TOCA Race Driver - Xbox

The end of any summer is always a bit of a bummer, but come the close of August 2002, PS2-owning race car fans really had something to smile about with the arrival of ToCA Race Driver. The first ToCA title to appear on a next-gen console, ToCA Race Driver had a ready-made audience waiting - the same audience (apart from the fools who decided against a PS2) who had stayed with the ToCA series through the previous three games. Suffice to say, aside from some ropey cut-scenes starring the evil/angelic Ryan McKane, ToCA Race Driver delivered the goods. Well, the good news is that the Xbox version delivers too, and then some.

The game is fundamentally the same as the PS2 and PC versions, but with a twist. There are small but significant changes in the make-up of the ToCA Race Driver experience, and qualifying is now featured in the Xbox version's championship mode. In the section of the game featuring Australia's V8 Supercar Championship series, players are able to experience the 'Shoot out' qualification system. A round of races before you get to compete in this championship will have to be negotiated successfully. Miss out on qualification and you're back to square one - and that's tough!

Players will also find that there is more competition on the track, as a total of 20 cars race around at any one time - that's six more than you'll find in the PS2 and PC versions. Finally, there's the improved sound. The Xbox version features Dolby 5.1 surround sound for the ultimate in synaesthesia.

You'd be right to expect ToCA on the Xbox to be a handsome beast, and it is an improvement on the PS2 version. The visuals are that little bit smoother, and there's no sense of driving through Pop Up City as there was in the Sony incarnation. So, get yourself equipped with one of those ergonomically pleasing S-Controllers, or better yet, a steering wheel, and strap yourself in. The Xbox finally gets the racer it deserves, and it's all thanks to Codemasters. more