 Gran Turismo for the
PlayStation is one of the best games ever made, and arguably the best game on that
system. N64 owners have longed for this game, or something of similar quality.
Now, with the release of World Driver Championship, N64 owners
finally have a GT game of note.
While the focus of Gran Turismo was on the obtaining of cars and then upgrading
them, World Driver Championship is about you: the driver. It's almost an
RPG of sorts. You start off as a rookie driver new to GT2 competition. As a
rookie, only two lesser-known driving teams will offer you a chance to drive for
them. Of course, since their cars aren't exactly the best on the road, it's your job
to rise through the ranks and get offers for new rides from other teams. The better
you perform, the more offers and rides you get. It's very similar to obtaining
experience points in RPG's.
Much like other hyper-realistic racing games, World Driver Championship has a
monstrous learning curve. You will not hold the accelerator down at all times;
braking and shifting are integral to your performance. The game has a lot in common
with another great N64 racer, F1 World Grand Prix. Chances are you will
spend the first few hours spinning out and losing control, not to mention doing some
serious fish tailing. This is due to both the realistic nature of the game's engine
and the fact that the cars you get at the start aren't very good. Once you gain
an understanding of the handling, you'll be screaming around corners and using your
drifting tail to your advantage.
Another aspect of World Driver Championship that may throw people is the type of
driving involved. While driving games like F1 World Grand Prix are based in
the realm of "line driving", a car goes into a turn, holding a constant line
through which all 4 wheels ride the length of the turn. With "line" driving, the
driver must allow for the car to slow enough to hold a constant line through the turn and
keep the car from sliding because, with this type of vehicle, sliding is
counteractive. In World Driver Championship, a different driving technique
can be employed as well: drift driving.  Drift driving involves the using
a car's tendency to end-around to your advantage. With drift driving, the driver
hardly slows down at all while taking a corner, you simply hit the apex of the turn
tightly and turn into the turn and allow the car to slide out into the turn. If done
correctly, the car will slide through the turn and hit the other side losing only a little
speed. This also allows a driver to block others from using much of the road. Once
you learn how to drift effectively, appreciation of World Driver Championship's
engine increases immensely.
The graphics are another high point in World Driver Championship, and they'll
probably be its biggest selling point. World Driver Championship is easily
the best looking driving game available for any of the console systems. It runs
in standard resolution, and also has a optional hi-res mode that runs in a letter-boxed
screen. Unlike most games, hi-res in World Driver Championship does NOT
require the 4 MB Expansion Pak to run. I personally prefer the regular resolution
mode. It looks incredible and gives a larger overall view of the action. The
game maintains high framerates, even with lots of geometry on screen. The only time
the framerate drops is when all eight competitors are going through a corner.
My only complaint is the lack of car damage. There is none.
The game's audio isn't as good as the graphics, but it's adequate nonetheless. The
sound effects are very atmospheric. Each car has a distinct engine noise and, after
awhile, you'll be able to tell exactly which car is following you, without looking.
Associated noises, tire squeals and echoes are all top-notch. The only poor sound
effect is the crashing noise. It's fairly weak. Music is of the thrash
metal variety. Most of the tunes are OK, but the menu and preview screen themes are
standouts.
Aside from the main Championship Series mode, the game offers a few more ways to test your
driving skill: single race modes, time trials, practice laps and replay viewing are all
available form the start. Special mention must be made of the replay mode.
You can save up to 15 laps of replay races to a controller pack, and watch it any
time. The graphical presentation in the replay mode is awesome. The game has a
preset cinematic viewpoint that changes automatically, or the player can alter
viewpoints. Replays can be saved simply for fun, or they can be used as an
invaluable tool for analyzing your mistakes during a race.
 Two player mode is surprisingly good.
Both players get a large view window and the framerate and graphics are pretty
good. You can even race against 2 more computer controlled racers. Any cars or
tracks that have been opened up in the single player mode can be used by either of the
competitors.
While there is a glut of racing games on the N64 -- some of them quite good -- World
Driver Championship stands alone as a great GT racer. The idea of starting at
the bottom and working your way to the top of the racing world is a nice twist to the
standard racing theme. Top notch play control, incredible graphics, and lots of
options and replay value make World Driver Championship a must buy for serious
driving fans.
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