Auto Modellista

"Proving There is Balance in The Universe"

The origins of cel-shading are foggy at best, but the common consensus is that the Jet Set Radio games really brought the graphical style into the mainstream. After that there was a short deluge of cel-shaded games which flooded the market and most were only remarkable due to their graphical style. While there have been a few examples of good implementation, by and large it has just been a gimmick to carry the rest of the game instead of a method of visual presentation. With Capcom's Auto Modellista it is probably safe to say every genre has now been done with cel-shading. Interestingly, it's also now safe to say every genre has been done badly in cel-shading.

Auto Modellista's problems are clear from the get go and the most noticeable problem the game suffers from is a major identity crisis. If you're expecting a sim racer along the lines of Gran Turismo, you'll be sorely disappointed. And if you're expecting something along the lines of Need for Speed, again you're going to be disappointed. While the game doesn't hold to either side of the line well, it does try to jump back and forth between both sides, trying to bring together simulation and arcade elements in one cohesive package. Unsurprisingly, it does neither thing well. But let's examine this problem in further detail:

On the simulation side of things, Auto Modellista offers a bevy of performance tuning options with which to tweak a car. While the options aren't as comprehensive as a true simulation, there are enough of them to suspect that Capcom intended for gear heads to really delve into engine customization. From there, the game descends into arcade territory, as the actual racing physics are nowhere near realistic, instead opting for a fast and loose style.

But if this strange identity crisis was the only problem the game had, it would probably be tolerable. However, those arcade racing physics have a major problem working against them; they suck. Car control is awful because it's too loose and extremely squirrelly, so much so that trying to keep the car going straight often turns into a snaking line down a straight. In the curves, minute adjustments often send the car into a sideways powerslide, or at the very least, end up breaking traction on at least one tire. Eventually anyone serious about playing the game will learn that the only way to avoid these problems is to drive the vehicles like they are bumper cars, bouncing off of walls and other racers in order to keep control. Obviously, this is a damning trait to be found in a racing game.

Though what I have described so far is enough to ruin any racer, there are a number of other faults and incomprehensible design traits that beat an already bad game into the dirt even further. Like Forza Motorsport, Auto Modellista allows players to customize cars. It is possible to switch out parts such as hoods, body pieces, wings and wheels. However, when it comes to the number of options presented, even the latest Need for Speed puts this game to shame. For nearly every aspect, there are only two aftermarket pieces to choose from. And they serve no practical effect, other than to alter the cars appearance.

For me the game's biggest sticking point is the career mode, or rather the lack thereof. Auto Modellista allows players to enter something called Garage Life. Basically, in this area players can pick out any car, slap on performance and visual modifications and… well, that's about it. It is possible to go compete in a few races, but this comes with no feeling of purpose or accomplishment. The reasons for this are many, so allow me to elaborate.

There is no form of currency in Auto Modellista. Nor is there any need for it. From the moment you first start the game, nearly everything is unlocked. Most of the cars and parts are there for the taking without any effort whatsoever. This means that, unlike other racing games, which typically start players out in a beat-down hunk of junk and then work up to allow players access to high-performance cars and parts by completing races, here you can jump right in and choose a Dodge Viper as your starting vehicle. Not only that, but you can outfit it with all the best performance parts right away.

So how does this tie into the career mode? Well, it utterly negates the desire and need to do anything. Take for instance a game such as Gran Turismo. When you're placed into a piece of junk, you're immediately focused on getting something better, something faster. That desire is what makes players keep racing in order to make enough money to upgrade to that super fast ride. When you're given everything from the get-go, there's nothing left to do, there's no motivation to play. In other words, the game has beaten itself.

That's not to say you won't get something for racing, but in comparison to everything you've already got, it's unremarkable. Winning races will unlock a lot of crap with which to decorate the garage (stuff like posters). Every now and then you can unlock a new performance part, visual part or even a new car. However, since most of the best cars are unlocked from the start, and those that are unlocked are really old junkers, there's really no joy or celebration involved. Again, when you've been driving around in a Viper from the start, why would you downgrade to something else?

Track selection leaves much to be desired as well. The overall number is small, and the quality is bottom of the barrel. There is a single real track, the Suzuka Circuit, which is unsurprisingly the best in the game. But the rest are thoroughly unimpressive and manage to be either pathetically simple, such as the many courses which are basically square circuits with a few kinks thrown in, or ridiculously complicated, such as the downhill courses which are essentially nothing more than one long string of switchbacks.

Nor am I impressed with the car selection. True, Capcom has gotten a nice number of manufacturers, which include nearly everything made in Asia, along with some others but the actual car list leaves a lot to be desired. There are several manufacturers that are missing their most notable cars, and the game wastes a lot of space of unnecessary cars (do we really need a comprehensive catalog of Evolutions, Civics and Silvias?).

The audio won't win anyone over either. If it's even possible, it made me hate the game more than I already did. Where to even begin? How about the awful jazz-lite/elevator techno that sounds like the rejected noise from a Gran Turismo menu? More annoying than that is the commentator who screams out some random phrase every time you go to a new menu and during races at a breakneck pace. Even worse, he constantly repeats those same asinine phrases.

If they're any bright side to be found in the smoldering wreck of this atrocity of a game, it's with the cel-shaded graphics. Everything I said at the beginning of this review is true; they are just a limp gimmick for an awful racing title. However, when a game does as much wrong as this one, any bright spot is appreciated. Cars are rendered in perfect (and sexy) comic-book style and the bright colors seem to jump off the screen. Environments could have used a bit of work, as things look a bit flat and half-finished, but chances are you'll be too preoccupied staring at your ride, or criticizing the games many other faults aloud to notice. There are also many other visual effects that further the comic-book style, such as the speed lines (which actually do nothing to help the overall weak impression of speed), and one that appears when a car's tires are slipping. Of course, none of this does anything to salvage this mess, but it's nice to have something pretty to look at while you swear at the television screen.

THE VERDICT
For as long as I spent with this game, I couldn't find a single redeeming feature at all. As it stands, it is without a doubt the very worst racing game I've ever played (you've been let off the hook Prostreet). However, I can't help see a lesson here. If Gran Turismo is the best racer to be found on a Sony platform then Auto Modellista sits on the polar opposite end of that spectrum as the absolute worst. Forget Isaac Newton and his years of experimentation. With this travesty of a racer Capcom has proved that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Capcom has proved that there is balance in the universe.

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 05/21/09

Game Release: Auto Modellista (US, 03/25/03)