|
Have you ever wanted to race in a Super Truck ? How about drive at 200mph in a stockcar around an oval track ? These are but a few of the things you will do in TOCA 2. Expanding on the variety in TOCA Race Driver, TOCA 2 boasts the most diverse range of powerful motor sports ever seen in one game.
I can hear you thinking “Xbox has so many racing games, what makes this one so special ? and does it beat Project Gotham Racing 2?” Well, like an old wise man once said “it depends on a certain point of view”. You are either going to love this game or hate it. TOCA is all about racing, no, let me rephrase that, it is all about clean racing. No longer can you cut corners without sliding out or using other cars as brake barriers without facing the consequences.
Graphics & Control:
TOCA Race Driver 2 has gone all out to bring you amazing detailed cars and one of the most realistic damage engines ever created for a racing game. Labelled as the ‘Terminal Damage Engine (TDE)’, this is what makes this game stand out from the rest of the pack who have already lined up on the starting grid, including Project Gotham Racing 2. Unlike most racing games, where you can smash your car up to your hearts content and not have to worry about the performance afterwards, the TDE on the other hand will allow metal to bend, glass to shatter and plastic to explode with all affecting how your car performs on the track. Your suspension could fail, steering to veer and your gear box to squeal in agony at the abuse you put your car through.
The damage model system is based on detailed observation of real-life motor sports crashes, so you know this is as authentic as it gets! Each vehicle model contains thousands of deformation points (and collision consequences are computed in real-time), so the crash effects occur exactly as they would in reality leaving a trail of body-panel parts lying around on the course for your fellow racers to drive over or around.
The tracks are nicely detailed ranging from mud filled trenches to snow banked ice courses, not forgetting your rain drenched tarmac courses with gravel and grass either side. You could say that Codemasters have left nothing out, which brings us nicely onto how well does the car feel when in control. In one word – Realistically !! Never having driven a Formula one car or any of the other 34 cars available to you, one will have to trust Codemasters that they perform exactly like they do in the game as in real life. This trust is easy to give as each car handles completely differently to another car from a different class, whether it is the fast light Indy cars to the heavy handed Super trucks. The controller can be personalised to your style of driving, which is a god send, because not everyone loves to drive using analogue sticks.
Not content on just relying on the beauty of the race, this game can boast some of the best cut scenes I have ever seen in a game. Are they any good ? Oh yeah, they are shown in a first person view (your eyes) and the supporting cast are very well acted out.
Sound:
Along with the visual clues that your car is damage, you can hear the strain of the engine as it drops gears due to a damage gearbox, engine clanking, brakes screaming and other internal malfunctions. You know when your car is hurt!! The other usual array of sounds you associate with racing games are there and are of good quality.
Longevity:
With an interactive storyline driving you (no pun intended) through your career to the Championships, taking in 31 global racing locations with 52 tracks, you will not be bored or finish it quickly. Also, by progressing thru the offline game, you will make available all the cars and tracks for which you can host LIVE games. That’s right, you don’t need to worry about playing it offline because you will have access to everything the host has. Playing LIVE brings a new definition to the term racing. For far too long have gamers been able to just crash and carry on racing, this game will penalise the reckless and award the skilful.
Round Up:
This game is like no other racing game out there which supports LIVE play and is a must for any serious gamer who likes to race cleanly and not play dodgems. The graphics are smooth with a 60fps rate, with several views of racing to suit all players. From my own personal experience playing this game on and offline, it will take time to adjust to the different style of racing that one is used to from the likes of PGR2 and has been a welcomed addition to my collection.
Pros:
- Live Enabled.
- 35 cars including Ford GT, Aston Martin Vanquish, Jaguar XKR, Nissan Skyline and AMG-Mercedes CLK.
- Terminal Damage Engine
- Up to 21 cars racing on the same track
Cons:
|
