NBrid

MSR (Metropolis Street Racer)

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Written by: Hybrid

When Dreamcast was first previewed in the U.S., a handful of games were
demonstrated to show the power of the system. Games like Sonic, July (remember
that one?), and a racing game called MSR. Metropolis Street Racer had
been hyped as the greatest racer ever at the time. Two years later the
game finally comes out. Is it the Gran Turismo killer it was made out
to be?

Graphics: Yeah um... here's the rundown. Even when you tint your
windows, you can still see your driver shifting and turning the wheel.
If you make your camera angle in front of the car, you may swear you're
driving. The sun effects are almost perfect, and basically this game looks
even better than GT3 in some respects. Hands down, this game is a 10 graphics
wise.

Control: The most important thing in a racing game (with sense
of speed in close 2nd) has to be control. At first this game seems too
loose, but you actually have to use your break in this game. Don't worry,
you'll learn. It's not perfect, but it's close.

Originality: There is not a single game on the market like this.
It has to be the most original racer. However, not everything is wanted...
Why should I get penalized just because the guy behind me comes up and
rams me to the side? How the hell and I supposed to drive in a circle
5 times 10 seconds faster than the last lap, PLUS do it with style? But
on the good side, earning kudos for powersliding is a plus (even if those
points go down after slamming into a wall because of a long power skid).
Some races have special goals to earn secret cars. Another annoying point
is EVERY time you want to put a new car in one of your garages, you have
to beat a challenge. I actually yelled at my TV saying, "Why the hell
do I have to earn this car again!? I just did!!" This is extremely annoying,
so you probably won't switch cars too often. Did I mention every time
you drop a car you have to pay in kudos? Not cool. Anyway, this game is
still very original. You can download challenges and upload ghosts...
blah blah. Even though MSR has an annoyance factor of 10, it's originality
gets an 8.

Replay: If you like playing a racing game forever on basically
the same 3 tracks over and over and over (and over), then you'll like
this game. Playing 2 player isn't great because there are no shortcuts
to speak of. What's the fun if it's discouraged to slam into your buddy
on a turn and destroy his lap? There are like 40 cars, but you will never
use half of them because the challenges are hell. Don't hate this game
for being annoying though. There is a lot of good parts to MSR too. I
do recommend renting first. If you buy it and can stand it, then you'll
be set for months.

Gameplay: 4.5
Graphics: 5.0
Sound: ---
Value: 3.5
Originality: 4.0

Final Score: 4.5   (out of 5)