Game #1179: Auto Modellista

  The coolest-looking racing game ever. Ever.

 I've been interested in Auto Modellista ever since I first heard of it, I mean, it's not every day you hear of a cell-shaded racing game. And it looks SO cool, yet, much like Sengoku Basara/Devil Kings, Capcom just couldn't resist the urge to fiddle with what worked, for you see, I discovered just yesterday, by coincidence, that there's a reason the US release of Auto Modellista only looks good.

 The graphics are amazing. I swear, no other racing game has looked this good since, as the cell-shaded look makes it look like nothing else out there. The tracks themselves look gorgeous too, thanks to what seems like water pencil colors. And if that wasn't enough, even the special effects, such as the dust behind you when you drift or the speed lines, are very comic-bookish in style. It's mesmerizing just how amazing and original this game looks, to the point I'm now searching for any other racing game that went with a cell-shaded look. And I haven't found one yet. While we are at it, while relatively infrequent, the game has a few framerate issues if there's too much stuff going on at the same time.

 As for the game itself, there are two main modes, firstly there's Arcade, which lets you play races in any of the 9 available tracks(Plus, a secret unlockable one), some which can be played it reverse. Heck, two of them are just about driving downhill and getting there first. It sounds kinda lacking, and it is. Two courses are the very same, except that one takes place during the day and the other one during a rainy night. Then add to that the fact that two courses are ovals, different ovals but still, and another one is a simple square. It leaves you wanting for more.

 Then there's Garage. Here are the single player championship courses, and in this mode you can unlock more cars and customize yours with a few pieces each. There really aren't all that many pieces to add onto your car, as far as aesthetics go since there are also parts that customize the performance, but what's here is enough to have fun. The fact that the cars look so cool in this cellshaded style probably mitigates having so few pieces. Plus, you can do fun stuff with the Paint customization.

 So far, it sounds like a good game that could've used more content... but, sadly, it doesn't end there. The controls and the physics simply aren't very good. At first I thought it was just me, as I couldn't even get the drifting right, and I was spinning out every single time I took a curve. So I went to look for reviews... and I wasn't the only one. The controls and the physics aren't very good, and it's ridiculous, because the best way to take a curve is to HIT the wall and use it to turn the car. You'll lose less speed that way. And as it so happens, coincidentally, later that night I was watching a Gran Turismo video by Digital Foundry, and they mentioned Auto Modellista... and the fact that they changed the way it controlled for the USA release, to make it 'harder'. Way to fumble what was a pretty good game, Capcom!

 It sucks. It does, because no other game looks like it. But even though you can get used to the controls it never manages to be fun. Ridge Racer, Cruis'n and Outrun, my favorite driving game series, aren't known for being strong on the visual department, particularly Cruis'n as they are N64 games, but they play beautifully, which is what made me adore them so much. This game looks really nice, and I suggest giving it a try just to look at it, but it's such a hassle to play...!

 5.5