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Do you dream of driving a Ferrari? Do you watch Top Gear with envy as Jeremy Clarkson takes Ferrari after Ferrari onto the test track at obscenely high speeds? Do you idolise Michael Schumacher and pretend you’re actually Italian? If you answered yes to any of those questions, chances are you’ll find a lot to enjoy in System 3’s Ferrari Challenge for PlayStation 3. Although not as visually spectacular as GT5: Prologue or as deep and exciting as Microsoft’s Forza 2, Ferrari Challenge is a very competent racer with a clear focus: Ferraris.
So single minded is the game’s approach to the genre that unless you love the manufacturer completely, to the extent that all other car manufacturers might as well not exist, you might as well stop reading now. Make no bones about it; this is a game for Ferrari enthusiasts. From the main menu which slowly pans around a Ferrari to classical music as if the car on display is a work of art in a museum, to the Top Trumps-style card game based on Ferrari car stats, unless your wall at home is covered in glistening red beauties you’re going to feel slightly out of place.
Thankfully developer Eutechnyx has been able to do more than create a load of Ferraris for your viewing pleasure. The driving model is key to every racing game, making the difference between a game being an Austin Metro and a… well, a Ferrari. Here there’s a definite simulation approach to the handling, with cars acting as you’d expect them to when on a race track. This isn’t an arcade racer. Its handling model is so strict that it’s right up there with Gran Turismo in the realism stakes, which is both a blessing and a curse.
You see, Ferrari Challenge isn’t an easy game to get into. The tutorial mode with Tiff Needell is an essential first stop, although it’s not quite the driving school I hoped it would be. You get rated on various aspects of your driving over two laps around the Ferrari test circuit, with a breakdown supplied at the end so you can see which areas of your technique need working on. Tiff offers some advice, but it seems more like trial and error than teaching.
Entering the Ferrari Challenge mode is a daunting experience. With 16 cars on the race track and plenty of gravel to spin out into, every corner is met with fear. Chances are that your first race will be a tentative affair, as you try to stay glued to the on-screen racing line which indicates whether you should be braking or accelerating. By default races in the Challenge last for 15 minutes, which is rather a struggle for newcomers. You can opt for five-minute races if you’d prefer, which equates to around three or four laps of a circuit – or longer races if you’re hardcore.
The challenge is also split into three territories: Italy, Europe and North America. Each territory features seven races split into race weekends. A race weekend in the Challenge mode consists of a qualifying session and two races, with a maximum of 60 points on offer. Your goal is to be top at the end of the seven-race season for each territory. By default you race with a number of driving assists enabled, but turn these off and things become harder still. After a few hours you’ll be winning races with the assists on, but with them off it’ll take days to come anywhere close.
Other game modes feel fairly secondary in comparison to the main Challenge mode. Trophy mode sees you competing in Ferraris bought using credits from playing through the Challenge mode, while Quick race and Time Trial are fairly self explanatory. The Arcade mode is perhaps most disappointing, failing to offer an alternative, more accessible handling model. You can also dabble with some car tuning if you know what you’re doing. Ride height, camber and toe can all be fully tweaked using a slider, while springs, dampers and anti-roll bars can be set to hard or soft. The decal customisation tool also allows you to work on your own designs and paint jobs, but it’s quite fiddly and won’t be for everyone.
If there’s one game mode that’s going to give Ferrari Challenge some much needed legs it’s the online multiplayer. With support for up to sixteen racers in head to head races, there’s a chance a strong community will build up around Ferrari Challenge. At the moment the biggest challenge is finding a lobby full of players, although online performance seems solid. Sadly the online offering isn’t quite as complete as we’d have liked. The biggest omission seems to be online time trial ghosts and the ability to download and view the best times by other players – something the leading racing games have offered for quite a few years.
Being a next-gen exclusive on PS3 (also available on PS2, DS and soon for Wii) it’s fair to expect cutting edge visuals. Ferrari Challenge comes close to delivering, but falls just short. Car models and circuits have been created very well, although they still appear a level below those seen in the likes of GT5: Prologue and Race Driver: GRID. The frame rate also isn’t quite up to par. For the most part the game moves along at a brisk pace, but you’ll experience stuttering at congested corners and during heavy rain – an effect that looks impressive despite being expected in a modern racer. It’s still a next-gen looking racer and is helped considerably by some superb audio work on the cars themselves.
Ferrari Challenge is a solid racer backed up by strong presentation and some decent online multiplayer. There’s also promise of regular free and premium downloadable content which could well extend the game’s lifespan considerably. The real question is whether you should stop playing GT5: Prologue or GRID and strap yourself into the seat of a Ferrari? If you’ve already picked out the interior of your dream Ferrari then it’s time to buckle up, otherwise you’ll find better elsewhere.
