Platform: Playstation 2

Genre: Racing

Publisher: Sega

Developer: AM2

ESRB: E (Everyone)

Support AE! Buy Games Here:

Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly.

Enter E-Mail Address Below:

Ferrari F355 Challenge

Score: 8.0 / 10

Pros:

- Cool menu effects (complete with excessive engine revving!)

- Realistic driving physics (except crashes)

- Great Driver Challenge is a great idea that works well

Cons:

- Not too many innovations on the racing genre

- This is one of the slowest loading games that I can remember playing

- A little too much jockeying for races with the same cars in them

"Where else could I afford to drive a car that gets around 4-5 miles to the gallon and pay insurance premiums that are higher than 3^rd mortgage payments? "

Ahh, Ferrari! Now this is the kind of game that tackles one of my biggest gaming pet peeves – why in the world would I play a game that simulates something that I could do myself? Barring some sort of divine intervention, lottery victory, or daring escape from “The Man”, there is absolutely no way that I’m ever going to get the opportunity to own and drive a Ferrari. This is where Ferrari F355 Challenge comes into play. Where else could I afford to drive a car that gets around 4-5 miles to the gallon and pay insurance premiums that are higher than 3^rd mortgage payments?

Exactly – there’s no way I'll get that opportunity without selling a kidney or transporting hashish now that the whole internet boom and IPO madness is over… sigh… Anyway, what the hell was I walking about? Oh right…

Ferrari F355 Challenge (FFC) is strictly a simulation game with two great aspect views – either from behind (the only view I ever see of a Ferrari on the road – friggin’ Jeep) or in a driver’s seat perspective complete with a bitchin’ HUD display that gives you so much information you’ll be giddy. (You can pretend that you are some pretentious Euro-trash with a bad accent – just call me Uter!).

The 1^st person perspective is frighteningly detailed. Besides the HUD details that are easy to read, you are also treated to some pretty realistic steering wheel simulation. (There’s nothing more humbling to see just how much you’re skidding or failing at keeping a decent line.) Because of FFC’s simulation background, it’s very true to driving physics especially when tackling the curves of the courses -- most people will require some practice at accelerating through the curves and preventing sliding (or more likely skidding out into the barricades). The crashes however, aren’t really any more

Advertisement

than an inconvenience – if you hit another car or one of the walls, you’ll only lose whatever speed that you had built up to that point – with no damage to the car – but in all of these races, where everyone is driving the same car, you can pretty much write off the race because you have no chance of catching up to the leader.

The gameplay comes in 4 flavors: Arcade Mode, Championship Mode, Great Driver Challenge, and Versus Play.

Arcade Mode is much like the requirements for the typical Arcade version – you race on a set course with checkpoints. Before the race begins, you are told that you have to finish in a specific position or you can’t continue and the game will stop if your game clock reaches 0 (pass checkpoints with time remaining and your game clock is extended) – the typical arcade thing.

Championship Mode is merely a series of 6 races against a group of other drivers; you earn points for finishing position in each race and the person with the most points at the end of the series is the winner of the Championship.

The Great Driver Challenge is one of the more interesting game modes – your main goal is not necessarily to win the race, but to race well and employ a variety of techniques (and talents). At the beginning of these races, you are told what the target for technical points is and your goal is to exceed that target during the race. Technical points are awarded for passing cars, slip streaming, drifting in the corners, your final rank, and your best lap. Conversely, points are taken away for crashing into cars, hitting walls, and leaving the course. It is possible to pass the challenge without winning if you drive aggressively (and safely) in the pack.

Versus mode is pretty much what it sounds like, but the game looses a notch because you loose the graphics that makes the game fun (because you can’t see as much with half the screen).

The visuals are top notch – all of the effects look great, even down to the muffler stutter when throttling up. The only knock is the way that glare from the car finish is handled. For some reason, when you get a light reflection off a car’s surface the rectangular pixels are visible. It’s a little distracting, but only video-philes would notice something like that. The music score is good with a thumping rock beat that really helps get the racers in the mood to speed; when pairing the music with their top notch sound effects – even better when hooked up through a stereo. (Make sure to check your TV volume before booting up, because my first load had me searching for the mute button after nearly waking up the entire apartment complex). The only major annoyance with FFC has to be loading times – the load times even when moving between menu options is frightfully slow and this will infuriate those looking for a quick action fix.

All in all, Ferrari 355 Challenge is a solid title that won’t break any new racing barriers but is an acceptably fun way to kill some time.

- Tazman

(December 9, 2002)

Search for Related Topics:

...More Playstation 2 Game Reviews...

...More Racing Game Reviews...

...More Reviews of Games Developed by AM2...

...More Reviews of Games Published by Sega...