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V8 Supercars: Race Driver Review - Xbox

Its go, go, go and finally V8 Supercars: Race Driver has landed on the Xbox. Officially licensed by AVESCO it features 7 Australian tracks along with 16 V8 Supercar teams. Choose either the Ford Falcon AU or Holden Commodore VX to roar down the straights of Bathurst emulating some of your V8 heroes. Does this hold up to what the true V8s feel and what you would expect from a licensed racer?

Gameplay

You take on the role of the young rookie Ryan McKane. Your job is to elevate him through the ranks of 13 world championship series including European, American, TOCA, and V8 Supercar championships. You start on the bottom rung, in which after a bit of experience under your belt you will have offers filling your email box. With the opportunity to race 42 cars, with a damage system that is unbelievable, you can keep your car in perfect condition or face the possibility of destruction with missing spoilers, doors, bonnets or wheels plus more! You damage it, you will pay the price not just appearance but the way the car handles, the skipping of gears, making it harder to get it around the track.

13 championships equal a lot of race time. To move up to the next series level you must get a certain level of championship points, which depending on your skill level, may take several rounds with different teams to win all of those points. If you thirst more racing action in total there are 4 available ways to race.

• Championship, your main aim of 13 championships
• Free time allows you to customise your own race
• Time trial allows you to try and smash the track record
• Multiplayer mode, that allows up to 4 people to race or through some versions Xbox live

There are plenty of cars plus plenty of tracks add a touch of multiplayer with 4 players, you have yourself hours of fun tearing down the straights of Bathurst, or through the streets of Adelaide.

Controls are relatively simple to pick up and play. The triggers handles accelerate and break, with the left thumbstick handling the turning. You can choose either automatic or manual, with changing gears as simple as pressing X and Y. Anyone will be able to pick up and start playing the only factor is skill. It takes time to master the corners being the only real difficult obstacle to overcome. Go to fast and try and break you will end up into the wall causing some major damage. Use the AI cars to learn from, look for the racing line, slow down to the appropriate speed and you should be right. This can all chop and change as each class of car has a different feel and how they handle cornering. As they say practice makes perfect and you will get it in no time.

The camera is very steady and strong in (continued next page)