Now there's always the danger with this sort of brave attempt that you end up with a game which is jack of all trades but master of none. Thankfully Codemasters have a strong racing pedigree and have used that experience to build on the success of Race Driver 2. Race Driver 3 starts off in a similar vein to RD2, that is - on a race track. You're in a suitably fast car but somewhere near the back of the pack struggling to catch up. Fans of the series will recognize the voice of everyone's favorite Scotsman, Rick, hollering pearls of wisdom into your ear.
Such wisdom as 'slow down for the corners', 'stay off the in-field' and 'finding the racing line makes you go faster'. Gee, thanks Rick! The race only lasts for about three quarters of a lap but it gives you a good chance to get acquainted with the basics of the game. Hardcore racing fans be warned, if you're expecting a true simulation you'll be somewhat disappointed. What it is, however, is as true to a simulation as an arcade racer can get.
I play it in pro-sim mode and on the hardest difficulty level, which essentially makes everything as tough as it can be - for example the AI is more aggressive, physics are more realistic and damage is less forgiving. Straying off the track at high speed in the more delicate cars for example will guarantee you serious suspension issues. Simulation modes offer the standard free race or time trial over any of the disciplines you've unlocked which is achieved by winning championships in Pro Career or World Tour mode.
Pro Career enables you to learn a particular racing discipline, such as touring cars, open wheel or off-road from the bottom up. You start with the easiest vehicle that discipline has to offer, such as the Clio in the touring car discipline and progress through various championships.
The higher up the championship ladder you go, the faster the cars and the trickier they are to drive - or to drive well at least! It's a great mode as it gives you the feel for what it'd be like as an amateur starting off in the sport and gradually working your way up into the big-boy's league.
World Tour has to be my favorite mode though. It's also the closest to the old career mode in RD2. Similarly to the Pro Career made, you start of as an amateur racer. The difference here is that you're not restricted to just the one discipline - in fact you'll be exposed to all the disciplines the game has to offer.
Hit something head-on and you're in danger of busting your radiator, leading to cooling problems and perhaps even allowing your engine to overheat. Normally a cheater's paradise, driving off the track will now make debris cling to your tyres, reducing their grip.
These detrimental effects ultimately serve to improve your driving skills, as you discover it's easier to win with a complete car rather than one that has steam pouring from the bonnet and is missing a couple of tyres.
However, choose to still use the car in front's rear bumper as a way of saving on your brake pads and your return to the pit lane will be greeted with some less than happy opponents in the cut-scenes. By straddling the thin line between arcade racer and driving sim, TOCA Race Driver 3 runs the risk of alienating both ends of the spectrum.
Indeed, hardcore fans will probably prefer the full-on petrol-head's dream that is GTR? That said, if you're a fan of any kind of motorsport at all, you do need to grab yourself a copy of TRD3.
Let's face it, thanks to Codemasters spectacularly managing to squeeze an entire sporting genre onto one DVD, as well as the ability to take your skills online should you finish the mass of races on offer, there's some serious miles to rack up before tiring this game out. In fact, given the mass of content, it could be the only driving title you'll need for the entire year.
We wholeheartedly applaud Codemasters' efforts - the variety of motorsport it's managed to cram onto one little disc is astounding, but there's some decidedly strange inclusions too.
I mean, lawnmower racing? Yes, you can take your very own Honda-powered grass-cutter out for a spin. Feeling decidedly more 'motorised wheelchair' than burbling bastion of four-wheeled power, these were definitely added more for novelty value than in the interests of real racing they don't even cut the grass! Monster trucks also make an appearance, and while these things might be fun to watch crushing cars while piloted by surly American red-necks, they're a complete handful to race, with front wheels that pull off the ground under acceleration, resulting in some spectacular wheelies but not much forward motion.
Super Trucks have also returned although frankly, the less said about them, the better. Feeling inspired by some of Codemasters' quirky selections, we had a look about to find out just what peculiarities might be included in the next version. A quick search of the Internet revealed that Codies has barely scratched the surface, with such oddities as caravan-pulling, swamp buggy racing, golf cart racing and tractor racing all yielding results.
Bung this lot together, throw in Dastardly, Muttley and Penelope Pitstop as main characters and we reckon it'll be a massive hit Or maybe we should just stick to writing.. Although purists will probably throw their spanners at the mag in disgust we have to admit to being quite partial to the story mode featured in TRD2. Not only was witnessing Rick's blood pressure soar an added incentive to finish a race, but it also gave a quick time-out from driving and we were a bit sad to see it disappear in this version.
Instead, the cut-scenes this time around merely relate to the racing events you've just achieved, such as qualifying on pole position or pissing off your opponents, with Rick making an appearance every now and then. However, rather than just venting his anger at you or getting exasperated at the intervention of various females, he does actually have something worth saying this time. In the cut-scenes between races, he often gives you the lowdown on the next car you'll be racing, introducing its strengths and weaknesses and giving hints on the best way to drive it Of course, he's also there to cheer you on from the pit as well, pointing out any damage and generally subjecting you to the kind of nagging only a whinging wife can match.
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