first you must earn the privilege). The Start level through Career mode offers Aptitude Test, License Examination. Menus you will soon find are broken down with even more impressive sub challenges.
Some of the early set up manipulation includes being able to make the experience a more arcade experience or if you prefer one of a simulation and you may well find that with some of the challenges on offer this game is more geared towards the arcade experience. There are many other teasers which include the manipulation of camera presets. One of the most pleasing was the excellent response when changing from keyboard to that of a joypad. With most racing fans honed towards using a pad, PC gamers are no exception and with a number of racing games of late not giving it results in a very tiring and irksome experience when tussling with keys!
The screen display is resplendent with the usual meters, dials and information text. Ok there is nothing innovative in the way this has been done but more importantly because the game runs at a nice pace and you always feel in control you never get into a panic when something flashes red and you have to shift concentration from track to info icon. There is always a little window of time for you to take the info in and it never really interferes with your driving skills/focus. Track map, timer, speedometer, race position of current opponents which are standard but a âlive tickerâ (informs you of mistakes or executed moves), along with malfunction display gives some vital info. There are also some pretty lame functions like turning on your warning lights and left and right blinkers which are purely cosmetic! One of the most important instruments to keep tabs on is the malfunction dial. If you use and abuse your car then specific info will show up here. The more crashes you are involved in the worse the percentage number will be and small damage symbols will give you further information.
Now like in real life, success can only be gauged by winning and doing well and the rewards in WR2 come in the form of Speedbucks (money). The better you do, the more Speedbucks youâll earn and this will enable you to unlock races in single player mode, buy better cars, improve certain aspects of the car you already own and progress on to bigger and better things!
No matter which option you choose, the style you will approach the game, be it in an aggressive mode or playing it by the rules, the goals are the same. If you win races in the perfect style by not causing too much damage to your car, by overtaking and beating your opponents in the most professional way you will soon achieve almost cult status but with a mix of ideas, challenges and clever design of tracks and locations, Playlogic offer it in an entertaining way so you will want to take in all the locales and hone your skill levels!
Control of your vehicle is very tight and in some cases you can go at full speed in a number of cars and with some clever braking and spinning into turns you can complete most courses in a very fast time. Overtaking opponents is balanced and it is not aggression that wins through but picking the appropriate moment. There is a vast selection of cars to choose from and when you have a nice bounty of Speedbucks the selection is impressive. Controls/reaction of the cars are remarkably different but in most cases in the expected ways. Pick a Mercedes and you have a large, wide, car which is harder to steer around windy roads and outback settings whilst it stays fairy robust on a flat and expansive race track. The Morgan is small, pretty nippy, can go exceedingly fast but at high speed controls are less precise and a great deal of anticipation is required. There is such a vast array of vehicle selection from Roadster, a Romero to Volkswagen you are spoilt for choice and it is great fun testing the variants on them all!
It is after a couple of hours of play, and good fun at that, you start to feel possibly too much in the comfort zone. Everything you see, feel, experience and progress through has that kind of âdéjà vuâ feeling. The assortment of tracks and experiences are both gratifying and constantly changing but you are more than occasionally waiting to be taken onto the next level. Yes, the opponents become tougher and you have better vehicles to drive but these plus points are negated by the fact you have your âeyeâ in and have become tuned in with the game mechanics. OK, you are stretched throughout BUT the learning curse may not be strong enough in some cases and although you get a warm glow from the success you achieve there is a little voice inside saying that you want more!
