Get Your Drive On: Street Racing Syndicate

A little bit of stiff competition in the gaming world has almost always been a good thing for gamers Ц it means we have a wider selection of higher quality games within easy reach. As we near the end of the year (alright, so maybe we still have a few months to go, but we're getting there) we're going to see the release of what could quite possibly the redefining of the Xbox's racing genre Ц 4 games, released only months apart, all competing for the top slot in every race fan's heart. And what a battle it will be.

а

In this feature (which has been conveniently split into 4 parts for your reading pleasure) we're going to examine each of those games (in the form of their pros, cons, and what's unique about them) and which one should come out on top. First on the list (since it's going to be released before the others on August 31st) is Namco's Street Racing Syndicate.

а

Street Racing Syndicate

а

Namco's third venture into the world of Xbox racing, Street Racing Syndicate looks as if it may be the turning point for the company in the genre (at least on this console) Ц R: Racing Evolution was met with moderate success but Smashing Drive didn't do so well in the box office, as it were, and home sales weren't too impressive either. SRS, however, takes a little bit of Midnight Club II, a little bit of NFS: Underground (whose sequel I'll get to later) and throws in the developer of Big Mutha Truckers (which, ironically, didn't do so well either) in hopes of finding a happy medium. They even added some actual daylight!

а

With a car roster of around 50 (including the RX-8, an MR2 Spyder, WRX, 350Z and of course the famed Skyline R34) your choices aren't as limited up front as past games such as the first NFS: Underground, and of course there's a healthy assortment of both visual and performance modifications at your fingertips as you progress through the game. How you progress through the game is a bit of an interesting take on the street racing world, I might add Ц as in the Midnight Club games, you'll cruise around the city looking for other racers to beat, but there's also a somewhat original system of introducing specific challenges in that your female.... err, companions (girlfriends in the game, but isn't that just a LITTLE bit creepy?) will entice you into performing specific types of races to impress them, the idea being that as you get hotter cars you also get hotter women. Go figure.

а

With realistic and open racing environments available, SRS will likely suffer from the same syndrome as Midnight Club II in that races will require more dedication to beat as you'll have to really learn the city you're in. Having said that, free roam isn't a bad thing at all, and since Namco's taken the game off of the ill-fated 3DO's hands the fuzz have been added to the mix: that's right, you're gonna have cops crawling up your tailpipe like unripe potatoes, and while such distractions are surely debilitating during the course of a race, it also makes for some good ol' fashioned GTA style fun in that you can feasibly just drive around being chased by cops all day long.

а

Visually SRS is keeping up with the rest of the pack, and while nothing as of yet looks terribly astounding, it certainly looks nothing short than good. Perhaps the best addition is that of varying race times Ц no longer are you stuck racing on slippery streets at night race after race after race. The sun DOES rise in the world of SRS, and that alone should make for some added flair.

а

For some added originality, the bad boys over at Eutechnyx (the game's developer) threw in some rather nice features; first and foremost, the inclusion of a dyno for the added pleasure of testing your tricked out ride in-doors; the option for the different trims of each car; and most impressively, the automatic roaming mode. The latter engages your car in an auto-pilot type feature where you get to move your camera around the car and marvel at it's extraordinary beauty - created, of course, by your hand(s) Ц while the game drives your car around the city. A decent replay system was something that NFS: Underground really lacked (which was stupid considering the game was about visually decking out your rides) and this is certainly a great step in the right direction for Namco. As an added bonus, your controller will vibrate with your woofers to the tune of the music in this mode, just because they can.

а

On-Target: Visuals, gameplay, car list

а

Hit or Miss: Races with no defined track could be a liability rather than an asset; racing for women (and using them as an alternative to pink slips) could incur the wrath of the feminist community.

а

Dead Center: The dyno; the auto-pilot mode; free roam with cops on your tail.