A mediocre gaming treat for Fast & Furious fanboys

Is it just me or does anyone else seem to notice the growing number of import street racing games popping up like wild mushrooms after the unexpected success of a certain movie called The Fast & The Furious? Cashing on interest in the illegal street racing scene, game developers have diligently churned out titles like Need For Speed Underground & Midnight Club Street Racing, and not forgetting of course the newest addition to this ever growing sub-genre, Namco's Street Racing Syndicate.

The basic objective in all these street racer games is more or less the same. Buy yourself the right car, slap on the right upgrades then smoke all competition to become the biggest, baddest racer on the road. Winning races will win you big bucks as well as respect points and cheap chicks. Win all the races, collect all the cars and chicks and you're pretty much done with the game. You start out with a basic selection from Mitsubishi, Toyota, Subaru & other well known brands synonymous with the import racing scene. Each brand offers several models ranging from the lowest end of the price scale to high retail. As an added bonus for all you Initial D fans, the developers have even thrown in an old Toyota Trueno. Surprisingly though, some lower priced cars may perform better than other more expensive models.

There are also several super high-end vehicles such as the $100,000 Nissan Skyline that are unavailable at the beginning but can be unlocked later in the game by winning races. Personally, I found the low-end basic Subaru Impreza far more impressive performance-wise compared to some of the other pricier makes driven by computer controlled opponents. Why spend $30,000 on more expensive brands when you could smoke them in a car that costs only half as much? Equally important are selecting the right upgrades and currect customization. The game allows you to customize your vehicle in just about every way imaginable, right down to the color of your brakes.

On the down side, anyone familiar with the world of import street racing would immediately notice the lack of the Honda/Acura brand. Apparently, Honda wasn't too interested on being included in the game, which explains why they chose to be ommited. Sure, you can have your trademark Mitsubishi Eclipses, Toyota Supras and Nissan Skylines but without anything from the Honda stable, the whole picture would look like a jigsaw puzzle with a huge missing piece. This however, isn't the game's only minus point. I did not like the idea of them including women as possessions that can be won and owned like pokemons. You can go around town winning these women off the streets by completing their 'respect challenges' then adding them to your collection. Along with each girl, you also get a series of incredibly cheesy videos of her dressed in a bikini or some other skimpy outfit.

As far as gameplay goes, SRS dulls in comparison with other driving games as Gran Turismo and the like. The cars are fast and furious but SRS seems to lack that secret ingredient that prevents it from being a 'great game'. With its limited brand selection and compulsive cheating on the part of its A.I, you can bet this is one game that will not last long. While on the subject of its cheating A.I, imagine not being able to outrun a computer controlled 200hp Volkswagen in a 500hp modified Mitsubishi Eclipse. In real life, you'd expect to have a good half mile lead on any track, judging from the huge difference in performance levels between these cars. As an experiment, I intentionally gave these other 200hp cars a 'considerable' lead by starting late, yet I was able to catch up to them in no time but once I was slightly ahead, they all would stick to my tail like glue regardless of how fast I was going. We're talking about comparatively wimpy 200hp cars keeping up with a 500hp monster at over 160 MPH.

As far as physics goes, the developers have obviously thrown the textbook out the window. Crashing head-on into another vehicle at 100+ MPH would put your driving career to an end in a hurry but in this game, the only damage inflicted is a broken windshield. Surprisingly, your car would still be tough enough to accelerate to top speed, have a few more accidents before you're reminded that its in need of some fixing. The controls are not too difficult but beginners are advised to start out with an automatic vehicle. Automatic mode is recommended for first time gamers because it is comparatively easier without the player having to worry about switching gears around tight corners. You can also opt for a stick-shift car but this requires a considerable amount of practice before one is ready for a real street race.

There are several locations around the city to which you could either drive or automatically 'jump' to. This includes your home (warehouse), garage, auto dealership and street racing venues. You start out driving around the streets of L.A but also get to race through other cities as Miami and Philly in Arcade Mode. The streets of L.A look pretty realistic, complete with traffic, other racers looking for a challenge as well as cops seeking to ruin your day. There is plenty to explore, so this should keep some people occupied for a short while. The in-game sound effects are nothing spectacular. SRS comes with its own soundtrack featuring a mix of bland hip-hop tunes and other sounds you'd expect to hear blaring out of the stereo of a typical racer.

After spending several days at SRS, I found that it isn't an entirely bad game. It isn't that good either. Spending over $20 on it would not be the brightest thing to do, nonetheless the game is a noteworthy weekend rental. Run down to your local rental store and grab a copy today if you're bored with all the other street racing titles out there.