Platform: Playstation 2

Genre: Racing

Publisher: Inforgrames

Developer: Melbourne House

ESRB: E (Everyone)

Released: Q3 2001

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LeMans 24 Hours

Score: 8/10

Pros:

- Looks good

- Very nice real-life tracks

- A number of play modes to choose

Cons:

- Sound and music are weak

- Some may not like the longer endurance races

Review: Moto GP 2 (Playstation 2)

"If you need a racing game that is a little bit different than everything else out there, LeMans 24 Hours is one to consider."

Since the release of the Playstation 2 we've seen a lot of racing games come out for the system. Of these games the lion's share has consisted of street racers with cars you see everyday, or at least reasonable facsimiles, with the occasional variance to this tradition from NASCAR and such. Now we have another one of these variances, this time from Infogrames, with LeMans 24 Hours. A tasty treat it is too. You get a dozen tracks to zip through (4 to start, the rest must be unlocked), 72 cars to race with (again many of them must be unlocked), and the visuals and sound are quite nice too. What's most important about this game though is that it provides copious amounts of fun, the ultimate goal of any game. If you need a racing game that is a little bit different than everything else out there, LeMans 24 Hours is one to consider.

The track design is one of the strongest features in LeMans. They have a very good combination of turns and straight-aways to keep players on their toes. If I had to gripe I would argue that there are not enough slaloms in there to force players to find just the right speed without using their brakes, and essentially flying by the seat of their pants. Easily the most exhilarating experience in racing. Good, good race-zippy-fun track design though no matter how you look at it. The fact that they're real-life tracks may have something to do with that too. At first you only get four tracks to choose from, but after coming first on a track in Quick Race you get a new track hucked at you until all twelve are available.

In order to win the races to get the tracks there are two things players must deal with, first the controls, and second the AI. Control is tight,. When you say go, the car says "Yes sir!", except replace "when you say go" with "using the controller" and "the car says 'Yes sir!'" with "results in prompt, smooth response". The cars handle extremely well, but the physics took a little getting used to. The response of the over and under steer feels slightly different than what one usually finds, but the difference is more due to the LeMans cars, a type of vehicle

we don't often race, than anything else. In terms of AI, while it is respectable, it is still fairly easy to defeat. The cars put up a good fight, but winning is still more about having an intimate understanding of the tracks' layouts than it it out-foxing the computer controlled cars, as is usually the case in racing games.

Game modes are reasonably varied in LeMans. There is the Quick Race to pick a track and a class (GT, and Open or Closed Prototypes), there is Championship Mode to work your way through the ranks and win the cup, and there is LeMans

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where you can do the actual 24 Hours of LeMans, in real-time. While not all will want to go quite that far potential players should be warned that there are a large number of endurance races to be found in this game that can last in the neighborhood of 20-30 minutes. So, if you found the endurance races in the Gran Turismo games to be a chore, these longer races will likely be a turn-off for you. Consider yourself warned.

Looking at the game, the graphics are very nice. The game looked damn pretty on its original Dreamcast version last year and this Playstation 2 port looks even better as the game takes advantage of the added oomph of the Sony console. The details on the cars and in the environments are very well defined. Even looking at the sky players can see the clouds rolling in, as it goes from clear blue to a murky gray. Animation is very smooth and gives an excellent sense of speed while tearing through the tracks. Weather effects are also very well done. When the rain comes, visibility decreases quite a bit and there is a more blurred view of the track, not to mention that the cars' handling changes in accordance with the more slippery conditions. When it is early evening the tracks are illuminated by the gold-ish glow of the setting sun which is a very pretty sight while racing. In terms of visual aesthetics LeMans is right up there.

Unfortunately in terms of audio LeMans is sorely lacking. The engine sounds are limp, sounding more like a tinny econo-box than a race car, the only cars that sound even remotely powerful are the Open Body Prototypes. On top of that, when passing cars on adjacent parts of the track they sound like something out of a racing game from 1986. Most of the sound also sounds soft, not really bringing any presence to the game. Music isn't much better. The only thing it has going for it is the style, as it is nice, jazzy fair, reminiscent of that found in Ridge Racer 4. Sadly, there isn't enough variation in the tunes so, due to the high numbers of laps most of the race events entail, the tracks wear thin in a hurry. If there is one Achilles' Heel in this game, it's the audio.

By and large LeMans is a very satisfying game. The tracks are really well designed, and something many a racing fan could thoroughly enjoy sinking their teeth into. There is reasonable challenge to be found, and a decent amount of play options to keep players busy. On top of that it looks pretty too. Just watch out for the sound and the crazy-huge endurance races.

- Mr. Nash

(October 4, 2001)

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