SolidShoe's Full Review: Metropolis Street Racer for Dreamcast
Metropolis Street Racer
It's a very sad day indeed, when a game as incredible as Metropolis Street Racer, only receives four (soon to be five) reviews. Yes, Epinions took their sweet time in putting the product up for analysis, that much I do acknowledge. And now that the game has arrived for review, it gets the cold treatment, which is pretty much the same response it recieved on the dreamcast. That in itself is very sad, because Metropolis Street Racer is a the type of racing game that must be experienced. Long has Sega been associated with legends in the ring of video game racing. What began with classics, like outrun and Rad Mobile, continued with revolutionary racing games, like Virtual Racing, Daytona Usa, Sega Rally, Super GT, and Sega GT, to name a few. And those were games made by Sega, or to be more specific, divisions of Sega, like AM2 and AM3.
While MTR was not created by Sega, it's only perfectly approriate that Sega's last system be blessed with a racing game that is, for me, the best racing game on the planet. Bizarre Entertainment has created a game that is deservant of a place within the family of exceptional Sega crafted racers. In many ways, MTR completes a circle of perfection within the racing genre. As you may have gathered, I feel that MTR is one hell of a racing game. Allow me to explain why.
The Concept of Kudos
MTR presents a very unique racing experience, in that it doesn't necessarily focus on coming in first place, at least not in the normal sense. While most racing games pressure the player to outrun each computerized opponent(or friend in 2p mode)with the goal of obtaining first place, MTR makes a bold statement which laughs in the face of the tried-and-true staple. It's not about how fast you drive. It's about how you drive fast.
Ie, MTR is more of a beauty contest than an all-out racing hog of a game. MTR relies on the Kudos system. The Kudos system is a method by which the game rewards flashy, clean drivers with points. These points are then tallied up, and if the required amount is present, the player moves on to bigger and better races. The Kudo System is the driving force of MTR; it is the core of the game. MTR is a racing game to focuses on finesseful driving. If ever there was a racing game that seemed to force the player to perfection, it's MTR.
In short, the game is very hard, and very unforgiving, but at the same time, it's so rewarding. To give you and idea of how the Kudo system works, I'll give an example. Say you're going 120mph, and approaching a sharp turn. Now, you could do a number of things. Brake to a slower speed and gentally glide around the coner; not very exciting, and it won't impress the game at all, so not many, if any points. Say you're more interested in speed, and you try to take the corner. You hit the wall, but still come out doing 70-80 mph. That would be cool...in any other game. In MTR, you would loose so many Kudo points that there would be no point in continuing the race. Now, if you have the skill, you apply one of the four different powerslide maneuvers, don't hit a wall, and come out with speed and points!
Thus, you have the kudo system. You really can't make many mistakes in MTR, at least not later in the game. At first, the Kudo system is very overwhelming. Learning perfect technique, like mastering the multiple variations of the powerslide, drift, fishtailing, etc, will take lots of time. MTR is almost as dependent on those techniques as Ridge Racer was so long ago. However, the transistion from the beginner to the master, is totally worth the effort in MTR. Mastering any game, be-it racing, fighting, puzzle, etc, fills the gamer with such sense of power; with confidence. In a sea of racing games, where the immediate goal is to win, win, win, MTR dares to be different by putting the advancement of the player's skill at such a high priority. You can tell Bizzare Creations really wants the gamer to come away with more than just "I won by any means" feeling. It's not always about winning.
Control Is King
A racing game without good controls is sure to fail. MTR is a game driven by technique, so it would make sense for the controls to be top notch. Well, the dreamcast pad may not be ideal for fighting games, but when it comes to racing, the default pad is a monster. See, the dreamcast is equipped with analog shoulder buttons, meaning they are capable of delivering varying levels of force. With that in mind,MTR's default control setting is perfect. The analog stick controls the steering, the face buttons are used for shifting and handbraking, and the shoulder buttons are used for accelerating and normal breaking.
No more gunning the engine to gain speed, or instant brake locking to turning corners. There are so many degrees of sensitivity for the brake and acceleration, that you really feel as if you're behind the wheel of a real car. Powerslides are far simpler with analog braking. Countersteering from a handbrake slide is much harder without analog brakes. Also, analog acceleration and braking are really necessary when using manual acceleration (automatic is a no-no in any 'decent' racing game). No more loosing 30mph just to shift from gear 4 down to 3, since you can now ease the car down in speed.
Every car has it's own feel, and for the most part, the control is perfect. My only gripe is, again, with the Dreamcast pad. The thumb analog stick is simply not on the same level as the Sony or Nintendo sticks, which makes things a bit uncomfortable after a while. Still, that's not the games fault. I ofter find myself pushing it like it were a d-pad, when all I really want is it ease the car over into the next lane. In spite of that, MTR has A++ control.
The Tracks
MTR is blessed when it comes to tracks. Not only is there an obsene amount of tracks present, but each one is lovingly detailed after a real place. The races take place in three places: San Fransico, Tokoyo, and London. There are 100+ tracks in this game, and each one is a work of art. Never before has the illusion of being immersed within a genuine racing enviornment been this staggering. The levels are chock full of buildings, bridges, statues, trees, inclines, tunnels....everthing a racing game needs to stay afloat, MTR has in spades. Before I played this game, I was positive that Rage Racer on the PSone would go down in history as having the greatest tracks ever. After playing MTR, I'm able see the stupidity in that assesment.
