Ford Bold Moves Street Racing
What the?! The PSP version is better than the PS2 one?
Published: November 5, 2006
The number of times a PSP version of a game actually ends up better than the PS2 big brother can be counted on one... uh, finger. But that's precisely what Razorworks has managed to do with Ford Street Racing (that whole "Bold Moves" part was tacked on to meet Ford's US ad campaign). Perhaps it's because the developers didn't feel the need to try to duplicate the console experience -- this is a fairly stripped-down version of those games -- or perhaps it's just that the PSP seems to do racing better than almost any other genre.
Whatever the reason, this is a fantastic racing game and one that just feels more polished and put together on the PSP. Yes, I'm just as surprised as you are, but with a more arcadey approach to things, what feels like far better physics and an exceptionally lengthy single-player game in both Solo and Team-based races, it just makes for a more complete package.
For starters, the whole concept of switching between four racers in LA-based street races has undergone a little bit of downsizing. Now, it's just two cars, with the shoulder buttons handling the basic commands of blocking and turbo. Yes, it's turbo now, not drafting, meaning if you're close behind your AI-driven teammate you can tap the R button to kick on little jets of nitrous to scoot past the competition, and then have your teammate do the same. If it sounds like this is shifting things more toward the arcade end of the spectrum, it is -- and the game is better for it.
The tracks, however, are lifted straight from the console version, and that's not a bad thing. Razorworks managed to nail the visual vibe of both downtown Los Angeles and the outlying areas, even if the actual cleanliness of the city is a little off. It's probably the only part of the game (besides the process of repairing and buying cars) that transferred over seamlessly, but there's a very key difference between the PS2 versions and the PSP ones: there's actually a sense of speed. This means less time careening off walls and more time actually racing, which is key.
The racing, here, is better too. I don't know if I just stopped paying attention while playing the PS2 version or if the PSP one is better, but the cars finally feel like they have real weight; the physics allow for things like body roll, the cars buck under the torque of starting line engine revs, and there's a genuine feeling of being able to powerslide around a corner just by feel, which is key in an arcade racing game. Whereas the PS2 version had no sense of speed, FBMSR lets you use things whipping by to speed check corners and adjust turning accordingly.
It sounds like a small thing, but it really is the difference between a lackluster racer and one that's worth the Andrew Jackson it takes to purchase the game. Luckily, the actual value comes from the sheer number of races in the game. Though there are the obvious one-off quick race modes, the bulk of the game still lies in the Career Mode, which is split between Solo and Career races, and those in turn are broken down into a basic career race and two subsequent challenges for extra cash and unlocks for cars and courses you can then play in the single race modes.
Along the way, you'll also bank cash, which is used to buy new rides -- once you've unlocked them in the extra challenges, that is. Though the whole process of racing/unlocking/buying/racing does start to get a little tired once you've done it for about half of the approximately 50 billion races that are available, but Razorworks was nice enough to at least throw in a handful of extra race types. Essentially pared-down versions of the console challenges, you'll have to overtake a certain number of cars, swap between your cars and finish ahead of the pack, avoid elimination after every lap where the last car (or cars in Team Elimination events) are lopped off and so on.
I mentioned in the PS2 review that the game didn't look like a value title, and it's true; Razorworks' engine delivers a game with impressively rich lighting, car models sport at least a basic amount of damage (this is really just a swapped texture and perhaps a bent fender for the most part) and it all runs at a great clip. With the exception of heavy dithering, the PSP version does all of these things quite nicely. The environments are a little on the sparse side sometimes, but again, this is a bargain title.
The audio is similarly minimalist. There's no in-race music (just the menus), but the engine noises are plenty throaty, tire squeals are solid and effects like shunts and bumps respond to speed and how hard they hit. It's nothing that's going to send your ears into a tizzy, but it's certainly enough to get the job done.
FBMSR isn't a perfect game. It's a budget title, but it's comfortable in that, and really doesn't try to do more than it should. What's odd is that the PSP version delivers a sense of speed and weight to the cars, a fair amount of variety in track and race types help offset the fact that the car list is really only a couple dozen strong, and the really fun cars won't be unlocked until you've plugged away for near double-digit amounts of time (which is a shame; they're a blast).
