Topic: R: Racing Evolution goodness

[cblake]

Hi Everyone,

As a PC gamer turned Gamecuber, I am very satisfied with this system. I think there are some very high quality games on this console, with my favorites being Eternal Darkness, Zelda, Timesplitters 2, and R: Racing Evolution. I will say upfront that one aspect I like about consoles is the "pick-up-and-play" thing. Consoles are cheap, stable, simple to operate, and offer a consistent interface.

Anyway, my last good driving game was Grand Prix Legends for the PC, and I've been looking for a racing game on the Cube for awhile. I have Burnout, which is cool but pretty shallow and short, and I have NFS 3, which has a mediocre framerate and little realism and subtlety. After picking up R: Racing Evolution for $20, I was really impressed. Most importantly, it has a really good, diverse set of cars that handle in a very realistic fashion, with regard to understeer, throttle-induced oversteer, weight distribution, and other things. And if you want to challenge yourself, try turning off the ABS & traction control completely!

So I wanted to say that I think this game is highly underrated, especially for the Gamecube where it has no competition. While I haven't played a lot of other console racers, I have a hard time believing there's anything more realistic on this side of Formula 1 type simulators. And how can Gran Turismo compare when they clearly went more for mass quantity than individual car tuning and feel, not to mention the fact that gas & brake are digital buttons! It seems that people knock this game because

1. It has "brake assist," which defaults to On.
2. It doesn't have nearly as many cars and tracks as games like PGR and Gran Turismo.
3. It's not a graphical marvel.
4. No motion blurring, or whatever it is that people think creates a sensation of "speed."

This game has actually drawn me in more consistently and for longer gaming sessions than any other Gamecube game I have.

One last thing: has anybody played this game in Time Attack mode? I noticed that when you quit, the results screen tells you to press Start for "password," which then presents you with a ~12 character password. What on earth is the purpose of this? I can't find ANY reference to this anywhere on the Internet or in the manual. Is it just a vestige of an unused feature?

happy gaming,
 Cooper

[DrZoidberg]

interesting, i just bought this game today, and it's pretty fun i guess, BUT i'm not a huge fan of realistic or faux realistic racers (give me f-zero or mario kart any day, or burnout from what i've heard about it) so my opinion might not hold as much weight as a serious racing gamer.

also ++ for homo-erotic female drivers free pacman vs. yes... that's what i ment.

[S-U-P-E-R]

Yeah, I love this game myself, and if it's 20 bucks now, everybody should get it, I think.

[KDR_11k]

I wish it was 20 bucks here...

What about that "pressure bar"? I've heard it was a pretty useless/counterproductive feature (and for overtaking nothing beats a minigun, anyway)...

[Ian Sane]

I haven't bought this game because I don't really care for realistic racers.  Though I may rent it sometime.  Anyway I think the main reason why this game didn't get that great of reviews and was largely ignored is because Namco hyped up this game as it was a new Ridge Racer and it wasn't.  I think the game would have done a lot better if Namco didn't give it a Ridge Racer like name and tried to establish it as something different.  Most people complained the they turned Ridge Racer into a sim and that wouldn't have been an issue if they didn't call it R(idge): Racing Evolution.

[vudu]

Quote
Originally posted by: S-U-P-E-R
Yeah, I love this game myself, and if it's 20 bucks now, everybody should get it, I think.

you forget, starting tomorrow f-zero is also only $20.  if you're like me, and can only handle so many racing games (the only other racing game for gamecube i own is mario kart), f-zero should be a no brainer.

[CaseyRyback]

I traded away F-Zero a while ago for a DC arcade stick so I will probably pick it up tomorrow so as to assure myself of getting a non PC copy although I should not spend any money to get it. I got a Saturn recently and between getting some games for that and my NGPC buying F-Zero may be pushing it.

[cblake]

KDR (Kappa Delta Rho?):

I honestly don't find the pressure bar to be a problem. Keep in mind I have played Grand Prix Legends a lot, which is arguably one of the most realistic racing simulations ever made. I would spend hours at a time going around the same track, just trying to shave a few tenths of a second off my lap time. I even started the full length races in career mode: for two hours I would be clenching the controls with perspiration beading on my brow, only to have the smallest flinch or mistake throw me back two or three positions instantly. Is that fun? You tell me.

At some point between frustration, boredom, and time management issues, I decided it wasn't worth it. Why do I want to have to work for hours at a time just to be able to have a chance at finishing in the top 5? And I don't think I ever tried the highest difficulty level!

So if you're more casual about gaming, like I am today, then the AI difficulty in R: Racing Evolution is appropriate. With a little practice, a novice can get bronze and some silver medals very easily. For many of the gold medals, you must often drive a car in a lower class than your opponent. You have to be consistently close to your opponent to make him spin out, and by that point I don't usually mind the help. Sometimes I will pass, but if I stop driving on the edge, he overtakes me again. And if you're still not challenged enough, then turn off traction control and/or ABS. Maybe I just really suck, but I'm at the point where I have to do some time trials before each event in order to get golds, and I'm not nearly half way through the event challenge mode.

