Ford should be sticking to the real highway.
* Detailed car models
* Soundtrack
* The Fords!
The Bad
* Arcade style racing
* Predictable AI
* Poor collision detection
* Uninspired winnings (no fanfare; just a spinning trophy)
Gameplay 5
Graphics 9
Sounds 7
Value 6
Tilt 5
The Ford Motor Company has been around since 1903 and in 1908 brought into the world the Model T Ford. This car arguably put America on Wheels at an affordable price. However it was the production line that made is car a success as most companies used 'hand made' options.
In 1999 the PC game Ford Racing entered the market however considering the fame of the Fords as being innovative, the game uses 'stock standard' racing options hence no chance to shine. Stiff competition in the realms of racing simulations like Need For Speed, NASCAR Racing 3 or even Lego Racers shows some kind of uniqueness and able to grab the market's attention however even though Ford Racing's selling point of 'just like the real thing' wasn't enough for any player to embrace the 'metal-to-the-pedal' attitude. If Ford rushes a car into production (which at times did especially the Falcons range) it's not going to sell. It seems that the game was pretty rushed into production just to enter the PC gaming market and solely relying on the goodwill of its name. However, I feel that it damaged more of the goodwill of the company and probably should avoid the gaming market altogether, well at this stage anyway.
It's not to say that the Ford Motor Company is to blame for a lack-luster product as the publishers Empire Interactive had made some great games in the past. For some unknown reason Ford Racing is all about bundling other racing elements into one package.
The game play is pretty typical for any racing game. You have your quick mode which you select a very limited range of Ford cars, racing against limited number of tracks for an overall goal to beat your opponents and/or achieve the best time. It's a good way to get the feel for the game however you eventually want to play the 'career' mode.
In the career mode, you start off as the slowest car in the pack (the Kia) and depending on the challenge you choose determines the prize. Three main modes of competition presents here being the 'class' (racing against the same types of cars however not the same year), 'closed one' and 'closed two' (racing against similar types of cars - closed one is designed for the 'lesser' cars and the 'big ones' are in closed two therefore you cannot race a GT90 in 'closed one' for example) and the 'open' competition which means anything goes with the exception of the 'big two' (Taurus and the GT90). Naturally racing in the 'open' competition will unlock better cars a lot quicker than the 'class' or 'closed' options however the chances are stack heavily against you and may cause some serious frustrations (but not impossible to win as there is a small loop hole - continue reading).
There are in total ten differenet cars and eight classes to unlock (classes means the year of release from 1997 to 2000 as there are two in each year). The Fords to grab (other than the Kia) are the Fiesta, Escort, Puma, Focus (I feel the hardest one to win), Mondeo, Mustang (my favourite), Cougar, Taurus and eventually the majestic GT90. If you happen to win the 'class' race twice in a row you have the opportunity to unclock the 'black' version for that class. Black cars are superior in handling and speed.
The game prides itself of the level of 'sophistication car physics modeling and offers real-world handling coupled with authentic car-crash dynamics'. I rarely seen this as many-a-times if I hit anything larger than a pebble, my car will spin 180 degrees (another words facing in the wrong direction) and there's very little hope of winning the race as you can see the AIs zoom merrily away into the sunset. On top of that, the AIs freakily escape this situation quite easily however their level of intelligence is something to be questioned. Eventually you will notice that the AIs all follow a common pattern and it's a matter of time that you'll pick up their 'habits' and capitalise this 'mis-fortune' hence making this game remarkably easy to win.
To my surprise there are no pit stops, fuel gauge, any serious weather effects; night driving is almost as bright as day-driving, no repairs needed and very little hills to navigate. That said it's almost like driving arcade-style and the only 'simulation' option is you can opt to drive manual as well as automatic. However there is an option you can choose to what visual mode you like to play (e.g. 1st person, bumper view, chase cam etc) and once completed the race, you are able to save your game as 'replays'.
The irony of this game is that the better the car, the more bendy the tracks. It's fair to say that bendy tracks requires more skillful driving however there is little chance that your Taurus (which is at the time a proper touring car) can reach top speed due to the many corners. As mentioned above about the 'open' competition, if you pit up your Escort and race against say the Mustangs and/or Taurus' there is a good chance that your Escort will win due to the tracks bends and the predictable AIs.
The graphics of the game are pretty good for its time. All the cars are detailed and if you look carefully you'll be able to see the driver's head turning from side-to-side to create the illusion of he's check out the ongoing traffic. However, even though the cars are extremely detailed, they are a little too shiny for my liking and the spectators are nothing more than cardboard cutouts. Other effects like lighting, shadows, trees and everything else are pretty pleasing to the eye however I feel that all the attention was on the cars than the environments around them. And so they should!
The sound quality is reasonable for a racing game. However there is no real adrenaline pumping roar of the engines and when driving manual there is no real serious sounds of changing gears. It more like driving arcade style racing game than a GT simulation. On the other hand the soundtrack is great to bop around to however a little too 'up-beat' for a racing game but definitely worth listening to as a stand-alone soundtrack.
Ford Racing is after all racing game against other Fords. It strives to be realistic however as mentioned before it fell really short. It tries to be a racing simulation and strives to maintain a sense of realism as to make players fell like they are in the driving seat of these magnificent beasts however due to the many missing elements of a real racing game and the lack of originality it feels more of an arcade-style racing game that can be easily forgotten. Unless you are a serious Ford nut, give this game a miss.