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First
off, let me start this review by saying that I LOVE driving/racing games. It was
a major decision maker for me when I purchased my PlayStation. That being said,
as soon as Andretti Racing was released I jumped in my car and made like Mario
over to my nearest PSX software distributor.
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Andretti
Racing is actually two racing games in one. You get to choose between Stock car
racing and Indy car racing. You also have a choice of exhibition or season
racing on 16 different courses. All three Andretti's (Mario, Micheal and Jeff)
had input on the design of this game and it really shows, read on....
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Car
graphics are good, but not in the same league as F1. Decals are easy to read
and the inside of the car is nicely done. The tracks are a bit grainy but
overall graphic presentation is fine. There is no pop-up but you do get polygon
shredding if you hit walls at certain angles (i.e. your car melts into the
walls). Animation of the cars is great. Tires smoke, wheels turn, cars crash
and flip nicely and the damage sustained in a crash stays until you make a pit
stop or are too damaged to continue the race. I especially liked the picture in
picture. You can change the PIP view to show the lead car, a behind the car
view (which acts as a rear view mirror) and several other settings. Again,
nothing ground breaking here, but above average graphics overall.
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The
sounds effects are nicely done. The Indy cars have that realistic hum that
builds to a high pitched whine (which, by the way, can get rather annoying!) and
the stock cars have a nice throaty sound to them. Sounds for wall scraping,
crashes, pits stops, tire changes, skidding, etc. are all nicely covered. The
announcer starts the race and adds various comments here and there. You also
have the pit crew telling you to stop for tire changes, etc. The music is
rocking and really gets you into the game. Nothing much more to be said... Not
ground breaking but certainly adequate.
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Electronic
Arts just has that knack for high presentation/production values. James Brown
introduces each race and the sports commentary is done by Derek Daily and Bob
Jenkins. Sixteen world-class tracks to choose from and game play mechanics that
are extremely well done. The car and driver physics are incredibly realistic.
The Indy cars are pin-point responsive and the Stock cars handle like, well
like you are driving a normal car at breakneck speed! You can just tell that the
Andretti's had their hands all over this part of the game. Drivers are
extremely aggressive and don't think twice about knocking you into a wall or
cutting you off.
There are loads of options to choose from too. In
exhibition mode, you can battle head to head with a friend or link up for four
player action! Also in exhibition you can drive on any of the sixteen courses
with either the Indy or Stock cars. Each car can be modified before the
qualifying and actual race runs. Modifications include soft/hard tires, front
and rear wing adjustments, manual/automatic shift and acceleration.
Since
each track takes a different strategy, you will need to constantly make minor
adjustments to suite your driving needs and skills. The season mode allows you
to pick Stock or Indy car and race through an entire season, saving your stats
along the way. There is also a training school mode where you can get advice
from the masters themselves. Overall this is a very nice racing package. Two
driving games for the price of one.
Now here's the problem... taken
separately, the Indy racing falls short of F1 and the Stock car racing falls
quite a bit short of Nascar racing. Both of these titles are due out in the US
in October. If you can't wait for them or don't have the budget to get the other
two, you can do much worse than Andretti Racing. I really like this game and
the two player mode can't be beat!
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A
very competent racing package. It handles both sides of the fence (Indy and
Stock car racing) very well, just not exceeding in either category. If your
like me and love driving games, this one is a no brainer, buy it NOW! If you
like to just dabble with racing games and are curious, by all means rent it
first. It may just convert you to the dark side... of racing that is!
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TOM |
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GRAPHICS: |
Average |
My
current favorite driving game! I place it right up there with Need For Speed. |
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SOUND: |
Average |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Good |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
7.5/10 |
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JIM |
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GRAPHICS: |
Average |
I
tried and tried to love this game, but having played the likes of Indycar on the
P.C and Formula 1 on the PSX, this game just left me. It was neither realistic
enough to be classed as a good simulation, nor addictive enough to be classes an
arcade racer. The graphics were below par, the controls were very abrupt when
using the joypad and there was little feeling of speed on many of the tracks.
Sorry guys, lets hope the sequel is a whole lot better. |
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SOUND: |
Average |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Poor |
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VALUE: |
Average |
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OVERALL
5/10 |
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