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10-02-2006, 02:28 AM
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#1 (permalink) |
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Senior Member
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The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift (PS2) Review
Normally, I don't review much, but Torredo had me excited to see an Si in the game. Hmm...what to say about this game? Well, let's start with why I'm reviewing. I really only bought the game for the car list. Plus, my steering wheel needed another racing game and none of the others really caught my fancy. First, I'll get to the bad stuff. This car is nowhere near as expansive the Need for Speed Underground series, but I may change that as I progress through the game. However, unlike the NFSU series, it's not really as fun to just drive around Tokyo as it is NFSU's city. One thing that really bothers me is that there are really only four types of play, Drift, Grip, Destination and Top Speed, essentially, which are fine, but when most of your initial driving consists of long straights on the Wangan, with not very many off ramps, side streets or shortcuts, the highway just ain't as fun as you'd like it to be. Traffic is very baren, which considering Tokyo's roughly 12.5 million population, seems quite unlikely. It doesn't make for a very challenging ride, except during the beginning, since you can't catch your opponents in the Destination battles for sh*t. Another issue I have, particularly with the Destination battles is that it's often difficult to flash your lights to start the race. Sometimes you have to keep flashing before the computer seems to notice you want to race. Minor gripe, but still, grrr....
 Another PITA is that you can't change the camera without accessing the options menu, which is made an even bigger PITA because the game has to save your camera choice. WTF, man? Also, there are no interior angles, which some games do actually have, but it's not a big deal because depending on the game mode, I usually play using the "hood" view. It just feels easier and seems faster when I can't see the car. Personal preference. Another small peeve is the loading. There are load times for EVERYTHING and they range from 5-10 seconds, and the latter sucks when you just wanna get in the car and kick somebody's bootay. But, you can deal with it. A very slight annoyance is also the clutch kick. If you don't know what a clutch kick is, it's a technique used to drift by choosing a lower gear and releasing the clutch rapidly without revmatching, using engine braking to lock up the driving wheels. Why FF vehicles can do this is beyond me, because it's not useful at all. That's not a big deal; just don't press the button. But what's more annoying is everytime you shift, the car almost looks and sounds like it backfires. It's really weird. I thought I was hitting the NOS button, but then I realized it only does it when I shift. wth?  Furthermore, in order to purchase another car, you'll need to physically purchase it. I wish you could trade vehicles, but alas, that'd be too perfect, wouldn't it?  Now on to the good stuff. The polygon count is pretty high. Some 10,000 polygons per second high. This game runs very smoothly. And it does it all while looking fantastic. It's not quite as real as, say, Gran Turismo, but it has a nice charm and nuance; if you look at the cars in the garage, they almost look Mangan, there's a thick black line around some areas that make the car look like it's out of an Initial D DVD. It's pretty damn sweet. The music is really good. There's like one corny tune, but the alternative, rock and rap (hey, there's even Japanese rap too!!!) are really good. Don't think I know any of the artists because I don't think there are any name brand bands, but the best music these days seems to come from the up-and-comers and underground musicians. As far as the sounds of the game, the cars are very accurate. The Scooby's have the beautiful "boxer-rumble", the supercharged V8's are monstrous, the Twin Turbo Supras are hella nice. As far as gameplay goes, what's here is really good. The Drifting in this game sh*ts all over NFSU's wack-a$$ challenges and the Grip challenges are hella fun. The dynamics of all drivetrains is very realistic; FF understeers correctly, and AWD vehicles transfer weight like they're supposed to. FR vehicles will snap oversteer given too much throttle and MR are the most difficult to master, due to their nimble, yet twitchy nature. Also, unlike NFSU, you'll have to correctly master each setup for each of the four gameplay types. And the parts list for JDM accessories is insane. Just about every company you can think of from JUN to Mugen is represented. It's as sweet as banana split by Hugh Hefner's pool on a blazing hot Fourth of July. Plus, the modifications make sense. Add a spoiler to an MR car to reduce lifting it off the ground during the Top Speed challenges. Speaking of top speed, the sense of "fast" in this game is awesome. This muh'f*$%@ moves, man. Another high point is the games control balance. Unlike, again, NFSU (or Gran Turismo, for that matter), I never felt shakey using my steering wheel. It wasn't twitchy or over-sensitive and using the dual shock was very easy. Let's face it, too much realism can pull all the fun out of the game. And lastly, the car list. It's long (thanks to Mitch, the game's producer, for this list): ACURA - Integra - Type-R – 1997 ACURA - NSX - - 2005 (both Acuras are imports sitting at the US Dealership, not the Honda dealership.