Pro Race Driver Review
Pro Race Driver puts drivers in the spotlight without sacrificing exciting ontrack action.
Most racing games put the emphasis solely on the cars and tracks. But racing fans know that it's also the men behind the machines that make the sport so intriguing. After all, racing isn't just about horsepower, it's also about heroes--larger-than-life figures like Michael Schumacher and Dale Earnhardt, not to mention the unsung experts behind the scenes who build and keep the cars running. With Pro Race Driver, Codemasters has created a racing game that puts drivers in the spotlight without sacrificing exciting ontrack action.
Pro Race Driver isn't a hard-core simulation, but it does let you try out various different racecars in fast-paced, arcade-style competitions that have enough realism to keep things interesting and challenging. The game was released on the PlayStation 2 last fall, and its console origins are apparent in this new PC port, though not always in a good way. Codemasters left the original console game's interface in the PC version, so you have to navigate it with your keyboard instead of your mouse. The game suffers from a number of other faults that marred the generally fine PS2 version, and some of the problems have seemingly gotten worse. Still, whatever its faults, Pro Race Driver can hold its own in many ways, not the least of which is its incorporation of an interesting story.
Most racing games offer little to nothing in the way of story or characters. Not so with Pro Race Driver, which features a career mode that focuses on a single fictional driver, Ryan McKane. Pro Race Driver uses the cinematic touches found in other game genres to let you watch and take part in McKane's life in racing. The game opens with a flashback sequence that shows McKane's father--a legendary driver--barely winning a race, only to have his car intentionally clipped by a young upstart driver right after crossing the finish line. Young Ryan and his brother look on in horror as their father dies in a fiery wreck.
In Pro Race Driver's career mode, you get to lead Ryan McKane in the footsteps of his father and his brother, who's also grown up to be a pro race driver. Through occasional cutscenes, you'll see Ryan join his first team with some help from his brother and then try to live up to the family name. Some of the cutscenes also tie directly into the races instead of just serving as a general framework for the action. If you viciously slam into an opponent during a race, you'll get to watch a nasty exchange of words between the two drivers when the race is finished.
While all this could easily have ended up being nothing more than a gimmick, it generally works pretty well. The cutscenes are mostly well written and directed, which makes all the difference. Pro Race Driver does a great job of establishing McKane's character early on, showing you a man brimming with the surly arrogance of youth. Other characters, like his seasoned crew chief and brash manager, also seem unusually realistic for game characters, thanks to their smart and well-delivered dialogue.
The continuing story of McKane's career helps set Pro Race Driver apart, but the story alone is hardly worth buying the game for. You obviously want to have solid racing action, too. Fortunately, Pro Race Driver generally delivers on that front. You'll get to drive 42 different real-world cars (after unlocking them all), including the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the MG Lola Le Mans, the Audi TT-R, the Lotus Elise, and the Dodge Viper GTS-R. You'll also get to race on 38 real-world circuits, like Sears Point, Bristol, Monza, and Silverstone. This means you'll get to try your hand on tiny NASCAR ovals, dense and twisty road courses, and everything in between, including multiple configurations of the same venue, like at England's exciting Brands Hatch.
In addition to the career mode, which takes you through tiers of varied racing series, you can test yourself in time trials and enter free races. While some of the free race tracks are initially locked, a surprisingly large number of them are open for playing right from the start, which is a very welcome change from the way most games handle such "extras." Unlike in the career mode, there's a difficulty slider in the free race mode, as well as options to set the number of laps from one to 60, select the weather, and more.
Pro Race Driver Quick Links
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- GameSpot Scoregood
Player Reviews
Critic Scores
- IGN 7.5 / 10
- GameZone 8 / 10
- Game Chronicles 8.4 / 10
- Gaming Age A
- Eurogamer 8 / 10
- Final-Level 4 / 5
- Game Blitz 75 / 100
- GamingExcellence 7.4 / 10
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