Another launch title based on a slightly above average dreamcast game, but is it any good?
Short answer yes, but it wouldnt be much of a review.
The game format hasnt changed much from its dreamcast days there's the quick race against four opponents, single race on your own trying to beat Kudos points and the Kudos challenges which include races, top speed tests, fastest lap challenges and many others.
If you are unfamiliar with the term Kudos then let me enlighten you it is basically a term for praise which in the games terms is only given to the best of the best!
It is awarded for manouvres such as overtaking, powerslides, going up on two wheels and leaving the ground via jumps etc, gaining these points is essential for unlocking the best cars in the game but more about that later.
The annoying thing about the Dreamcast version was you had to work so hard for your kudos and then after the race it took most of the points off you for damage and other penalties which has thankfully been given the boot for a more user friendly system of where you score kudos but they are not immediatley added to your score in the top corner they stay just below for a few seconds so that if you perform another manouvre the score can go up even more and you get a couple more points for executing a combo but scrape a wall before the points are added and theyre gone!
Another thing which has been removed is you no longer lose points for colliding with an opponent which is a welcome addition as the AI in this is like Michael Schumacher often outbraking themselves into a corner and willing to use any means to slow themsleves down just like Michael himself.
There are over twenty of the most desirable cars in the world in this game which can all be busted up but it makes no difference to their driving abilities.
The most powerfull being the Ferrari F50 which needs a total score of 100,000 kudos to unlock but unlike the original where you could only have three available to you, you can now pick from everything you have unlocked.
The game music is good but the best thing to do is add your own soundtrack!
This has a perfect difficulty curve, brilliant graphics, the oppourtunity to race in cities from all over the world and some of the best cars ever made including the new Mini!!!
Could this game have been any better? With the addition of an unlockable Batmobile yes but still this is the greatest racing game on the Xbox and probably if not for a certain space based first person shooter would be the best game on Xbox.(at time of writing!)
Create an Account
Member Login
