The same goes for the likes of Lumines and even Virtua Tennis, considering its age. I can honestly say that had Ridge Racer PSP been released on the PS2 instead, I would never have spent so much time with it. A handheld game should always get the basics right, because players are likely to be limited to stop-start sessions in which immediate satisfaction should be the priority. The PSP's annoying influx of ports and established brands has been a blessing in disguise, because handheld games are judged (or should be) under very different criteria. Issues of control and comfort are paramount to any racing game, but even more so in handheld gaming. Thankfully, digital control is much more accurate, but surely the majority of gamers these days have no interest in d-pad driving? In Rivals, the dead zone is far too big and, naturally enough, detracts from gameplay as a result. It's just that when compared with other top racing games on the PSP - of which there are many already - the difference is noticeable, even when you upgrade your cars. Now, that's not to say that nub control in Rivals is appalling, because that's not the case. Put simply, the analog nub is implemented badly enough to drag the overall game down, especially when compared to the likes of Ridge Racer or even WipEout Pure, a series in which controls have always been a stickler. Rivals, like most of the Need for Speed series, straddles the line between those two categories, but in this case crosses the line on the issue of controls. The thrill-seekers, meanwhile, don't really care what the mode of transportation is, so long as the game excites them on some level, be it through speed, or decent AI, or weapons. The car lovers will often accept frustrating gameplay issues and tedium so long as the chassis is classy, much like Pro Evo fans accept its pinball effect in the face of the game's overall brilliance. Or more specifically, the sense of control.īy now, we all know that current advocates of the racing genre tend to fall into two camps - the car lovers, and the thrill-seekers. The point is, Need for Speed Underground Rivals reminded me why learning to drive is bothersome: controls. Except, perhaps, in the arm-waving department. And irate fathers certainly don't match up to that blonde one from OutRun. Three hours later, cursing F-Zero under my breath, I realised that games really couldn't prepare you for the reality of gear sticks and clutches. "Ronan," he said in a voice nothing like Mario's, "It's time you learned how to drive!" He entered at such speed that there may well have been nitrous leaving his rear end. Almost ten years ago, my dad came bursting into our living room like a deep-space marine in Berserk mode.
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