Ferrari Challenge Hands-on Preview

Often driving games are sighted as an evolutionary dead end for video games. Whenever the medium as a whole is criticised for a lack of originality, automotive, football and shooting titles are blamed for stifling innovation. Recently though, there has been something of a return to glory for the once powerful racer. Project Gotham Racing 4 has recently received adoration and praise from both gamers and the media, and its contemporaries Forza and Gran Turismo are still enjoying loyal fan communities.

Still, System 3 is taking bold steps in joining the crowded driving market with completely new IP. Ferrari Challenge, which of course features the legendry Italian sports cars of its title, is the most recent game to fall loosely into the real-driving genre, which means realistic handling physics, sumptuous visuals, and obsessive attention to detail.

In bringing a desirable icon of style and adrenaline to a games console, of course there is none of the sombre realism of Gran Turismo, which infamously made players pass driving tests and start out with second hand bangers. Instead Ferrari Challenge is all about having your pick of a huge range of the company’s cars, and taking them to famous and glamorous locales from around the globe, but the emphasis is still on serious racing.

While celebrity endorsements of games are usually shallow and soulless, in the case of Ferrari Challenge the involvement of Bruno Senna seems fundamental to the game’s design. The 23-year old motor sports prodigy who is a self-confessed video game fan and nephew of the legendry Formula One driver Aryton Senna has worked with the dev team to fine tune the accuracy of the handling physics of each car, and the results feel incredible. Having spent more time behind the wheel of various Ferrari’s than most of us could ever dream of Senna is perfectly placed to have advised the team at System 3 on perfecting these incredible vehicles’ virtual versions.

Each car included handles noticeably differently, from the softness of suspension to the behaviour of the over steer, and the nuances each has effectively changes the entire dynamic of a track as you hop from one Ferrari to another. The raceways too, are incredible models, thanks in part to the visual attention to detail as well as the subtleties in the corners and inclines.

Trackside scenery and the tarmac itself are modelled with meticulous care, and it’s easy to be distracted by the clarity of the grandstands and the clouded skies. Crash into a siding and you’ll notice the detail of the scratches on the barrier’s metal work and stains etched into the circuits’ white lines and kerbs. Dynamic skid marks based on the movements of the cars in each individual race litter the tarmac, changing colour as they pass from the verge onto the course as the tyres drag a grass stain onto the road. The weather effects are outstanding too. Rain and mist are sucked into the wheel arches as you speed to the finish line, as a fine spray is flung out behind you. The sky too, takes on a brilliantly dismal shade as sunshine gives way to wintry darkness.

The real graphical polish, however, is reserved for the cars themselves, and the detail really is impressive. From the Dymo style labels below the switches in the prototype Ferrari’s foot well to the optical illusion that makes the hubs of overtaking rivals appear to be spinning backwards, there’s a satisfying realism throughout. There’s also a predictable obsession with lingering camera angles that let fans of the prestige motor sports brand drink up the detail. Yet while there are some fantastic features, such as the way your wing mirrors give a slightly warped reflection as the curve of their glass distorts, there is some work to be done on the finer points of the aesthetic damage that your precious super car can take.

Ferrari Challenge also includes some wonderful physics-based elements that hide beneath the kind of eye candy that can often be used to veil lazy game design in other titles. As you inevitably throw yourself sideways into a gravel trap, the texture and feel of the loose stones beneath you is amazing, and its effect on your handling has a generous depth.

The AI of the other cars is also skilfully implemented by the System 3 team. Bump a rival and they’ll hold a grudge for the rest of the race, and act on it with surprising aggression considering the value of the cars they drive. Furthermore, two NPC vehicles can easily build up a rivalry in a single lap, and as you race in the centre of a pack the tussles and shunting makes for a thrilling ride. Rather than splining, which refers to the dreary AI model where rival cars lock to a predetermined route, you’ll see other Ferraris spin off the course or resort to a three-point turn to recover from a misjudged overtaking manoeuvre.

The gameplay essentially sticks to the familiar real-driving model, though for now the handling falls a little more on the accessible side than the likes of Gran Turismo. With 16 player online and LAN racing available, and a wealth of tracks, tournaments and cars from the 1950s to the present day, Ferrari Challenge looks like it might have a chance of beating the big names of the driving genre to the finish line upon its release, which is presently set for the beginning of 2008.