MTR's levels have everything. And each level is testament to the power of Bizzare. Every S-curve, 90 degree angle, steep hill, blind man's bluff...they're all pefectly placed. It's very hard to describe the sensation one gets from powersliding around a sharp curve, then following a gentle turn into a long tunnel, and finally emerging into a park or forest, or onto a bridge. It's simple really, but the feeling of great driving will put a smile on the face of the player.
Games like Gran Turismo 2 and 3, while having decent tracks, seem to focus more on providing insane amounts of cars, and so the craftmanship of the level design suffers a bit. Not so in MTR. Every level just screams quality. And another thing I love about the tracks is the general absence of grass. These are industrial zones :) All in all, the tracks almost steal the show, and are more than enough of a reason to purchase this game.
The Graphics
MTR is pure eye candy. There is just so much happening in the levels, at least as far as structures are concerned. Cities look like cities, parks look like parks...after seeing MTR in action, you'll never want to look at boring racing landscapes again. Games like Gran Turismo and Ridge Racer 5, as well as most of the other racing games on the market right now, would have you believe that six or seven buildings make a city. Even the recent GT3 is lacking in the landscape department. Again, not in MTR. It's so photo realistic that you may feel as if you're on a sight seeing tour.
Yet more awesome is the day changes. MTR runs on a real clock, and this clock controls the time of day within the levels. The changing visual quality is so dramatic, and it happens right before your very eyes. Say you're racing in San Fransico at dawn. The race starts with a light blue early morning mist which covers the entire area. As you continue to race, the mist rises, then it slowly vanishes, and gentally, the sun rises. The same occurs during the middle of the day, and then to night. Night driving is so realistic in MTR. The lighting is perfectly real considering that these are real places and not racing tracks. Visibility is limited at night, as it would be if you were to street race at night. Many people complain that the night portions of MTR are too hard because of a lack of ample lighting, but for me, it was totally realistic, and just right the way it was.
The cars are a mixed bag. No, they aren't the most detailed cars I've ever seen in a racer, and for the most part, they tend to look a bit soft. Also, the cars don't suffer damage from collisions, which is a bit phoney. However, MTR just plays better from the 'inside' view. Still, if you insist on looking at the cars, just know that they don't compare to the cars in many other racing games, like those in GT3.
Another aspect that I have mixed feelings about is the framerate. MTR runs at a rock solid 30fps, which is nice....but 60fps is always nicer, and I'm a firm believer in the notion that racing games need to be 60fps to acheive total realism. MTR has incredible visuals, but what it doesn't always have, is an incredible sense of speed. At 30fps, it just doesn't seem to be moving as fast as the odometer says. Now I know the Dreamcast isn't the bandwidth hog that the PS2 is, but I can't help but wonder what this game would have been if it had moved at 60FPs. Luckily, the sequal, Project Gotham Racing, for Xbox, does move at 60 fps. I can't wait to play it! Still, for what MTR does in the fps department, it's very acceptable. At least the frame rate is rock solid.
MTR looks incredible, with great textures and detail. Frame rate aside and average car graphics aside, it's pure dreamcast eyecandy.
The Music
Now if there is one place where all Sega racers shine, it's in the music department. Who doesn't remember Daytona's quality song track, which was complimented by some rather quirky singing during the races. Again, the same goes for one of my favorite Sega racers, Sonic R. Now Sonic R got blasted for having cutesy wutesy songs and girlish lyrics. Whatever...Sonic R had a quality soundtrack that was very catchy, and people bashed it because it wasn't the typical "rock or techno" that namco and sony have been slinging forever now.
MTR's soundtrack was composed by the same people who did Sonic R's, and let me tell you, MTR might have the greatest racing soundtrack of all time.
First of all, there are tons of songs. Almost every style of music is faithfully represented in this game. Jazz, hip-hop, J-pop, Techno, dance....you name it, it's here. Women sing in full glory, wanna-be Will Smiths rap about cash-money, Barry White rejects tell women to love them, cowboys sing.......it's so fresh and at the same time incredibly cheesy. However, it's not so cheesy that it's not enjoyable. The lyrics to most of the songs are, admittedly goofy, but the beats are second to none. Everybody raves about Jet Grind Radio's soundtrack, but MTR stomps it in the ground. Really, the first time you hear:
Hey baby, I wanna show you something I wanna show you what you mean to me
or...
Well excuse me, but I didn't mean to startle you I was just cruising along.....in my BMW I know there's a place that you'd rather be Where the money means nothing...and the drinks are free
heheheh....I love the music in this game.
Better still, MTR comes jam packed with an OUTRUN style radio, which can be changed on the fly. Each radio station is unique, with a DJ, commercials, then the songs. The sound test is better, in that it lets you play different CDs within the game, so you listen to any one of the games many songs instantly. I really love the music in MTR, and I'm sure i'm not the only one :)
Racing Perfection
MTR is racing perfection. The control, music, selection of cars, graphics, sheer number of tracks, and kudo system make it the best racing game I've ever played. After playing games like Sega Rally and Super GT to death, I never really believed that those incredible sega racing games could ever be topped. While Rage Racer holds a place in my heart, the rest of Ridge series has never done much for me, and Gran Turismo just bores me to death.
What makes MTR so special is that it manages to contain enough driving technique to appear almost like a driving sim, while at the same time, it screams arcade with fast tracks and slamming sounds. Everything about MTR just works. Even the newer GT3 just seems poor in comparison, and that fact that it's just GT2 in a new wrapper doesn't exactly help. MTR's achievments more than make up for the slight shortcomings. I for one can't wait to get my hands on Project Gotham Racing. Just the thought of MTR with better graphics and 60fps is food for endless wet dreams.....mmmmmmmmm.........MTR is just the bomb baby.
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