• Contribute
• What's New
• Submit News

With Gran Turismo being on the realistic side, and Driver being on the arcade side, it was a fresh change to get something in between. TOCA2 offers some of the tweaks and options of Gran Turismo, with some of the fun factor of Driver, roll in some excellent weather effects, well-known tracks, range of cars and commentaries - sounds like the makings of a brilliant game.

First Impressions

One problem I still have with the game though is the sound - bumble bees on crack cocaine comes to mind. The high pitched whines of the engines are different for each car - but despite this, all the cars exhibit the same kind of sound. The sound in Gran Turismo is quite different, and sounds much more effective. Let me move on to my other complaint, the graphics.

Graphics

The support cars are the cars that are there for the 'fun' of it. Take the Jaguar XJ220 (my personal favourite car) - the modelling has captured none of the blended body but makes it look like a glorified cardboard box. This aside, the rally cars are done very well, with some great attention to detail. The damage that each car can sustain is also done very well, with dented bumpers and smashed glass, even a completely detachable bonnet!

Tracks were done well - well modelled, with some nice little touches too. Tracks come fitted with plenty of cones to knock over, corner markers, even TVs! The TVs are an excellent touch - basically, your screen is projected on to a screen within the world. On top of this, if you drive up to the screen, the screen within the screen also displays your...screen! All these little touches add up for me. It is with these "little touches" that TOCA2 does very well, especially in the gameplay department.

Gameplay

When you start the championship, a commentator introduces everything, and sets the mood for your first race. During your races, your pit team keeps you updated with various things - for example, when you can come in for a pit stop, whether the car in front of your has taken their pit stop, and other similar things. This helps give you the idea you're not alone - but racing for a team.

The team also comments on your driving at times, especially when you committ an offense. You have a certain number of warnings before points start getting deducted for dangerous driving. I think that the criteria for dangerous driving is based heavily on the speed of the impact, because I've quite deliberately edged a guy off the track and had nothing done, but slipped into somebody by braking and turning on a slippery road (at a very high speed!). This warning system again adds a small level of gameplay, because you are not out to kill everyone unless you want to get points deducted.

You also try not to smack into people too much because of the damage your car can sustain. TOCA2 was one of the first games to really model damage, something I sorely miss in games like Gran Turismo. In TOCA2, windows can shatter, lights can be broken, dents can be made, and other tortures can be applied to your car! What I find a little strange is that these have no noticeable effect on the handling of the car, nor have I ever broken down. As I've stated before, I feel that if something is modelled in a game, it should be done as completely as possible. Damage effects (not just eye candy) should have been modelled more extensively.

Although damage is not well modelled in TOCA2, the weather is! The eye candy for the various weather systems is very well done, the roads look wet because the car lights reflect, and the rain produces a nice effect (it even changes as your speed changes to give an added sense of speed). Storms are brilliant, with proper thunder booming and lightning flashing as you slip around the wet tracks. One nice touch is that the weather is variable - the weather won't stay the same throughout the race, it might stop raining, or start raining for that matter.

If the weather changes, you might want to think about going in for a pit stop to get your tyres changed to suit the roads a little more. Pits stops in TOCA2 are relatively well done, all driving is done by the computer as you select the type of treatment you want. Whether you want new tyres, what type and where you'd like them. You can also get damage fixed - this to me seems a little unrealistic, since they can fix the damage in a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, the pit stops add another dimension to the game, since you have to strategically plan when you are going to stop. In fact, strategically planning your race is something you do a lot during the course of the race, not only with the pit stop, but also with the other drivers.

Artificial Intelligence

The manual also claims that the driver will get angry if you drive aggressively, and will attempt revenge if given the opportunity - I've yet to see some decent evidence of this. The manual also says that the drivers have their own personalities, so it is up to the player to remember and assess how each driver handles their car and when and how to overtake them. In my experience, the AI takes corners a little slower than necessary, and often the cars end up in a sort of 'caterpillar' trail with all the action occuring at the front. Nevertheless, the TOCA2 AI is the most impressive I've seen in a driving game to date.

Conclusion

	8.2
	Platform: PlayStation 2 Liked: AI, weather effects, small gameplay features, strategy element. Disliked: Support car modelling, texturing, damage not complete. .: Buy at Amazon.co.uk :.