Ferrari Challenge Updated Hands-On

Ferrari Challenge is yet another attempt at capturing the mystique of the Ferrari brand and distilling it into videogame form. Sega produced a dedicated arcade game back in 1999, and recent games such as Project Gotham Racing 4 and Forza Motorsport 2 have included their fair share of the Italian manufacturer's cars. However, none of them will be as comprehensive as Ferrari Challenge, which will eventually offer the entire back catalogue of Ferrari cars to race on some of the world's most famous tracks.

We've been following the game since our first hands-on last year, and it looks to be shaping up nicely as we head close to the March release date. For now, the game is only on PlayStation 3 and Wii, although it's clear that the developer is at least investigating the possibility of an Xbox 360 version. For now though, it looks like the main work on the PS3 version is over, and only the last few tweaks and adjustments are being made to the game. For example, the reflections on the water-logged tracks and the cars themselves look very impressive, although the crumpled textures still need some work.

The PS3 version will support 16-player multiplayer over the PlayStation Network, although due to the high polygon count on the cars, two-player local split screen isn't a possibility. Talking of cars though, the game certainly looks the part, and Ferrari fans are going to have a difficult job picking out one of these immaculately detailed vehicles from their virtual garage. In one particularly inspired idea, if you can't afford to buy the vehicle you want, you can opt to rent them for single races instead. Through downloadable content packs, the idea is to have every single Ferrari vehicle available to play in the game at some point in the future. These polygon issues also hit the game in another way, however: you will only be able to have two different models of car on the track at any one time, although these can be customised fairly heavily.

And while many people will probably opt for the famous red paint job on their cars, the customisation options in Ferrari Challenge are worth a look. Official sponsor logos can be applied anywhere on the car, and you can change the paint job from a very cool black to a very gaudy pink if you so desire. Just as an experiment, we tried to see if it was possible to create an ugly Ferrari by colouring it pink with a yellow stripe and a Rolling Stones' tongue logo on the back. Experiment successful, we were actually embarrassed to compete against the computer opposition.

It's clear that System 3 has big plans for the downloadable content in Ferrari Challenge. The first content pack will release shortly after the game, and while it's highly likely that it will be premium release, it will offer some of the most recognisable tracks in the world. The Monaco street circuit will be instantly familiar to Formula One fans, while the Nurburgring is pretty much a must-have track for a racing game these days. We hope to bring you more news on Ferrari Challenge, as well as the as-yet-unseen Wii version, closer to its scheduled release.