007 Racing

"Better than I expected."

Okay, first things first, 007 Racing is not a racing game. It is actually more like a car combat game, although simply calling it a ''driving game'' is probably most accurate. In 007 Racing, you assume the role of the famous James Bond. However, unlike previous 007 games, you do not control Mr. Bond himself. Instead, you control the car Bond is driving. All of the trademark Bond stuff is here; it’s just in automobile form.

Just like any 007 flick, the game features an interesting story. After your first mission, which is nothing more than a practice session, M gives you the run down on what you need to do. You see, a freighter was hijacked by terrorists ,and some very important cargo was stolen (including an extremely valuable car). You, James Bond, are then sent out on a variety of missions in order to put the bad guys to rest. Although it does seem like a mere afterthought to the game, the story will make you want to continue playing.

There are only twelve missions in all, a somewhat disappointing number. However, each mission is well thought-out and designed, and every single one of them is vastly different from the others. For example, in the first mission you have four goals. You must rescue Cherise Litte, acquire a stinger missile, blow up a helicopter with the said stinger, then jump the border crossing to your safety. Not all missions have the same amount of goals to reach. Some will have as many as 5-6 goals, while others will have just one or two. Each mission is unique. One of my personal favorites is actually the second mission of the game. In that one, you are forced to drive a bomb-rigged car, a la Speed, around busy New York City while picking up transmitters. Once you are done getting the transmitters, you have to jettison your car into the Hudson River. To be frank, it's fun.

However, if there is one thing wrong with the game’s missions, it is the erratic difficulty level. One mission will be obnoxiously difficult, while the next will be ridiculously easy. Games are supposed to start easy then get harder with each level. However, in 007 Racing, the first couple of missions are simple, then the next one is difficult, then easy, then hard, and so on. The sudden changes in the level of difficulty are bothersome, and could easily drive someone insane.

Although you don’t technically get to race with them, the cars in 007 Racing are downright fantastic. You get to drive many of the famous Bond cars, including the Aston Martin, DB5, and the BMW Z8. Each car is loaded with room for weapons and useful gadgets. Each car has the ability to use some nasty weapons like rockets and machineguns, as well as sneaky little tricks that will drive the enemy crazy such as oil slicks and smoke screens. While more weapons would have been nice, there are still a lot of nifty items that you can use.

A lot of people that have played 007 Racing found problems with the car handling. Many claim that the controls are too sensitive. I myself never had a problem with the way the cars handle. It didn’t take long for me to get adjusted to the controls like in other driving games, and once I was adjusted, I was never bothered by the handling. To me, the handling is perfect. I honestly don’t know why so many people hated it.

007 Racing is a decent looking game. The graphics, while a bit blurry in spots, are never an eyesore. Sure, the usual PSX graphical problems can be found here, such as polygonal clipping and pixilated objects, but overall it doesn’t look too bad. The few CG cut-scenes that are in the game look simply marvelous, and they are easily some of the best I have seen on the PSX. Unfortunately, they are found too far and few in between to be of much importance.

As one would expect from a James Bond product, 007 Racing has some good music. The trademark Bond theme is here, as are many other entertaining tracks. The voice acting is well done, although the actual sound quality of the voices makes it seem like you’re listening to FM radio. It’s strange why the voices sound so poor.

All in all, 007 Racing is an enjoyable albeit occasionally frustrating game. Its biggest weaknesses, the erratic difficulty of the missions and the game’s short length, aren’t bad enough to make playing the game a nuisance. I recommend that if you ever see the game fairly cheap, say $10 or less, then buy 007 Racing. Just don’t come into the game expecting straight-up racing.

7-

Best Feature - You get to BLOW **** UP!
Worst Feature - Inconsistent difficulty; short length.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/03/03, Updated 02/03/03