Rage Racer
Publisher: Namco   Contact: 0181 567 9174 (UK)   Price: £ 49.99 (UK)
Game type: Racing   Release date: February '97 (UK)

Players: One Options: Steering/Analogue, Memory card Requirements: Joypad Reviewed by: Spike Smith, The Tartan Cavern Order this game now

"Something is wrong," thought the Play.html editor. There were never usually this many people in the office at 9.00am. Then it hit him, and frantically ripping through the many jiffy bags he at last found the one he and everyone else in the greater Bournemouth area had been waiting for -- the first import copy of Rage Racer to hit the UK. An even larger crowd gathered. Some of them began to chant...

Clarkson
This is how one of the most anticipated games on the PlayStation found its way into our sweaty mitts, and with a good 20 console-heads watching, we inserted the disk and waited for that seal of quality, the Namco logo, to appear. If the hype was to be believed, this was going to be an epic game, second only in the must-have stakes to Resident Evil 2.

But hang on a minute, that FMV is a bit bad quality isn't it? And where's all that Tekken 2 presentation we've come to expect? All you get is a poorly defined logo, a GP mode, some options and the now obligatory time trial. Is that it?

Things don't get much better as you select a car. Initially all you have is one medium family saloon which handles like a wayward shopping trolley, possesses about as much raw power as Dale Winton, and makes a noise like a Braun Ladyshave. Rage Racer is also not displayed in the vivid high resolution mode that made Ridge Racer and Revolution so distinctive and jaw-dropping last year, and the frame rate is lethargic and not a patch on Porsche Challenge for example. Could it be that Namco has dropped an almighty clanger and made Rage Racer worse than the now dated Ridge Racer Revolution? The crowd 'tutted', mumbled things about it being "a con" and gradually filtered away. Things looked bleak for our cover game.

Needell
But I'm happy to report that our first impressions were totally wrong. Rage Racer is a stunning game but you really have to put some time and effort in to reap early rewards. It is true that the first and only car that you begin with is rubbish, however, it is not a true reflection of the knicker-elastic-snapping game that is frantically trying to get out.

Win a few races, save some cash, and all of a sudden you can buy your next pocket rocket, a rather unimpressive looking Fiat 500 look-a-like. Fire lurks in the belly of this walnut-whipped shaped beast though as it has a terrific burst of acceleration which instantly doubles the frame rate, keen handling that allows you to tear through the four tracks with verve, and best of all, a cheeky, raspy exhaust note that pauses during gear changes to emulate the sound of the real thing. Within a few hundred yards, Rage Racer turns from an unconvincing version of Jaleco's Tokyo Highway Battle into a candidate for racing game of the year -- and it's only January!

Willson
Graphically, Rage Racer is an acquired taste. First thoughts were that it looked a drained version of its former self, and that the muted colours didn't make the most of the PlayStation's palette, but you do get used to them, and some of the details, such as the quaint fishing harbour, and the cobbled street effect are excellent. You only get to admire the view on the first two classes though because after that the game slams into top gear and everything apart from the curves of the road ahead becomes a blur. Dump the clutch in some of the suped-up dragsters you can afford at the end of the game and it's like being on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Rage Racer is quick in a way you cannot imagine, and it is a tribute to the coding prowess of Namco that so much data can be shifted at such dizzying speeds.

As with the rest of the Ridge Racer family, Rage Racer contains only one track, but there are four variations, each containing characteristic scenery and different driver thrills. The middle course for example is far more hilly than the rest, which is perfect if you fancy playing Steve McQueen in the film Bullitt. Other notable black spots include tight double esses, and a huge sprawling chicane which is taken flat out by only the bravest drivers. Unlike the previous games, Rage Racer's tracks are incredibly varied and offer many ways to thrash your car to extinction. The only thing missing is the heavy repair bill at the end.

Mason
One big difference between the two previous games and this heavily modified sequel is the inclusion of prize money which is used to buy new cars and modify the ones you've got. Finish in the top three on any track and you get a staggered prize fund which increases dramatically when you reach the next class having finished all the tracks. For a first place on class one, you're looking at a not-to-be-sniffed-at $400, but by class five this has mushroomed to $400,000 -- enough to buy some seriously automotive muscle. You also get new cars as you progress through the classes, each faster than the one before. This is a good feature because there is always something new to strive for and like Tekken 2, Rage Racer is full of surprises and secrets.

Without a doubt though, this game's most impressive feature is its versatility. With Ridge Racer Revolution you got a few tracks and some drab looking cars, all of which looked like nothing Athena would drape a bikini-clad model over. Rage Racer has the bloomin' lot, and it provides a level of challenge and enjoyment far above anything else on the PlayStation. Let's get down to cases shall we?

For a start, you've got the cars themselves. They look and sound just like the real thing, and even though they are never referred to as such, you can drive a Porsche, Pontiac, Fiat, Renault 5 Turbo and a Venturi to name but a few. They are also more finely detailed than anything we have seen before (except perhaps Porsche Challenge), and although the chase car view is almost unplayable, the in-car option gives you different rev counters for each model, making it more satisfying to buy them and see what's different. It goes without saying that they also handle and sound authentically, especially when you start to tinker about. Which leads me to...

Customisation. Never before has there been a racing game where you can have so much fun with the cars without even starting them up. Rage Racer contains a paint program to allow you to daub the cars in any shade you wish, plus there are some set logos (such as a skull, bulldog, and Namco emblem) which go on the bonnet. You can even type in your own team name which is then emblazoned across the top of the windscreen. Or if you're childish like the Play team, great fun can be had writing swear words on your car and then collapsing with mirth during the action replays as the word "bollox" is paraded for all to see.

Revs
But the best I've left to last, because apart from personalising your car you can also enter the option called "Engineer shop" and provided you have a big stack of wonga, your car can be tweaked and tuned to the limits of insanity. Imagine that cute little Fiat 500 with a flippin' great spoiler on the back? Or a front air dam big enough to scoop up stray blue whales? Perhaps that engine isn't big enough, so why not shoe-horn one from a Boeing 747?

Every car, with the exception of the ones that are already one step down from the Batmobile, can be tuned up to the maximum grade of five. The Renault 5 for example is a grade three car, so it can be modified twice, giving it wider wheels, more exhaust pipes, and large bumpers. This does of course also increase the acceleration, top speed and handling of each car as well as giving orgasms to the kind of people who read Max Power and Revs magazine. Either way it's a great laugh and adds to the longevity and enjoyment of the game. You will look at the sad specimens in RRR with nothing but disdain from now on.

Rage Racer then is a monster of a game and the fastest thing to hit the Playstation since the Spice Girls. The screenshots in this review simply do not do the game justice, and if we could cover-mount a video showing you exactly how blisteringly quick it is, then we would. Actually that's an idea...


Verdict: 94%