EAT MY POLYGON (Metropolis Street Racer (DC))

Member Name: FLYING FOX

Product:	Metropolis Street Racer (DC)
Date:	29/09/01 (150 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good Graphics on release, Different Approach

Disadvantages: Really dull, dark and zzzzzz

Metropolis Street Racer is seen as the premier racing game on the Sega Dreamcast, and I can see why people like this game, but in my opinion it’s not quite on the same level as GT3 on the supreme Playstation 2, it’s a good racing game, still looks pretty impressive, but falls short of the ‘classic’ title by quite a way, and for several reasons.

The good: MSR has very good visuals, over the last few years the graphical leaps in technology have cascaded to such levels that games are looking real now, in game cars are so life like, and MSR had groundbreaking visuals when it was released, almost a year ago, but now they are looking slightly grainy and a bit shaky, with flickering buildings, and very dark day times, a distinct lack of brightness in this title. But overall, the graphics are good. It posses nice shining effects, nice sensation of speed, good backgrounds (based on 3 real cities), and so in terms of graphics MSR is a winner.

The bad: MSR has diabolical music in it, although GT3 has rubbishy music in it too, at least that’s real music and not some rip off of 1996 songs, MSR has an appalling selection of tunes, very annoying radio stations, the same adverts on the radios and only one official song, of which you hear 7 seconds of – Planet Perfecto. Anyway, there should be some happening dance and trance music going on, maybe some garage hear and there, but not country and western feebleness, it just doesn’t suit the game.

The gameplay: MSR has a main single player street racing career mode as it were, in which you’ll likely spend your time, if any at all, playing in. You start off with few cars to choose from, but when completing some mediocre and boring tasks like hot laps and timed runs, you may find yourself gaining enough Kudos (respect) points to gain a new chapter and new car.

Sadly gaining this respect can range from adequately entertaining and exhilarating to genitalia
numbingly boring. “Warning Penalty”, this will annoy. Big time. Every time you just even scrape your car against anything, you will lose kudos and you’ll be treated to an ocean of ha, ha, you’re rubbish, penalty, blah, blah, blah.

However, do well, drive like a smooth criminal, and you’ll be in their with the maximum respect, with the sign “Wey Hey” showing up, drive with style, drive fast and drive like you mean business, and you will be “K”. However, it’s hard to drive well in narrow streets with annoying bollards and statues cropping up in the middle of the road causing you to fully stop and effectively end your race, which wasn’t interesting in the first place! The AI cars are boring, they’re no spectators and there’s no life in the real life cities that you’re driving round. What was the point in making the tracks on 3 real cities, when no ones in the game to care!

The handling: The cars handle well, which is a good point, although some will be more of a pain to get to grips with. The control method is sound, unlike the music, which is shocking, but overall the handling is good. Cars are responsive, but don’t really under or over steer, you cannot tune your car or change anything about them other than the colour, licence plate and the window darkness…nice customisation…

This is boring! The racing is boring, I am sorry but it just is. The rare few street races and challenges that you do have are so annoying, if you make one mistake you pretty much have to start again – you’re normally in a worse car than them, and the tracks you race on for street races are usually huge and real tricky.

Even two player racing is boring, in fact the game is overflowing with sleepiness, it’s so dull, the only incentive to keep trying to get more kudos points is to be able to race faster cars, but who really cares? Anyway, if
you do complete the chapters, well done, you clearly had nothing else to do in your time!

The conclusion? If MSR was geared towards liveliness and was basically The Fast and The Furious, but in a game, then it’d be a lot better than GT3, beyond being equal.

Thanks

FLYING FOX

Summary: