When it comes to videogame racing titles, the genre is almost as over populated as the first-person shooter arena, but at least that saturation means that pretty much every racing angle is covered. Rally Cross, MotoGP, Motocross, Touring Car, ATV, Formula 1, and Nascar, the genre has a discipline for every discerning consumer. Therefore it seems a bold mission statement to muster an astounding 35 separate racing styles into a single game, but Codemasters has never been a studio to shy from a challenge. So, 35 racing disciplines spread across 120 (120!) different championships. One game. ToCa Race Driver 3. Intrigued yet?
ToCa Race Driver 3 offers up a massively diverse amount of racing elements including the likes of the obligatory Touring Sports Cars, British GT (BGTC), Muscle Cars, V8 Supercars, DTM, Monster Trucks, Baja Motocross, Formula Palmer Audi, Historic Grand Prix, and Formula 3 in order to successfully draw in virtually every type of racing gamer. Yet, for all its crammed content, there are many games in today’s market that suffer from a self-imposed weight of expectation, not least on what they ‘claim’ they can deliver upon release. 35 styles, 120 championships, a vast array of tracks, and an embarrassment of riches in terms of useable and tuneable cars—all means zilch to the consumer if the gameplay’s steering column inexorably buckles at the first corner. So, does ToCa Race Driver 3 lose traction and skid disgracefully into the gravel trap of failure, or does it follow a smooth racing line from corner to corner while elegantly surpassing the competition? Well, it’d be unfair to reveal that judgement so soon, but let’s just say it’s not the first one.
The meat on ToCa’s bones consists of two central game modes. First up is ‘World Tour’, which casts the player as a rookie racer and has them compete across 32 separate levels made up of the various racing disciplines within the game. This provides a stern challenge in itself and allows the player to race with a decent selection of differing (and tuneable) vehicles. Progression through the championships is attained by finishing at or above a predetermined position against a certain allocation of actual races, and the player is ably assisted by ‘Rick’ who serves as mechanic, pit chief, and general advisor to everything race and car related. Next on the game mode list is ‘Pro Career’, which allows sim-heavy players to select from the game’s individual racing disciplines and compete through each championship in a realistic fashion—including full race rules, calendars, and flags, etc.
ToCa Race Driver 3’s gameplay is thoroughly slick and believable, and the handling of every vehicle differs enough to warrant considered acclimatisation by the player without ever exhausting their sense of connection or the will to progress. Indeed, mastering the nuance of every car in ToCa is pivotal in achieving overall success, but the challenge and learning curve never quashes the game’s enjoyment levels. ToCa Race Driver 3’s A.I. is also notably well rounded, and competing drivers will punish positional mistakes, line errors, and sloppy handling without a second thought; after all, winning is everything. Championships are often controller-shatteringly tense affairs and those players expecting to blast effortlessly from race to race will find themselves sorely mistaken against competition that shares a need for speed (…ahem) and a passion for winning. That’s not to say the game is merciless and frustrating, because it’s not; it’s rewarding if approached without overtly arcade expectations.
Furthermore, races that are seemingly lost causes can be abandoned and restarted without incurring a championship penalty - which is a bit of a cheat, but nonetheless welcome in light of the A.I.’s oomph.
The graphical and aural components stand shoulder to shoulder with the general gameplay, and the wealth of licensed vehicles (70+) at the player’s disposal are wonderfully elegant and well observed re-creations that enhance the authenticity of the racing experience. The cars also convey believable damage detailing that’s incurred during the course of a race, such as worn and split tyres, smashed windscreens, dented wings and side panels, etc. The PS2 also copes admirably with the game when in full flow, and there’s rarely even a hint of slowdown, jagging, or chop to drag players from the tarmac-shredding visual performance.
Environmentally, the game’s specific racetracks and international venues are faultless in their detail levels, and immersion is boosted yet further by a solid draw rate that never detracts from the action while hurtling down long straights or into sharp bends at breakneck speeds. Attending crowds are a minor grievance insofar as they’re not well animated and look decidedly two-dimensional when viewed close-up. However, that too is a rarity as calm, professional, and evolved drivers are not likely to leave the track - right? Game sound thunders along strongly beside the graphics, and the roar of engines, scraping scream of metal, and Rick’s occasionally derisory advice through the in-car headphones only pushes players deeper into ToCa Race Driver 3’s tightly woven gameplay illusion.
Compared to the wonders of F1 05, TRD3 is rather disappointing online with some less than solid net code and consequent lag problems that didn’t allow for any sort of close racing. Just like our experience with the Xbox version, far too many of our online races still seem to get ruined for no apparent reason – the guy who piled into me invariably claiming that he “couldn’t possibly have hit me”. After three or four sessions I’d had enough of crashing for no reason and seeing opponent’s cars crab down the straight diagonally - I longed for the solidity and fun of the aging PGR2 on Xbox, a two-and-half year old racer that’s still to be equalled as an online experience. It’s a shame, because they’ve really made an effort with TRD3’s options; fully customizable race series, handling model, Practice, Qualifying and Eliminator modes – there’s even a spectator mode – TRD3 online should have been great, but isn’t – Gamespy’s fussy and seemingly forgetful log in/password system didn’t help matters either.
ToCa Race Driver 3’s lovingly applied simulation leanings still manage to imbue a distinct sense of fun via vehicle tuning, frantically involved races and a thoroughly rewarding learning curve. Varied modes of play, which, beyond Pro Career and World Tour, include Time Trial, Free Race, Championship Select, Online Network Play, and split-screen Multiplayer, thrust the game’s consumer longevity into the racing stratosphere. Codemasters should be duly proud of its creation. Finding a development balance between simulation and fun is not an easy task and, when compounded by the staggering inclusion of so many separate racing disciplines and championships, it only focuses the spotlight on the game’s level of achievement.
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