Developer: Sumo Digital

Publisher: Konami

Release Date: Jan. 15, 2009

System: PS3

ESRB Rating: E

Official Web site

0:00 I have no idea what the GTI Club is, nor why it should be increased by a plus sign. I do know what Cote D'Azur is, at least. Anyway, Twitter follower and Konami employee James Wong offered me a download code for the game, so I figure it's at least worth a quick spin.

0:01 The camera pans past some relatively plain and empty-looking streets as a peppy number plays over the title. Everything looks kind of basic compared to the super-detailed courses of a Gran Turismo or Midnight Club. Still, a nice, clean look.

0:03 Apparently I can hook up the PlayStation Eye to take Happy, Mocking, Sad and Angry pictures to send to opponents when, I assume, those emotions would apply. Er, no thanks. I'm gonna start with single-player, anyway.

0:04 Difficulty choices are Easy Race, Medium Race, Hard Race and Free Run. I'm a decent virtual driver, so let's go with Medium.

0:05 A vast, VAST line-up of FIVE tiny cars greets me in an abandoned parking lot. I choose a red Austin Mini Cooper because the idea of racing a Mini Cooper is just too hilarious for words. Automatic transmission please!

0:08 And just like that, my first race is already over. The steering is EXTREMELY touchy ... a light tap of the stick sends me careening to the side. The car seems very light, too, lifting onto two wheels or launching off of ramps very easily. The course design has a lot of branches -- very confusing where I'm supposed to go next. Confusing, branching levels require split-second decision-making, which doesn't go great with the touchy controls. There are a lot of sharp turns, too ... requiring frequent use of the hand brake. I made it through almost two laps (out of three) before the timer ran out. Now I've got the idea ... let's try again.

0:12 My second race starts better ... I even struggle into fifth place briefly, but it ends up much the same. These controls are just WAY too touchy ... I can't stay on the center of the track. I don't like the crowded traffic sections either ... it's hard to maneuver around all those stalled cars. That said, I am starting to like the shortcut-filled track design. Keeps me on my toes.

0:15 A hairpin turn in the first lap puts me briefly into second place, but my bounce-off-the-sides racing style bounces me back to sixth before long. I end up in fourth after three laps. "Goooooooal!" the announcer cries! Track knowledge seems of paramount importance ... I think I'm taking less-than-optimal shortcuts. Lots of bumping and grinding from the opposing cars this time ... the AI cars seem a decent match.

0:16 Hmmm, the post-race options are "View Replay," "Restart Race" or "Exit Race." Exit Race takes me back to the title screen. Does this mean there's only ONE TRACK? In the ENTIRE GAME!?!

0:17 Moving up to Hard Race in a Renault this time.

0:20 HA! At the start of the race this time, all the cars back up a bit and do a three-point turn to start racing in reverse. I follow their lead and run through what starts out as a backwards version of the Medium Race. A lot of the paths are closed off, though, taking me to parts of the city I never think of and rarely visit. So I guess there's technically more than one "track," but still...

0:23 I just noticed there's a white path on the otherwise gray streets on my mini-map. I'm constantly not on that white path. I assume this is why I end up in eighth place, despite racing pretty well at this point.

0:25 I constantly seem to run out of time after roughly one-and-a-half laps. I'm obviously missing some more obvious path that would shave precious seconds off my lap time. I would just follow the computer-controlled cars, but they can't seem to agree on the best way to go either. Hmmm.

0:27 I end up going backwards on the track in this race. Surprisingly, this is the first time this has happened. I think I found a better route in the process, though. Hooray for being observant!

0:29 You know what sucks? Having a bus cross right in front of you just when you're about to complete a second lap for the first time EVER on the Hard course! Grrr...

0:31 What starts as a great shortcut ends with me getting horribly lost on those gray parts of the map. Sigh. I AM going to get this, mark my words!

0:33 I get through two-and-a-half laps this time ... a new record. The improvement comes from taking a shortcut I found by studying the map between races ... it cuts out a checkpoint but saves a lot of time. Looking at the map again now, I think I actually see an even better shortcut that can save more time and distance. I just hope I can remember where it is during the race...

0:35 My shortcut ends up as a debacle, mainly because a car gets in the way of my turn-off. This traffic is SO ANNOYING!

0:39 OH! My new super-shortcut requires going up a set of stairs, launching me high into the air. It didn't look that way on the map. Anyway, this HUGE time savings keeps me in it the whole way through ... I run out of time within FEET of the finish line. SO CLOSE. With God as my witness...

0:43 OMG! I finish within mere feet of the finish line ... AGAIN! If it weren't for that car that got in my way on Lap 1...

0:46 Wow ... I'm racing what I think is a damn near-perfect race when I'm FORCED into a garage shortcut that I've never taken before. I take it and luckily get to a checkpoint JUST as I'm about to run out of time on the third lap. I keep going and ... end up feet from the finish line once more. This game is taunting me; I can feel it...

0:49 I take the garage shortcut intentionally on the first lap this time around. I don't think it's much shorter, but there are more checkpoints, so I end up with a bit more time on the clock. Unfortunately, I miss the garage entrance in Lap 2 and end up hitting traffic. I mean LITERALLY hitting traffic.

0:52 Despite how easy the computer makes it seem, entering that garage entrance is near-impossible. Either I sail past it in midair, or there's a car in the way or something. It might not be worth it...

0:55 I take another oft-seen but never-used shortcut this time ... a highway on-ramp that snakes through a tunnel. On the first lap this causes me to get SIDESWIPED BY A TRAIN, mitigating any time savings. On the second lap it helps ... until I get boxed out by a bus with a Konami logo on it. Sigh.

0:58 This race was a tale of getting blocked from the shortcuts I wanted to take. I have to improvise and take other, slightly worse (or possibly better?) shortcuts. It's all so confusing ... like a labyrinth with one optimum path that I'm pretty sure I haven't found.

1:02 I just finished the race of my life ... pumping the accelerator perfectly through the twists of the on-ramp shortcut. I stumble across the finish line just as the clock is running down. Or so I think. That's when I see it ... "Three Laps Remaining." Yup. This was a six-lap race ... a fact I didn't notice until just now. I think I'm going to cry.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Surprisingly, yes.


Why? I think I want to prove to myself that it's possible to beat this race. The battle of man versus machine is well-joined, believe you me.

This column is based on a full downloadable copy of the game provided by the publisher.

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