Race Pro Xbox 360
More motorsport madness on the 360.
Racing titles are not in short supply for the Xbox 360. Forza Motorsport 2, Race Driver GriD, Sega Rally, Colin McRae DiRT, Project Gotham Racing, Ridge Racer 6, Test Drive Unlimited, Pure, Burnout Paradise and Need for Speed: Undercover are all available for you to enjoy on your favorite console.
The majority of those titles are arcade orientated, meaning that realism is thrown out the window for fantasy racing. Race Pro ventures in the opposite direction, a direction that is very tricky to master and has only been perfected by Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo on console.
Race Pro has some big shoes to fill. Developing a racer to merge with other racer simulation titles means that comparisons are drawn on anything that isn't exactly correct. Cars must handle like they do in real life and the visual details, with the power of current consoles, are scrutinized if not entirely accurate. Seeing that the developers make a success of those bits, customization of gear ratios, tire compounds and engine modification, to name a few, will be next on the list for simulation critics to loathe or admire. Race Pro is not exactly a master of all the above-mentioned simulation criteria, but it is a Jack-of-all-trades.
If you're anything like us, you will skip the Single Race Mode and jump right into the more beefy Career Mode. Career Mode follows a similar route to previous Toca Touring Car racers, where you have to buy a contract to become a race driver and earn credits to buy other contracts, upgrading the level of cars you race as you make your way up the ladder.
Once you have bought your first contract (which forces you to drive a Mini Cooper), it is on to the racetrack. The lights go out, you fly past all competitors from your grid position (right at the back), and leave them in your dust... well, until the first corner approaches. Inevitably you will hit your brakes too late, drive off the road and go over the gravel, ending up in last place for the remainder of the race. It is very, very difficult, simply because it's so realistic. Has Race Pro gone a bit far with simulation? Is it actually still a game?
After the first corner we were ready to pack the game up and call it a day. Arcade racer games have made us far too lazy to practice and get good at anything. We want to be spoon-fed. But we gritted our teeth and selected the restart option. Having dealt with the blow to our egos, we tackled the game.
Once the event, comprising three races, has been concluded you are awarded credits to purchase your next contract. There are 13 real-life tracks to race on including Monza and Laguna Seca, a stunning 350 car models - ranging from Audis to Formula 3000 vehicles - and 12-player (online or systemlink) multiplayer games. Like all simulations, everything is done realistically, but unfortunately the visual department fails miserably.
When comparing Race Pro to Forza Motorsport 2, it seems that Race Pro missed an event in the genre that took place two years ago. Car models look decent but not great, the tracks are realistic but have been done before, and the handling is respectable but not perfect - as we now expect from a simulation. Everything is in place, but it lacks currency - it's all old news.
Deep inside this package, there is a game that wants to shine, but it wants you to suffer before you enjoy it, and is similar to F-Zero GX when it comes to the difficulty curve. Race Pro is a respectable add-on to your collection of racers and it's probably a good idea to pick this up if you have been dying for another simulation.