Qnd Review: Race Pro (Xbox 360)

Currently you can get Race Pro for 10.49 eur at Play.com.

Simbin; makers of such racing games as GT-R and GT Legends (not to be confused with the legendary GP Legends). So what does the Swedish developer's second-newest console racer (newest being Race On) taste like now that it's in the bargain bins?

Bland, I'm afraid.

I like the occasional arcade racer just fine; Forza 1 and 2 were very good, Gran Turismo series on the Playstation is amazing (since the first PSX installment - I think GT 2 is still my favourite). Even Grid on the consoles is nice (though nowhere near the Codemasters' masterpiece that Colin McRae 2 was in it's time).

But Race Pro? It cannot decide between "semi-serious" or "arcadey" racer and tries to walk the line between them, failing most of the time. The rate of failure changes from point to point, but the sum is around "pretty average".

Physics are really arcade, with grip being too unrealistic most of the time, and when you actually lose traction, it feels like you're playing the first TOCA game where the spins were "canned" - most of the time there's just no righting your car. Also, there's little warning when your rear end is starting to lose traction, and as said, when you do it's nearly always too late.

The AI's driving style ranges from "OK" to "horrible". They pay little heed to your position, sometimes plowing through you if you're returning to the track from a minor driving error, or paying you no heed at the corners.

As for the graphics and sound - the former are nothing to write home about. Not ugly by any means, but nothing your average racer didn't have a couple of years ago.

The sound is mostly passable, but at times it gets on your nerves - especially the revving sounds. One moment you might have a glorious roar and the next second you're hearing something awfully average (or even bad) - with little or no transition between the samples. It sounds like the game just cuts from "engine sample A at high revs" to "engine sample B at low revs" without any transition (if they're the same samples, there's even less reason not to transition more smoothly from high to low revs).

All in all, Race Pro is very average. Bringing nothing but a dumbed down racer to the consoles. At less than 11 euros it's not that bad - but honestly, I'd rather play Grid (more on that later, perhaps) or Ferrari Challenge if I'm looking for a cheap racer.


Score 6.5/10