PSP Game Review: Bad Racing Games

So I got me a PSP last December and have been playing with it nonstop (or at least every chance I get), so I thought it would be a good idea to write about the games I have played. So, let's start with racing games. I have always been a fan of this genre, be it the arcade kind or the simulator kind, there is always place in my gaming platforms for at least one good racing game. But today's post is about the bad (and in some cases utterly hideous) games I have tested so far: DIRT 2, NFS: Most Wanted and NFS: Shift.

Now let's start with Collin McRae: DIRT 2, since it actually starts as a good game, but then it takes a bad turn somewhere. DIRT 2 is a rally simulation game by Codemasters, or at least it's PC version is (the only other version I have played). The PSP version, although using some realistic-feeling physics, plays pretty much like an arcade, off-road racing game. Every race is played against 3 other cars at the same time, so it's not really a rally at all, just a race, as I said earlier (here's a quick explanation for those of you who don't know how a rally is run: the cars leave the starting line, one at a time, at regular intervals and every driver runs against the clock. The one with the least time at the end of the rally, wins). What I did like about this game where it's graphics and the car selection. Oh, and the kick-ass autotesting video after I beat the game. Oh, and that's another thing: it was way too short.

Next up is Need For Speed: Most Wanted 5-1-0, which was the first PSP game I tried after buying mine. The game itself is not so bad, even though EA took away the free-roaming mode I liked so much from the PC version. The one thing I didn't like was the police. The cops in this game are literally impossible to leave behind during a race. You can push them against a roadblock, making sure they crash, and they will still catch up to you after 5 to 15 seconds. And they are very aggressive, too, which means that you spend more time making sure they don't catch you, than trying to win the race. It got really frustrating having to play the same race over and over again for hours, trying not to get knocked out in the last lap, for example, so it actually became a game of testing-my-patience instead of a racing game at times.

And finally (for today's post) it's Need For Speed: Shift. I was really taken by the concept of a simulation-kind racing game in the NFS franchise and, even though I haven't played the PC version yet, I can tell from gameplay videos that it is really, really good. But the PSP version is utter crap. To begin, it's not even a simulation, it's an arcade racing game, which is really disappointing. And not only is the gameplay almost like a slow motion ripoff of Burnout Legends (which is actually an awesome game which will be discussed in a later post), but there isn't even a decent car customization system, something all modern NFS games are known for (even NFS:MW 5-1-0 has a good customization system). I really tried playing this game, mostly because of the arcade-drifting bit, but even that comes out as awkward when you need it most.

Concluding, EA should work on a more direct porting of their NFS games to the PSP, IMHO, maybe then they will sell better. DIRT 2 could have been great, if only they added a rally racing mode (or replaced the main racing mode, whichever). None of those games is worth your money, but if you really want to play some bad racing games and you have a bunch of money burning a hole in your pocket, go for DIRT 2. Or send the money to me. I actually think the second option is the better choice: instead of submitting yourself to all that crap, I get something with which to buy the next games to review! But I digress.

Stay tuned for more reviews, maybe next time is the GOOD racing games.