It's still weird to type this out, but at $20, Razorworks' has crafted one of the best racers for the money on the PSP. Yes, I know it's hard to swallow considering how blah I was on the PS2 version, but this really is a better game -- the best version of it, in fact -- and if you're looking to throw $20, look no farther.
Whatever the reason, this is a fantastic racing game and one that just feels more polished and put together on the PSP. Yes, I'm just as surprised as you are, but with a more arcadey approach to things, what feels like far better physics and an exceptionally lengthy single-player game in both Solo and Team-based races, it just makes for a more complete package.
For starters, the whole concept of switching between four racers in LA-based street races has undergone a little bit of downsizing. Now, it's just two cars, with the shoulder buttons handling the basic commands of blocking and turbo. Yes, it's turbo now, not drafting, meaning if you're close behind your AI-driven teammate you can tap the R button to kick on little jets of nitrous to scoot past the competition, and then have your teammate do the same. If it sounds like this is shifting things more toward the arcade end of the spectrum, it is -- and the game is better for it.
The tracks, however, are lifted straight from the console version, and that's not a bad thing. Razorworks managed to nail the visual vibe of both downtown Los Angeles and the outlying areas, even if the actual cleanliness of the city is a little off. It's probably the only part of the game (besides the process of repairing and buying cars) that transferred over seamlessly, but there's a very key difference between the PS2 versions and the PSP ones: there's actually a sense of speed. This means less time careening off walls and more time actually racing, which is key.
The racing, here, is better too. I don't know if I just stopped paying attention while playing the PS2 version or if the PSP one is better, but the cars finally feel like they have real weight; the physics allow for things like body roll, the cars buck under the torque of starting line engine revs, and there's a genuine feeling of being able to powerslide around a corner just by feel, which is key in an arcade racing game. Whereas the PS2 version had no sense of speed, FBMSR lets you use things whipping by to speed check corners and adjust turning accordingly.
It sounds like a small thing, but it really is the difference between a lackluster racer and one that's worth the Andrew Jackson it takes to purchase the game. Luckily, the actual value comes from the sheer number of races in the game. Though there are the obvious one-off quick race modes, the bulk of the game still lies in the Career Mode, which is split between Solo and Career races, and those in turn are broken down into a basic career race and two subsequent challenges for extra cash and unlocks for cars and courses you can then play in the single race modes.
Along the way, you'll also bank cash, which is used to buy new rides -- once you've unlocked them in the extra challenges, that is. Though the whole process of racing/unlocking/buying/racing does start to get a little tired once you've done it for about half of the approximately 50 billion races that are available, but Razorworks was nice enough to at least throw in a handful of extra race types. Essentially pared-down versions of the console challenges, you'll have to overtake a certain number of cars, swap between your cars and finish ahead of the pack, avoid elimination after every lap where the last car (or cars in Team Elimination events) are lopped off and so on.
I mentioned in the PS2 review that the game didn't look like a value title, and it's true; Razorworks' engine delivers a game with impressively rich lighting, car models sport at least a basic amount of damage (this is really just a swapped texture and perhaps a bent fender for the most part) and it all runs at a great clip. With the exception of heavy dithering, the PSP version does all of these things quite nicely. The environments are a little on the sparse side sometimes, but again, this is a bargain title.
The audio is similarly minimalist. There's no in-race music (just the menus), but the engine noises are plenty throaty, tire squeals are solid and effects like shunts and bumps respond to speed and how hard they hit. It's nothing that's going to send your ears into a tizzy, but it's certainly enough to get the job done.
FBMSR isn't a perfect game. It's a budget title, but it's comfortable in that, and really doesn't try to do more than it should. What's odd is that the PSP version delivers a sense of speed and weight to the cars, a fair amount of variety in track and race types help offset the fact that the car list is really only a couple dozen strong, and the really fun cars won't be unlocked until you've plugged away for near double-digit amounts of time (which is a shame; they're a blast).
It's still weird to type this out, but at $20, Razorworks' has crafted one of the best racers for the money on the PSP. Yes, I know it's hard to swallow considering how blah I was on the PS2 version, but this really is a better game -- the best version of it, in fact -- and if you're looking to throw $20, look no farther.
