Auto Modellista

"Who let the kids loose with the crayons?"

The popularity of The Fast and the Furious certainly wasn't down to the masterfully crafted script, the attention to authentic detail and the stirring cast performances....because there weren't any. You'd be hard pressed to find a more vacuous, preposterous, testosterone injected slice of celluloid drivel. The cars were the stars. Everything else was just window dressing for the growling turbo charged speed machines to smash through, with the odd Vin Diesel biceps flexing interlude to keep the ladies happy. The same can be said for Capcom's Auto Modellista. Except for the Vin Diesel part. Damn, I hate giving him extra publicity.

Exuberant style pours from every exhaust port of this striking game. rather than to try to out Gran Turismo 3 or take the shine off WRC II Extreme's deliciously realistic visuals, Auto Modellista opts for a look all of its own. Taking its cue from games such as Jet Set Radio and Gungrave, it's a cel-shaded fiesta of bold colors and cartoon stylings.
Auto Modellista in action is like nothing else on PS2. Real world tracks like Suzuka and serious race machines such as Nissan Skylines and Mitsubishi Evos are in stark contrast to the Batman-esque screech bubbles as your tires squeal around corners and the childish squiggles representing the air flowing over the chassis. It's a bizarre mix of styles that surprisingly works, with the rain effects in particular looking rather splendid.
However, Auto Modellista never manages to instill the same kind of awe and amazement that you get from Turismo for the first time, and it's not long before the cel-shaded novelty starts to wear off. The 50 dollar question is whether you're still going to want to spend your evenings with this delectable racer when the initial attraction wears off. I think not.

First impressions veer towards Gran Turismo's domain with a multitude of car set-up menus and a garage full of mufflers, turbos and springy things. All of the usual suspects are just waiting for you to take them out for a trash. Nissan Skylines, Subaru Imprezas, Toyota Celicas; as long as it's Japanese you can drive it. But soon you'll discover Auto Modellista's simplified handling. It straddles the middle ground between serious simulation and arcade simplicity yet fails to satisfy either desire.
No matter which car you choose, they simply refuse to turn into corners leaving you grappling with an overpowered, understeering beast. They lack both the subtlety of GT3's handling and the responsiveness of something like NfS.
You'll get used to it and it's by no means awful but wit so many driving games out there already, Auto Modellista risks being lost in the tire smoke of so many superior handling racers.
This game's obvious identity crisis is even more pronounced when you delve into the challenges on offer for the single player. Auto Modellista was originally designed to be played online. Unfortunately this option will be unavailable in the European version due to the current lack of PS2 online capabilities, making a number of the game's features redundant for the solo racer.

A considerable portion of the game is devoted to redesigning your car with a variety of spoilers, alloy wheels, wing mirrors and so on, available for you to alter the look of your car. Garish paint jobs can be created with each panel of the car individually customizable. Even the number plates can be personalized. But it's all a bit pointless when no one else is around to admire your car.
All you're left with is a series of races split into seven tiers. I presume that the intention is to make each tier slightly more difficult. I say presume because every single race is insultingly easy. I romped through the entire seven tiers without ever losing a single race. In just over two hours I'd completed the entire game. I know I'm good, but I'm not that good.

Wins are rewarded with extra parts for your car and help to unlock more vehicles, but once again it's a bit redundant. most of the decent models are available from the start. Unlike GT3 there's no incentive to work your way up through a number of vehicles because you can choose a Skyline, Evo or Impreza right from the off. New parts are handed out like sweets to a terminally ill kid, leaving you with no challenge in turning your car into a turbo charged monster.
Races are a simple case of learning the track on the first lap and then sauntering to victory. You'll storm pat your computer opponents in the first few meters and that's the last you'll see of them until you cross the finish line. With a paltry six tracks to race - plus an extra test track - you'd expect each one to be a veritable feast of challenging corners and overtaking opportunities. But no, all of the tracks are incredibly dull.

I'm about absolutely sick to death of Suzuka having put in hundreds of hours around Japan's most famous circuit in other games. However, it's the dull, square motorway course that really puts the seal on Auto Modellista's unforgivable shallowness. With no need to break at any of the four gentle corners, it's a simple matter of keeping your foot to the floor and finding something to pass the time until the chequered flag. Never has there been a more clear cut case of style over substance. Dull tracks, non-existent challenge and a criminally short lifespan consign Auto Modellista to the back of the grid. It's fast, anything but furious and mindlessly unengaging. The perfect hommage to a seriously shallow film.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 12/13/02, Updated 12/20/02