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- HONDA - Civic - Type-R - 2004 HONDA – Civic 5 Door - EX 1.8 VTEC – 2006 HONDA - Civic - Si – 2006 (As Torredo pointed out, it is in fact in the game and can be found in the US Dealership if you're looking for it...) HONDA - Integra - Type-R – 1998 HONDA - Integra - Type-R – 2005 HONDA - S2000 - 2005 HONDA - NSX - Type-R – 2002 HONDA - NSX - Type-R GT – 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAZDA – Mazdaspeed 6 – 2006 MAZDA - MX-5 - Sport - 2006 MAZDA - RX-7 - Infini IV – 1990 MAZDA - RX-7 - R1 – 1991 MAZDA - RX-7 - Type RS-R – 1997 MAZDA - RX-7 - Type R BATHURST – 2001 MAZDA - RX-7 - Spirit R Type A – 2002 MAZDA - RX-8 - Type-S – 2003 MAZDA - RX-8 - Mazdaspeed version 2 – 2004 MAZDA - RX-8 - Sport Prestige Limited – 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- NISSAN - Fairlady Z - TT 2seater – 1989 NISSAN - Fairlady Z - Version R TT 2seater – 1998 NISSAN - Fairlady Z - Version ST - 2002 NISSAN - Fairlady Z - NISMO S-tune – 2002 NISSAN - Fairlady Z - NISMO S-Tune GT – 2004 NISSAN - Fairlady Z - Type E – 2004 NISSAN - 350 Z - 35th Anniversary Edition – 2005 NISSAN - 180 SX - Type-X – 1996 NISSAN - Silvia - S13 K's – 1989 NISSAN - Silvia - S14 K's Aero – 1993 NISSAN - Silvia - S14 Q's Aero – 1993 NISSAN - Silvia - NISMO 270R – 1994 NISSAN - Silvia - S14 K's Aero – 1997 NISSAN - Silvia - S14 Q's Aero – 1997 NISSAN - Silvia - S15 Spec-R – 1999 NISSAN - Silvia - S15 Spec-R Aero – 1999 NISSAN - Silvia - S15 Spec-S Aero – 1999 NISSAN - Skyline - GT-R – 1999 NISSAN - Skyline - 25GT-T 4 dr – 1999 NISSAN - Skyline - NISMO GT-R S-Tune – 2000 NISSAN - Skyline - GT-R V-Spec II - 2001 NISSAN - Skyline - GT-R V-Spec II N1 – 2001 NISSAN - Skyline - GT-R V-Spec II Nur - 2002 NISSAN - Skyline - 20th Anniversary Nismo Z-Tune GT-R –2005 NISSAN - Skyline - Coupe 350GT – 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TOYOTA - Altezza - RS 200Z Edition – 2003 TOYOTA - Chaser - Tourer V – 1996 TOYOTA - Chaser - Avante G – 1998 TOYOTA - MR-S - S Edition – 1999 TOYOTA - MR-S - VM180 TRD – 2000 TOYOTA - MR-S - V Edition – 2002 TOYOTA - Sprinter Trueno - GT-Apex – 1986 TOYOTA - Levin - GT-Apex – 1986 TOYOTA - Supra - RZ – 1996 TOYOTA - Supra - Twin Turbo – 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCION - tC - Coupe - 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEXUS - IS300 - Sedan - 2003 LEXUS - IS300 - Sport Design – 2003 LEXUS - LF-A LEXUS - LF-C ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MITSUBISHI - Eclipse - GSX – 1999 (F&F Eclipse model) MITSUBISHI - Eclipse - GT – 2004 (2F2F Eclipse model) MITSUBISHI - Eclipse - GT – 2006 MITSUBISHI - GTO - Twin Turbo MR – 1998 MITSUBISHI - Lancer Evolution VII - GSR – 2001 MITSUBISHI - Lancer Evolution VIII - GSR – 2003 MITSUBISHI - Lancer Evolution - MR – 2004 MITSUBISHI - Lancer Evolution VIII - MR FQ-400 – 2004 MITSUBISHI - Lancer Evolution - RS – 2005 MITSUBISHI - Lancer Evolution IX - GSR – 2006 MITSUBISHI - Lancer Evolution IX - RS – 2006 MITSUBISHI - Lancer Evolution IX - MR – 2006 MITSUBISHI - Lancer Evolution IX - Ralliart Edition – 2006 MITSUBISHI – Concept-X (Omg, this car looks awesome) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBARU - Impreza - WRX STI V-Limited – 2003 SUBARU - Impreza - WRX STI Spec C – 2003 SUBARU - Impreza - S203 STI – 2004 SUBARU - Impreza - WRX STI - 2005 SUBARU - Impreza - S204 STI – 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOMESTICS CHEVROLET® – Chevelle™ - SS™ 454 – 1970 CHEVROLET® – Corvette® - C6™ - 2006 CHEVROLET® – Corvette® - Z06™ - 2006 CHEVROLET® – Corvette® - C6-R™ – 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DODGE - Charger - 440 Magnum R/T – 1969 DODGE - Charger - 426 HEMI R/T– 1969 DODGE - Charger - Daytona R/T – 2006 DODGE - Charger - SRT8 – 2006 DODGE - SRT-4 – 2004 DODGE – Viper - SRT10 – Coupe – 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- FORD - Focus - SVT – 2004 FORD - Mustang - Fastback – 1967 FORD - Mustang - GT – 2006 FORD - Mustang - GTR Concept – 2005 SHELBY - GT500 – 2007 SHELBY - GT500 – 1967 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- PONTIAC® - GTO™ - 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SALEEN - S281 E – 2006 SALEEN - N20 Focus 121 – 2004 Somebody re-count