Lotus Challenge
Score: 50% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Xicat Developer: Kuju Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Racing
Graphics & Sound: I'm going to come right out and say it - Lotus has to make some of the ugliest cars I've ever seen. I'm sure there are a few people out there who like the look, but I couldn't find one car in the entire game that I liked. However, this is not to say that Lotus Challenge is a bad looking game, I'm just not a fan of the subject matter. For the most part, the game looks about the same as any other racing game for the Xbox, only without the slick coat of gloss found in other games. The cars look good, but not great; the cities, which are supposed to be based on real world locations, are hard to tell apart; and the background objects look like cardboard cut-outs. There's just no 'pop' to the overall presentation to make it stand out, or at least shoulder to shoulder with other racers. Lotus Challenge also suffers from more than its fair share of technical glitches as well, such as a terrible draw distance and a hard to use camera system. Things get especially bad when there are more than five cars on the screen at once, which causes the frame rate to stutter more than a high school boy at his first boy/girl party. Sound has to be the game's worse feature. Not only does the game's Euro-techo soundtrack outright suck (even some of my techno-loving friends couldn't stand it), but there is the complete lack of Custom Soundtrack support. This is something that is inexcusable for an Xbox racer and, believe it or not, really hurts the gameplay. It makes a difference. The car engines themselves sounded more like souped up lawn mower engines rather than powerful cars.
Gameplay: If you're a big fan of Lotus, then this is the game for you since that's all you'll drive. Lotus Challenge plays just like any other racing game, only with a few minor adjustments. Like the graphics, the game offers little to entice players to choose this over other titles. You begin the game with a limited selection of cars and race them. As you complete courses, you can unlock new cars and tracks. To be honest, I had an easier time sitting through 100 laps in a NASCAR game than I did playing through 4 laps in Lotus Challenge. The single-player race modes are boring and the rewards aren't worth the effort. I'm sure this will appeal to a few fans, but kicking ass in races only to unlock what amounts to the same variant of the same car gets really dull. At least the game offers a pretty good car damage model so I could take out my frustrations by turning each race into an All-Lotus Demolition Derby. The one glimmer of hope I found in Lotus Challenge was the 'Challenge Mode'. In this mode, you select one of two drivers (although the difference is strictly cosmetic), and complete a set of challenges given to you by your manager. Some of the challenges involve simply completing a lap in a set amount of time, while others will have you chasing down a truck before it delivers the wrong parts to a race. By far the most interesting mode was a 'Car Soccer' mode where you have to knock a giant ball past a goalie. Had a few more unique aspects like this been included in the game, Lotus Challenge would have been a much more enjoyable game.
Difficulty: I can honestly say I've played my fair share of games, and can easily say that Lotus Challenge is in its own world when it comes to difficulty ramps. While most games will start out easy and slowly ramp up the challenge, Lotus Challenge starts out hard, drops long enough for you to come to grips with the awkward controls, then flat lines back at hard. A majority of this problem can be attributed to the game's AI, which is cheap and blatantly cheats. During races it's not uncommon to have all the cars magically receive a boost of speed long enough to pass you up. This cheapness even takes away from the enjoyment of the 'Car Soccer' Challenge since the 'goalie' is some kind of Jedi Master that can block anything. Even trying to complete some of the more basic challenges is a chore.
Game Mechanics: I have to hand it to the developers for including an interesting steering concept, even if it's hard to come to grips with. By pressing forward on the stick and moving it left or right in a circle, you can steer your car like you would with a real steering wheel. Although interesting, I found this to be impractical and found myself gravitating towards the familiar 'Left/Right' steering. Of course, this wasn't much of an improvement since I constantly found myself crashing into nearly every wall, barrier and car on the course. Lotus enthusiasts are likely to buy this game no matter what, however those looking for more variety, or at least something more playable, will find improving their Project Gotham scores or fine tuning their car in Sega GT a much better endeavor.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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