Street Racing Syndicate

"Great game that is a few options away from being the best out there..."

To be quite frank from the get-go: I don't understand the low scores that this game got in other publications. The flash and general panache of the graphics alone make this game just about a must own, and that is before you even pick up the controller.

Street Racing Syndicate is a street racer built on the growing fad created by the "Fast and the Furious". The car selection is limited to multiple versions of about say 15-20 cars, but to be honest, these are the cars that you would end up with anyway, so why bother with the stupid under-powered cars?

The game begins with you learning that a friend has been thrown in the klink and you are going to have to whip his ride so that they can get the money to bail him out. Upon completion of this race you start the game with 30 Gs and are free to buy a ride of your own and race it.

Once you get your car, you are then going to head into the garage. The garage allows for you to tinker with different option parts (which will cost you the money that you will win in races); customize your car with various paint and vinyl schemes (which costs nothing - good call by the developer here, allowing for more customized cars); test you car on the dyno; and repair your car from any damage you have received.

Once you get through all of that there is the actual racing- broken into different types, but most rely on street races though the city that you are in, with occasional races to impress women (that you "collect" in your warehouse), and the sanctioned races that take place on closed tracks. You can also challenge random drivers on the free-roaming map.

The driving physics of this game are extremely well done; the general realism of the game is amazing. Unlike Need For Speed Underground, you can't excel in this game with just any car unless your driving skills are tight. Further, you will get spanked online trying to race a lesser car against something like a Skyline R34. Novices to the genre take heed: the learning curve is STEEP if you choose a high powered rear wheel drive car. Think somewhere between Gran Turismo and Pro Race Driver in the difficulty arena. After the first few races the difficulty ramps up a bit as well- you have been warned...

Online racing is varied and that is a certain plus. Multiple race types along with a very good interface with very few lags makes this a great racer online (whether it will be better than Burn Out 3 remains to be seen). As of now, this is probably the best race option for the XBOX LIVE.

The game does have some short-comings. It does not appear that Namco will release anything to download for this game, and that is a real bummer. One of the things that was cool about Sega GT Online was that there were new parts being made available, which changed the racing from month to month. While it is still a new game, we will have to see if this leads to limited play online in the coming months.

Another gripe is the failure to be able to use custom tracks. BIG BIG BIG mistake on the part of Eutechnyx. All XBOX games should have this , particularly those with mediocre soundtracks. Certain songs will grate your nerves after the 10th time you hear them.

Sound other than the tracks is actually remarkably done. The engines actually sound tuned, the tires squeal appropriately, and you know when you have done mild or heavy damage based on the sound of the crash.

All in all, the game is a very nice package to those who are fans of the racing genre. The music is less than stellar, but it isn't Dance Dance Revolution, so that should not matter much.

To those who do not favor racers this is still worth some time, if nothing else, just to see the girls dance...

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/05/04