November 28, 2004
New Feature... MINIs in Video Games...
Want to drive a MINI like a madman (or woman), but want to avoid the costly insurance rates, jail time, and hospital visits? Well, here's how you can do it. Bust out your Game Cube/Playstation 2/X-Box, and have at it. But the issue is, where to start? What's a good MINI driving game? Here's a good place to start.
An oft overlooked game, but still quite good, is Namco's R:Racing Evolution. (I've only played the X-Box version, but it does come in Playstation 2, and Game Cube versions.
R:Racing Evolution was overlooked when it was released, because it was trying to dance between a Grand Turismo type simulation racing game, and a Project Gotham Racing type of arcade game. People were confused by exactly what it was intended to be. A racing game with a lot of settings, or one where you get points for style. To further add to the confusion, Namco re-introduced storyline mode that was first seen in Ridge Racer 4, so nobody was quite sure where the game sat in the range of racing games. But to me, it was just the perfect mix. I like Grand Turismo, but sometimes, I just don't want to have to change 10 different sliders on my car. I liked Project Gotham Racing, but to me it got old quick because there was no real motivation to keep playing. R:Racing Evolution with it's great mix solves both of the problems.
Another 'strange' feature that the game had was that the other drivers 'talked' during the race. One of the complaints was that it was quite repetitive. That, I won't deny. What's good about it is that it kind of lets you know what's going on in the game. When you give one of the computer racers a big hit with your car, they'll say something about it. And you know that next time that they are near you, they will try to repay the favor. It's nice because it gives you the impression that you're actually racing against people, and not the same scripted AI. The computer racers also have 'Pressure' meters. When you're behind one of the other cars, the AI will feel the 'Pressure' of you driving right behind them. Keep the pressure on for long enough, and they'll screw up. Just like real human drivers do sometimes.
I also like the nice variety in cars in R:Racing Evolution. You can drive anything from the old Alpha Romeo Giulia, to a Bently Prototype racing car. And of course, you can drive a MINI. Not just one, but there's a few different variants. The 'real' MINI, a rally style MINI, and a fantasy tuned MINI, with gobs of horsepower.
My best example on how impress I am with this game has to be the fact that I bought it over the summer, and I'm still playing it. It's one of the very rare games that I want to finish 100%. For me, that really says a lot.
And hey, at just under $20, it's a nice game at a nice price.
I'd suggest it.
Erik...
An oft overlooked game, but still quite good, is Namco's R:Racing Evolution. (I've only played the X-Box version, but it does come in Playstation 2, and Game Cube versions.
R:Racing Evolution was overlooked when it was released, because it was trying to dance between a Grand Turismo type simulation racing game, and a Project Gotham Racing type of arcade game. People were confused by exactly what it was intended to be. A racing game with a lot of settings, or one where you get points for style. To further add to the confusion, Namco re-introduced storyline mode that was first seen in Ridge Racer 4, so nobody was quite sure where the game sat in the range of racing games. But to me, it was just the perfect mix. I like Grand Turismo, but sometimes, I just don't want to have to change 10 different sliders on my car. I liked Project Gotham Racing, but to me it got old quick because there was no real motivation to keep playing. R:Racing Evolution with it's great mix solves both of the problems.
Another 'strange' feature that the game had was that the other drivers 'talked' during the race. One of the complaints was that it was quite repetitive. That, I won't deny. What's good about it is that it kind of lets you know what's going on in the game. When you give one of the computer racers a big hit with your car, they'll say something about it. And you know that next time that they are near you, they will try to repay the favor. It's nice because it gives you the impression that you're actually racing against people, and not the same scripted AI. The computer racers also have 'Pressure' meters. When you're behind one of the other cars, the AI will feel the 'Pressure' of you driving right behind them. Keep the pressure on for long enough, and they'll screw up. Just like real human drivers do sometimes.
I also like the nice variety in cars in R:Racing Evolution. You can drive anything from the old Alpha Romeo Giulia, to a Bently Prototype racing car. And of course, you can drive a MINI. Not just one, but there's a few different variants. The 'real' MINI, a rally style MINI, and a fantasy tuned MINI, with gobs of horsepower.
My best example on how impress I am with this game has to be the fact that I bought it over the summer, and I'm still playing it. It's one of the very rare games that I want to finish 100%. For me, that really says a lot.
And hey, at just under $20, it's a nice game at a nice price.
I'd suggest it.
Erik...
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