For the masochistic driving game fans who don't think Gran Turismo 4 is hardcore enough, there is Konami's Enthusia Professional Racing, a piece of software that is less of a game than it is frustratingly realistic driving simulator.
There are two trains of thought when it comes to racing titles. One believes that at the core of any such game is the ability to have fun, to enjoy the experience and ultimately win more races than are lost. On the other side of the argument is the hardcore set, the type of obsessive player that will scoff if a vehicle's engine noise wasn't meticulously captured directly from a real world counterpart. Enthusia is a game for the latter.
The driving physics in Enthusia are so unforgiving that it's hard to imagine anyone who doesn't drive a race car for a living enjoying it. As if it wasn't hard enough, there's also the equivalent of a health bar that reduces for the slightest deviation off the track, or the smallest bump with another vehicle. Again, diehards will love it; everyone else will feel left in the dark.
Enthusia's presentation is simply workmanlike and nothing more. The car models are gorgeous and the environments aren't bad either, but the menus are absolutely horrendous and the jazzy music is simply generic. But then, Enthusia's fanbase probably isn't going to get hung up on flash and style. This one is for the diehard racing psychotics only.
-George
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