that for me. Should be 99 OEM (stock) cars. There are 21 non-OEM vehicles as well. Most of them are hero vehicles from the movies, like Bryan's Bomex-bodied Supra from the first movie, or Han's sweet-as-sin, orange Veilside-assembled RX7 from Tokyo Drift. It probably sounds like there's more wrong with the game than worth buying, but it's not. It's different from NFSU and should be viewed as such. While I do have a preference for that series, I think this game is a very good alternative, heavy on the drifting, which just so happens to be fantastic and amazingly detailed in the car department. Plus it has the most update list of any of the driving games (Forza's ok, but I'd rather push an Evo or Civic than I would a Ferrari or Lambo...virtually anyway). If you have a slight interest in the game, I say buy it. It's actually a lot of fun. Plus, you start of the game in a kick-ass widebody Honda NSX. Now if I could just sell my 06 Civic 1.8L for the 06 Civic Si (you can buy it in Habanero, ASM, Fiji and NBP...the Galaxy Gray looks weird...) -The Father |
  
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10-02-2006, 08:13 AM
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#3 (permalink) |
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Senior Member
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nice review for sure...
i had the same impression with the "rolling-races" and that it shared similarities with Toyko Extreme 3. As for the drifiting its not too bad and the graphics definetly aint like GT4 in the least like mentioned. However im sure other cars and events will be unlocked as you continue into the game...We'll see? but it is fun to play with some minor PITA's but afterall...Its F&TF man'  |
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10-02-2006, 10:47 AM
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#6 (permalink) | |
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Senior Member
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I love mine, but it's really hard to use in this game. Well...I shouldn't say that....it's not hard, it's just easier to use the analog sticks, which sounds weird but the wheel almost seems a bit sensitive, maybe????  Btw, I've got the 06 Si in my garage. Level 4 Boost + Level 4 Intercooler + Hot Wheels widebody kit + 5 Zigen wheels + new paint = the sex....but it's FF so it ain't all that great getting around curves at 180mph. haha.... If you want to get in to it as quickly as possible and buy some great cars, pick the Corolla (Trueno) Sprinter. It's FR, got the lightest weight, grips fantastic with grip tires and is cheap, so you can mod the hell out of it from the jump. I think after purchase, it leaves you with $9K. I just pass 359hp and murdered a couple Silvias, an NSX (Rickdaddy from Super Street...lol), and a slow-a$$ 06 Mazdaspeed. The Corolla can get you cash QUICK. Just keep racing the high-paying battles. |
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10-02-2006, 11:25 AM
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#8 (permalink) | |
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I think it's a little different. You pick teams and race but yeah, it should have the same kinda theme to it. I'm not thrilled about the whole team aspect but perhaps we'll see if it's going to be good. |
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10-03-2006, 11:31 PM
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#12 (permalink) | |
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Senior Member
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But I use my Mitsubishi Concept X and AE86 more than I use the Si. FWD is difficult to use in the top speed Wangan runs. How much have you completed? I've played a few hours and have logged 29% complete. |
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10-04-2006, 06:38 PM
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#14 (permalink) |
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Senior Member
 
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I dont get why they have the Corrolla ( Sprinter Trueno - GT-Apex – 1986 ) but not the 1986 to 1992 version of the Supra. it seemed pretty popular back when it was around, my dad and a couple people I know had or have one. its my favorite car except for the 8th gen civic.
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10-04-2006, 07:25 PM
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#15 (permalink) | |
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haha...that's why Playstation was created. For people like you and me who need time to get the hell away from life. |
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10-06-2006, 10:19 PM
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#17 (permalink) | |
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Senior Member
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Linear Mode