Just don't use the brake assist. They should have disabled brake assist for all the silver & gold medals.

-Cooper

[joeamis]

Quote
Originally posted by: cblake

So I wanted to say that I think this game is highly underrated, especially for the Gamecube where it has no competition. While I haven't played a lot of other console racers, I have a hard time believing there's anything more realistic on this side of Formula 1 type simulators. And how can Gran Turismo compare when they clearly went more for mass quantity than individual car tuning and feel, not to mention the fact that gas & brake are digital buttons!
 Cooper

Gran Turismo didn't go for mass quantity over individual car tuning and feel,
and the gas and brake for it are not digital, GT3 supports touch sensitive buttons
and the ability to set the controls any way you want, you can use the analog
stick for both gas and brake, which I do.  Polyphony Digital, makers of Gran Turismo
take upto 25,000 photos of each race track to get it perfect inch by inch.  They take
upto 10,000 photos of each car as well.  They use helicopters, cranes, and GPS satellite
imagery to make everything as close to perfect as possible.
Gran Turismo lets you modify the cars more than R:Racing Evolution.

Not to knock the game but R:Racing Evolution in all the reviews of it I read
they said the cars did not have a good control feel to them and that
they were unrealistic, which wouldn't be bad but the game is marketed as
being so.  Basically, it doesn't come close to GT3 in terms of realism and control.

It didn't go from $50 to $20 in a few weeks after it's release for no reason.

[S-U-P-E-R]

Quote
Originally posted by: joeamis
It didn't go from $50 to $20 in a few weeks after it's release for no reason.

They should have marketed it like it was a beach vollyball game with girls instead of a serious fighting game



lol  

[Pale]

"touch sensitive buttons"

That doesn't impress me.  Now buttons that weren't touch sensitive, that'd be something new.

[joeamis]

well just laymans words for analog buttons.
GT3 is analog buttons not digital.
but yea lol

[cblake]

Hi Joe,

Pressure-sensitive buttons are nice, but nothing like an analog stick or trigger. So I still think that the Gamecube allows for better control of this type of game.

Quote
Basically, it doesn't come close to GT3 in terms of realism and control.

If you read the reviews carefully, most of them only compare directly to Gran Turismo in terms of numbers of cars, tracks, and other features. Some say that RRE lies between GT3 and arcade racers in terms of realism, but I think they are really referring to things like the pressure meter and brake assist option. Also, as you point out, the GT series offers more car customization. Nevertheless, some reviews specifically credit the physics engine in RRE as quite good.

I have played one of the Gran Turismo games briefly, but more importantly I have played a game much more realistic than GT: Grand Prix Legends. According to my experience, the physics engine in RRE is very good. My point is that the quality of the physics engine here is under-recognized, amidst all the comparisons of other aspects of the game. I don't need more cars, more tracks, more customizations or paint jobs to improve my enjoyment of the game when the core driving experience is so good. My other point is that there is nothing that comes close to RRE on the Gamecube.


So does anyone have an answer about that Password in RRE?

-Cooper

[joeamis]

Quote
Originally posted by: cblake
Hi Joe,

Pressure-sensitive buttons are nice, but nothing like an analog stick or trigger. So I still think that the Gamecube allows for better control of this type of game.

Quote
Basically, it doesn't come close to GT3 in terms of realism and control.

If you read the reviews carefully, most of them only compare directly to Gran Turismo in terms of numbers of cars, tracks, and other features. Some say that RRE lies between GT3 and arcade racers in terms of realism, but I think they are really referring to things like the pressure meter and brake assist option. Also, as you point out, the GT series offers more car customization. Nevertheless, some reviews specifically credit the physics engine in RRE as quite good.

I have played one of the Gran Turismo games briefly, but more importantly I have played a game much more realistic than GT: Grand Prix Legends. According to my experience, the physics engine in RRE is very good. My point is that the quality of the physics engine here is under-recognized, amidst all the comparisons of other aspects of the game. I don't need more cars, more tracks, more customizations or paint jobs to improve my enjoyment of the game when the core driving experience is so good. My other point is that there is nothing that comes close to RRE on the Gamecube.

So does anyone have an answer about that Password in RRE?

-Cooper

As I previously stated, GT3 lets you use the analog stick for gas and brake,
you can set it any way you want, you could even set it to press right for gas
on the stick.  The reviews I've read for R:RE have all complained about
the physics, but whatever, maybe it's just different.  Need for Speed UG
is on the Cube and that got racing game of the year, owning it for PS2
I can say it's the best racer I've played other than GT3, and I'm a
racing fanatic, I own more racing games than anything else.  I'd check it
out if I were you, you'd be pleasantly surprised.  I may check out RRE too
myself.