Racing ExtravaganzaLately we've been overwhelmed with a glut of racing games. Microsoft came out with Forza Motorsport; Konami hit us with Enthusia Professional Racing and Rockstar dropped Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. And they're all must-haves.
When Microsoft dropped the latest in its RalliSport and Project Gotham franchises, one thing was clear: The Xbox needed a hardcore sim to compete with GT4. In many ways, Forza surpasses GT4. For instance, it has a fully featured damage model. All the licensed cars, including Porsche and Ferrari, can now be thrashed thoroughly on the track. However, the attention to detail is lacking in some spots. For instance, the tracks and cars aren't as detailed as GT4's. The crashes could be a little more realistic by factoring in driveline, engine or component damage. While it's there to a degree, we have yet to totally cripple a car.
Forza brings a lot to the table. There are a large amount of licensed cars, a great physics engine and a training system that replaces the licensing requirements found in other games. Forza will help you visually with its fancy racing lines superimposed on the track, telling you when to let off the gas, brake and gun it. Another great thing is the A.I. Rather than having rubber band A.I. or the ability to use walls as a guide without penalty, your opponents will try aggressive maneuvers on you and even take revenge for those wall shunts you did against them. Needless to say, Forza is the greatest racer available on the Xbox and it truly deserves a place in your collection.
Additionally, Konami announced Enthusia, which sparked some interest and serious scrutiny. Why was Konami releasing a racing game? We thought the company just did Castlevania, Metal Gear and Dance Dance Revolution. Needless to say, Enthusia surprised us. With a good physics engine and visual cues to show exactly what your car is doing, it gives you a good sense of speed, tire adhesion, center of gravity and axial rotation. While the physics are amazing, Enthusia would benefit from more courses and cars. Like Forza, there is a visual cueing system that clues you in to what specifically you should be doing at any given point, but that's limited to the Driving Evolution mode. It's also a little confusing to get used to, whereas Forza's seems a bit more natural. Nonetheless, Enthusia definitely belongs in your collection. In a lot of ways, it's a lighter version of Gran Turismo. For a first-time effort, Enthusia is fantastic.
Finally, we have Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. If you liked the first two, you'll love this one. With numerous improvements over the prior two editions, MC3 also boasts many features unavailable in other street racing games. A totally free roaming environment, total customization and a huge number of licensed rides make this the best street racer out there. As with the previous two, it belongs in your collection, and you know very well why it belongs there.
In our August 2005 issue, we should have credited THQ as the publisher of Juiced.