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GT-R 400 Review - PS2

In an age of mega sequels and massive production values, budget titles often get the short end of the joystick. With literally hundreds of competing titles, how can a title built to be a budget title hope to stand up against the big names and wallets of the massive companies that dominate the industry? In short, they can't, but that doesn't stop them from making a decent game while they're at it.

Gameplay

This is a budget title, and as such, don't be expecting anything major for your $50. Upon loading you'll find yourself with three options, Quick Race, Championship and Time Trial. Guess what they offer? Quick Race lets you just boot up and tear around in vehicle on any track you have unlocked through the Championship mode. Time Trial has you going against ol' Father Time himself in a one-on-one face-off, but Championship is where the meat of the game is, and unfortunately, it looks like it's been a pretty lean year for this little calf.

There are three initial cups to race in, with another three unlocked once you finish them off. That's it. Each cup has several tracks, and you'll be thrown onto them in sequence, without any fanfare, before or after the race. Unlocking something or winning the cup gets a cheer, and even that sounds half hearted, as if the developers got in there at the last minute, went 'Yay' and called it a day. The whole thing is over pretty quickly, and since it's a bare bones arcade style racer, there isn't a lot of depth to it. There are difficulty settings to play around with, plus real time damage that affects your vehicle that can be turned on or off, so you can fiddle around for a little while, before the whole thing bottoms out.

Being an arcade racer, the handling and controls are pretty slick and straightforward. The left control and d-pad stick works for steering, and you can use either the right stick or the buttons for braking and acceleration. Changing the view, looking back, and shifting gear are all handled with the shoulder buttons. It's your standard racer set-up and it works here as well as anywhere else. The controls are responsive, and being a budget arcade style game, they aren't simulation based. The game does a good job of letting you loose with little cause for worry, and the AI won't exactly challenge you deeply as you push them off the road for the coveted place on centre podium.

Graphics

The game isn't going to win a beauty pageant, but it isn't the dirtiest pig in the pen either. The backgrounds a nicely done even if they do revert to the old 'wall of trees' trick a few times. One track takes you around an air field with a plane and a helicopter standing at the roadside, another with hot air balloons floating around the (continued next page)