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Codemasters released the first in the
Race
Driver (from the bloodline of the TOCA: Touring Car
series) ensemble for Nintendo’s incredibly popular portable  gaming
platform the NintendoDS in September 2007. Developed by Firebrand
Games, the game boasts thirty-two real world circuits and
twenty-four officially licensed racing cars.
The main
portion of the game is the World Tour Mode, in which you compete in
Championships against Artificial Intelligence opponents with a
pre-selected car. When each Championship is completed
the next Tier is unlocked, allowing you
to fight it out against harder opponents. Once the World Tour is
completed you unlock an even bigger challenge, the Pro Tour - the
World Tour on steroids. You take damage more, are forced to
manually change gear and the A.I. is ramped-up a few notches.
There is also Simulation Mode which contains Free
Race, allowing you to face off against A.I. cars on the track of
your choice, with the car of your choice. Time Trial Mode – in
which you attempt to set the best Lap Record on a circuit – is
included, and there is also a Challenge Mode which serves as a
tutorial.
If you do not have a magical talent for
Arcade-influenced Racing games, you will find this game ruthlessly
difficult. The A.I. take every corner perfectly and are never
forced to take a Pit Stop, so one small mistake sends you
plummeting from first place all the way to eighth. A few knocks and
your car is reduced to a twenty-mile-an-hour trundling mess, with
handling like an elephant on skis. However, while being far too
sensitive, the Damage System does has more depth than the typical
NintendoDS Racing affair. If you damage your steering, your car’s
turning ability is reduced. If your engine takes a few too many
bumps your speed and acceleration take a beating. It’s quite an
effective system, clearly borrowing heavily from Codemasters’ 2006
Current-Generation offering,
Colin McRae: DiRT ; it’s just a
shame the developers hadn’t made your car a little bit tougher than
candy floss.
As you advance through the
Tours and complete Challenges you earn Reward Points. These can be
used to unlock decals for use in Multi-Player, which isn’t much use
as the online community is non-existent, at the best of times.
There are a few bonus Championships and Challenges to unlock using
your Reward Points adding a bit more depth to the replay value.
The Track Designer included in the title is what pushes this
game above the competition, with the ability to create your own
tracks and
 actually race on them. This is also where the Touch Screen
comes into its own, as you easily flick another track
piece from the palette onto your own customised track. It’s
surprisingly deep; more than just drawing a few lines. You can
choose the background scenery, buildings to gaze at as you fly
straight into another wall, and even a skybox. Reward Points are
also used here to unlock new features, and will no doubt be where
most players head after getting a few more in the bank.
The epic sound of super powered cars rocketing
round corners, smashing into walls and charging down the last
straight before the finish is, unfortunately, non-existent in this
game. Most cars make a small droning sound and a pathetic ‘thump’
when they smash into walls at 150mph, and an annoying screeching
noise when skidding round a hairpin corner. With repeating Lounge
Music when faced with a Menu and no music while racing, most will
probably play with the sound turned off.
Somewhat making-up for the poor sound quality, the
visuals are very sharp for a NintendoDS game, with great, colourful
Car Models and good textures on the track and its surroundings, the
game can really give you a sense of speed. And best of all, it runs
at a constant, gorgeous 60fps. An unfortunate issue, however, is
one with the Camera. Sitting far too low, it’s hard to see much of
the track beyond two car lengths ahead, and impossible to see that
deadly corner sneaking up on you. A Map is included on the Touch
Screen, but acts more as a band aid than a remedy. A Bumper View is
included, but few will find this approach any easier.
Race Driver: Create & Race is a solid Arcade Racer if you can get
past the insane difficulty. With plenty of unlockables, Single- and
Multi-Card DS Download Multi-Player, Free Race and Time Trial Modes
and the deep Track Designer; it has a huge replay value and is
perfect for whipping-out on the train for a few minutes, rather
than a few hours.
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