PreviewRACE Pro

  • July 17, 2008
  • Trust me, I don't drive this poorly in real life!
  • by: SeanMike @ E3
  • available on: Xbox 360

There are all types of racing games. Many are considered rather "arcade-ish" which basically means that the physics and style of driving are changed to help make the game easier to control on a video game console. That's not acceptable if you're a professional rally car driver who wants to train without the expense of a car. Thus, RACE Pro was developed, a very accurate simulation of the rally car experience.

Since it was intended for training, RACE Pro has a depth and realism that goes well beyond most driving games. It's based originally on the GTR series, but from a fully modeled cockpit that looks like you're actually IN the car, to the realistic damage model, this game says "you're actually driving this car".

There are fifteen tracks and 45 cars, all licensed, including both touring and open wheel cars. You can't customize the look of your car but you can customize the performance to an incredible amount of detail - such as the tire pressure in each tire.

The game does try to help you out. If you want to play with an automatic transmission instead of a manual that's fine. As you approach a turn the game will show you the lay of the curve and give you a recommended gear to be in as you go through it. This is a game that requires a lot of practice to learn but rewards realistic driving styles.

In single player games you will have up to 15 opponents for a total of 16 cars on the track. You can race online through Xbox Live as well in matches of up to 12 people.

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About the Author, Sean Michael Whipkey (A.K.A SeanMike)

I'm a 29 year old senior network and systems engineer for a consulting firm in the DC area. I'm mostly into MMOs and FPSes (on the console), and I'm a big pro football fan. In my other spare time I like to write and tend to read copious amounts of history and military sci-fi. I'm also into cooking and bad action movies.