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Continuing with Generation5's run on racing simulations, I looked at Monaco Grand Prix. My initial reactions were somewhat mixed due to the control difficulties balanced out by the absolutely stunning graphics. After a while though, I realized the control issues were my fault - I was not used to the performance of Formula 1 cars. The more I played MGP the more I enjoyed the experience.
MGP has three main areas: arcade, simulation, and retro. Each one has its merits and disappointments and surprisingly they all occur in different areas. It was this lack of consistency that dragged the game down a little, but not much. Let us look at the individual areas.
Incredible to say the least. The cars are superbly modelled, although I don't think they are based on any particular models per se. The textures are well done and the game blends the different elements (cars, humans, tracks, eye candy) all in to create a very visually pleasing experience. Tracks are similarly well modelled, using the real world tracks and adding a certain element unique to the hosting country to give the tracks an authentic feel. Grass, sand and the road tarmac are incredibly well done, using very nicely tiling textures to give a very realistic look to the game even up close. The Dreamcast whizzes these textures by you at astounding rates adding to the whole Formula 1 feel of the game.Some of the eye candy is really sweet. When your car rides on the grass, the tyres pick up a green tinge which slowly disappears as you drive on the road. The smoke, rain spray, and dust is very realistic (although is blocks up at the distance I noticed), fog, simple reflections off the cars and the compulsory lens flare are all present. When damage occurs on your car, you see a tyre burst, or your spoiler fly off and you even get the little sparks at the back of your car when you brake heavily.
The graphics do not go without their faults - minor as they are. The wheels on your car will gradually move into position if you slam the analog controller to one side, but they will snap abruptly back when you let go of it. I felt that the crowd was also rather poorly done, since they utilize blurred 2D sprites really breaking the 3D atmosphere of the game. Also, I noticed (and I don't know whether this was deliberate or not, but I hated it) was sometimes the replay camera would wildly distort the picture as a car rounded a corner giving the game a "fish-eye" look. Also, the cockpit view of the car was very "arcadish" and didn't keep with the realism that the rest of the game displayed.
I also felt that the developers did not spend the same time with the arcade and simulation graphics as they did with the retro graphics. "Retro" mode uses the 50s and 60s style racing cars in and around rural areas. The game suddenly takes on a cartoonish (albeit still visually impressive) look to it. This was quite disappointing for me since the retro mode was a very good idea.
These aside, Monaco Grand Prix is a stunningly beautiful racing games. Best of all, the game has a lot more going for it than just the graphics!
MGP is not just a pretty face - it has personality too. The gameplay features are excellent as you would expect. From the physics, to the damage, to the car options, to the weather simulation, MGP strikes an excellent balance between realism and gameplay. The game physics are brilliant, the cars handle realistically and react to the different surfaces (sand and grass spin you much more easily). The cars accelerate like you wouldn't believe, and the amazing graphics really help pull the sensation of speed off very well. The damage in MGP is also top-notch - rack a wall at high speed and a tyre is liable to burst, ram a wall and your wing could come off, get hit from behind and your rear axle might break, take a shortcut and race across grass and your suspension might fail. If you set the damage option to realistic, this will happen very easily if you make a mistake. Most of the faults will send you out of the race, but things like a burst tyre (they can burst completely, or deflate) will sometimes not stop the race. The subsequent behaviour of the car is affected - for example, the car will veer to one side constantly if a tyre bursts. Your car will also fail at times - from small failures like radio communications to large scale engine blow outs. All these failures can depend on how you tune your car.The tuning takes place before each race, and you can save and load setups. The setup is remembered between races so you don't have to screw around each time with a configuration you like. You can pretty much change everything from the wing elevation angles, camber, suspension, brakes bias, initial fuel, engine RPM, and more. These settings all have a noticable impact on the car's performance. Another thing that affects your car's performance is the weather - the car definitely slips about under wet and rainy conditions making you much more careful when you drive. One gripe I do have is that if you have random weather selected, you don't know what the weather is until after the tuning settings - therefore, if you want to change your settings (like tyre type) you merely have to guess or compromise. I would have liked the weather type to be displayed on the tuning screen.
Did I have any gripes with the gameplay? My main one was that the arcade mode didn't offer the kind of options that the simulation mode did. I suppose that is why they call it "Arcade" in the first place, but I felt it would have been nice to race with failures and damage turned on without affecting the game, and just getting used to the tracks under realistic conditions.
So, good graphics, good gameplay, now for the crunch - Artificial Intelligence?
The game boasts that you can change the AI for the opponents - please, that was slightly exaggerated. You can specify the level, and whether they are the uniform, random, or realistic. By this I assume it means setting the various traits of each driver to the respective values. Despite the slightly inflated claims on the box, MGP does offer control over the AI at least, which is more than most games allow.
Overall, the AI is challenging enough in the game to provide you with 22 opponents that will keep you on your toes, yet defensive enough to ensure that once you are good enough (or learn the intricacies of the AI) you will be able to win quite easily. The control over the AI might give you some flexibility and long-term playability.
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Submitted: 07/12/2000