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V8 Supercars Australia 2 Review - PS2

Codemasters - being the developer of the fantastic Colin McRae Rally series - last year decided to test their skills in a different kind of racing game. V8 Supercars Australia: Race Driver - known as TOCA Race Driver in Europe and the United States - pleased racing fans, and kept those waiting for Gran Turismo 4 occupied for a while. The second in the series has just been released and is, here in Australia, known as V8 Supercars Australia 2. Like its predecessor, though, the game has a different name in Europe and the United States: TOCA Race Driver 2. In my opinion, the game should be called by that name here, too; V8 Supercars Australia 2 is a misleading title, considering that the events of Australia's V8 Supercars championship form only a very small part of the game. It's like calling Gran Turismo Mazda Turismo just because it has Mazda's in it. Underneath the title of V8 Supercars Australia 2, however, is a fantastic racing game that'll please both V8 Supercars and racing fans alike.

V8 Supercars Australia 2 does actually feature what could be called a storyline, as did its predecessor. Between championships in the Career mode you'll be presented with realistic full-motion videos that help to outline your progress as a driver, featuring conversations and action between your tough English manager and the media. In order to give the game a more personalised feel, what the camera sees during these full-motion videos is from your character's eyes, emphasised with realistic camera sways that represent the movement of a human head. This is further helped along by the fact that your character never talks, so you're never put off by hearing a voice that obviously doesn't match your own.

Gameplay

The game includes a Career mode, a Free Race mode, a Time Trial mode, a Multiplayer mode and a Network mode. The Career mode - which I partially described above - is spanned across eight different levels. Each level contains approximately four championships, each championship consisting of a small number of races. The Career mode - designed to deliver just about all of what the game offers - has you racing in all types of championships, in all types of cars and on all types of tracks. In addition to a storyline, the Career mode is tied together by objectives in each championship. Most of the time you'll have to do well in order to earn money or points, while you'll also occasionally have to place close to the championship's top drivers if only for social recognition as requested by your manager. The Free Race mode is similar to the Career mode except that it lacks a storyline and gives you more freedom in many senses. For example, rather than have your path predetermined, you can select the championship you want to participate in from the impressively large list of those available and the car and driver you want to use. You can also tune (continued next page)