Gamabunga

Fatal Fury : Wild Ambition

4 / 10

World Driver Championship

8.8 / 10

N64
8.8 / 10
États-Unis

I love this game, despite the fact that it can be quite frustrating at times. The racing in World Driver Championship isn't the same outrageous no-brakes fun of say, Beetle Adventure Racing or Top Gear Overdrive. Instead, players must watch their speeds when going into sharp curves and downshift to make it through without losing too much speed. If you go too fast, the car will naturally begin to slide. It's up to the player to keep things under control and -- especially for beginners -- it's not as easy as one might think it would be. You WILL spin out in the beginning. Stick with the game and advance to get lighter and faster cars and you will discover one of the most rewarding racers on the N64. The sense of speed may initially seem a bit low to some people (one category where the game seems to be directly modeled after Gran Turismo) due to the high placement of the camera in the third-person mode and the realistic speed settings. I usually play in the first person mode (bumper cam), so I really can't complain about a lack of speed. Be aware though that the frustration factor can be quite high due to spin outs and tough track design -- but the impending doom of crashing into a barricade makes for some pretty tense races. It would have been nice if Boss had also thought of implementing car damage and added even more depth by letting drivers customize their car settings and add new parts. But even without garage work, there's plenty of replay value thanks to the many cars, tons of track variations and solid two-player mode. Unlocking all the cars isn't easy (especially since one team won't give you its better cars unless you remain completely faithful and don't switch partners) and will keep you occupied for a long time. The near perfect Gran Turismo for PlayStation still remains my favorite car racer on any platform, but World Driver is a welcome distraction in a genre overpopulated with stale paint-by-numbers racers. This is definitely not the right game for people with short attention spans -- but a well-crafted title for car fans and gamers looking for a long-lasting gameplay experience. I played it every day for the past two weeks, much to the chagrin of my wife -- and I still come back for the two-player mode. Buy it.