V8 Supercars 2 : Web Wombat : Games

In my opinion, few developers have been able to capture the gritty sensation of piloting technically and mechanically accurate race cars around authentic recreations of real racetracks.

Perhaps it's the silky sensation of speed that makes Codies' ToCA-based games so finger-licking good, or maybe it's the fact that the game has 'always' had an awesome damage infliction model, that in-turn related to the way the car drove.

Rip off that rear wing, for instance, and travelling at high speeds may result in minimal down force over the rear end, which in turn makes steering and deceleration from speeds over 190km/h like trying to guide an inebriated horse through a freshly-mopped shopping centre.

V8 Supercars 2, as it is called in Australia, is a big game, but for the sake of me being a lazy bastard, we'll call it Race Driver 2 from here on, to benefit our many international readers, where the game is called ToCA Race Driver 2 among other names. It's a regional thing.

For those who never played the original Race Driver game, both it and this here sequel have an intriguing career mode, and one that's quite an involving experience. Simply put, you could call it a plot-driven racing game.

Between races there is a fairly meaty story involving you and your manager, complete with cut-sequences that detail your rise to fame plus the intense rivalry that occurs with other drivers on a regular basis. Think Schumacher and Montoya, or Penelope Pitstop and Dick Dastardly.

Completing the single-player career mode is no cake walk, and towards the end of the season things get very tough as the AI turns up the heat, but after this you can compete in custom tournaments, single races and the like, or simply head online, where the racing is accompanied by plenty trash talk.

The Aston Martin DB9 is no racecar, but it's
still thoroughly enjoyable round a racetrack

The online aspect is a brilliant addition to the game and improves longevity immeasurably. If you've got a broadband Internet connection and an Xbox Live starter kit, you can hook up online and race real people.

And if it's your thing, you can even talk dirty to them while racing. Some people will do anything for a psychological edge - such are the joys of motor racing.

Competing online is heaps of fun, and way better than the shoddy split screen offering, which we'll touch on later.

While we never got to play with the maximum number of players, even three or four player races were good fun, and a few of the 8 player races we played were impressively lag free.

Let's talk about the gameplay now, and in particular the physics. Realistic physics are now mandatory in racing games that brand themselves 'serious', and anything less will be spat upon vehemently by a growing troupe of informed and intelligent gamers.

Thankfully then, Race Driver 2 has a physics engine that is nigh-on untouchable. Games like Gran Turismo 3 and Project Gotham Racing 2 have impressive physics engines, but the gong ultimately goes to Codemasters in the UK for scripting page upon page of physical variables that happen to translate in to an incredibly immersive experience.

Take the Australian track Phillip Island, for example. In a 1350kg 5.0-litre V8 Supercar, you can feel the car hunker back on the rear wheels - though ever so slightly as the suspension has little give - when you floor the throttle out of a corner, and if you're too heavy-handed, rear end traction will break.

Stick one of the front wheels onto the gravel and you'll feel it try to mildly tug you off the bitumen, and drafting or slipstreaming is another brilliantly executed feature in this comprehensive racer.

Collision detection, which comes into play when you hit something, whether another car or a silver birch, is awesome, and perhaps this is one of the factors that elevates this game above the rest - the realistic destruction.

Subaru's punchy WRX STi mounts the ripple
strip in a bid to shave a couple of hundredths

Not only can you smash doors and panels right off your cars, you can shatter windows, buckle wheel alignments, impact crumple zones and, if you're good enough (or like racing the open wheelers) you can even smash the wheels off your ride.

From where I stand, this only adds to the realism. Mess up the tight chicanes on the Gold Coast Indy track and you're screwed. Literally.

And any damage you sustain will also relate to the way your vehicle drives. For example, if you knock the gearbox one too many times, you'll find that it may drop out of gears at high revs or even miss 3rd gear completely.

The result of this lovingly crafted damage model means that real racing conventions apply, such as non-contact and only overtaking once past the B-pillar of the car in front. Simply put, if you race like a fool, you'll look like one too.

The tracks, too, are immaculately detailed and are about are fairly authentic. I've only ever been to Phillip Island and Sandown, so I can only comment on their accuracy, but for these two tracks the 3D artists have really earned their money, and Bathurst is another track that's a real thrill to cruise around.

All told there are some 48 tracks to race around, and there are 15 different racing categories too, including the V8 Supercars, the German DTM Touring Cars, Formula Ford, Rally, Ice Racing, GT racing, Stock cars, Classic Cars and even the big rigs of the Super Truck category are in there.

Spanning all racing categories, there are about 35 cars, including street faves such as the R34 Nissan Skyline GTR, the Aston Martin Vanquish and even an Mercedes AMG CLK. Did I mention that this game is comprehensive?

Competition online is fierce and you'll always encounter those who are better than you, or who know the tracks more intimately, but as far as the artificial intelligence goes, it's also pretty good and offers a very solid challenge when jacked up to 100%.

Graphically, this game wins again - it's piping hot, mate. Up to 21 cars can be on the track at any one time, and I didn't experience any noticeable slowdown or chugginess. The overal level of detail in the gameworld is exemplary, and anti-aliasing has been used to good effect.

These Formula Ford's are great fun to drive,
and teach you all about slipstreaming as well

It's an incredibly smooth game, and the frame rate is right up there with the best of them at about 60fps, though play the game in split screen 2-player mode and you'll notice it drops to a rather lame 20fps, which is a bit slack really.

The graphics are let down at times by sprite-based (2D) trees, some tired-looking trackside scenery and the tyre smoke.

Burnouts are a big deal for motor racing fans, and I for one demand that more time be spent making the smoke behave realistically. It should be mentioned that circle work is quite fun though.

The audio is perhaps the only weak link in the game, and though engine sound effects are useful for knowing when to change gear - I just don't use the tachometre - even the big V8-powered vehicles sound average at best. Until a microphone is actually stuck up someones exhaust (not a metaphor), we'll all be plagued with synthesised engine noises.

Moving right along, and the vehicles on offer from racing disciplines as diverse as the Australian V8 Supercars, to German DTM Touring cars are also visual stand-outs. The Formula Fords are a brilliant example of the level of detail and realism put into the 3D models - you can make out disc brakes, the rear differential and the suspension braces (see screenshot of Fomular Ford for evidence).

The high polygon models and impressive texture maps have the cars looking very close to their real-world counterparts, decals and all, plus the high quality bump-mapped bitumen surface of the racetracks helps increase the sensation of speed as you put the foot to the floor - or is that the index finger to the shoulder button?

Combine the superlative physics, the beautiful graphics, consistent AI, the huge range of cars and tracks, online play and the plethora of game modes and what you have in your sweaty palms is one of the most comprehensive and playable racing games in existence.

For me, this is as good as it gets. The story-driven career mode is a great way to get initiated with all the games features, and then the real competition starts online, where rankings and lap times are recorded and displayed for all to see.

While I love Project Gotham Racing 2 and all it entails, it is primarily a flamboyant street racer - this, however, is the real race car deal, with real tracks, real drivers and real cars. Bottom line: one of the best racing games ever created.

Game: V8 Supercars 2 (Race Driver 2)
System: Xbox
Players: 1-multi
Online: Yes
Developer: Codemasters
Distributor: Atari

Rating: 95%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)

V8 Supercars 2 is on the shelves now.

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