Hear the tyres scream with the top V8 production class cars of the official Superstarts Championship
Retro touring car racing re-born.
As a bit of an old guy, I too remember and love the old ToCA PS1 games. They were all about good, close, paint-swapping racing. Not car collecting, modding or painting.
GRID was a bit of a let down for a lot of people, mainly because it threw away the old authenticity of the previous games and went for a more PGR kind of experience. I've got nothing against that, but I always longed for a game to bring back the glory days. Race Pro filled the gap for a while, but it is a ruthless sim, and ToCA was never about that.
If you are expecting anywhere near the quality of graphics and depth of the likes of Forza 3 or NFS Shift, then you are going to be one unhappy gamer if you get SV8 not knowing what it's really all about. Please consider yourself warned and don't blame us for wasting your cash.
If, on the other hand, you too long for the PS1 glory days, and those old classic touring car games, then this ladies and gentleman, is the second coming.
Oh, and for those who bought the first Superstars V8 game and thought it wasn't all that, then this one is indeed a lot better. Recommend you try the demo on Xbox live first though.
Touring Car Racing
If you have the first game and fancy upgrading, please note that there is hardly any difference between the two. If you are toying between the two, get this, it is slightly better.
Based on (I think) an Italian touring car series, the game is full of drivers and teams you have never heard of before. Unless you have the first game whereas they are exactly the same. There are nine courses in the game and most are fairly uncommon in the more popular racing games. Graphics are reasonable. Not great but they will do. No improvement over the last game then.
Racing games are all about handling and this is where the game has had some adjustment. Cars are heavy to handle and a bit sluggish, high top speed but it takes a few seconds to get there. They also sway as you try to correct. Braking is very heavy and you need to anticipate the corners carefully. In other words, this is authentic touring car handling. Well done. Also, racing in packs takes some time to get used to (if you are not a touring car fan like me) so picking the right spot to overtake and positioning your car carefully is the key. Great stuff. The wet track dries out as you lap and the levels of difficulty seem to be better spaced.
However, you don't get much of a game for your money. A single race mode, a time trial mode, a race weekend and a full championship with 9 tracks. That is it. Haven't tried on-line yet as there is no one on. Challenges this time have a driving school theme.
My only criticism is the same as the last outing. You get a 30 min free practice, and then a 30 min qualification period so that you can take part in two three lap races lasting about 6 mins each. What a waste of time! If you don't complete the qualification then you start at the back of the grid. Guess who is always on the back row! Why can we not adjust the qualification period like we can the race laps?
Despite its limited content and a few flaws, this is a very good touring car racing game. Similar to the previous game with a few tweaks. Not perfect but getting there. This game won't compete with the big boys like Forza but then again, it is a niche title. Enjoy.
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 | Superstars V8 Racing - Next Challenge (Xbox 360) |
| List Price: | £39.99 |
| Price: | £14.91 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details |
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