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[SolidSnakex]

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/enthusiaproracing/media.html

 

[mr2mike]

WOW

 

[gtmax]

I just got wood!

Cannot fucking wait for this baby to come otu. Please Konami do not downgrade the physics!!!!

 

[Gek54]

Head Ruptures*

 

[SolidSnakex]

Gamespots hands on impressions:

Perhaps the most exciting innovation in Enthusia Professional Racing, though, will be the previously unannounced "Driving Revolution" mode, which, somewhat bizarrely, takes its inspiration from Konami's ever-popular Dance Dance Revolution series of rhythm games. The premise of the new mode is actually quite simple: As you drive around one of the game's 50-plus circuits, you'll see graphics that can perhaps best be described as slalom gates. The gates aren't physical objects that can be collided with, and your goal will be to drive through every single one of them without ever straying from the track that you're driving on.

There's a bit more to it than that, though. Each of the gate graphics incorporates a horizontal line that slides up and down according to your speed, and in order to achieve a "perfect" score (as opposed to a great, bad, or miss) for a gate you'll have to pass through it at the correct speed (as indicated by the line being right in the middle). A number of the gates will also incorporate simple graphics warning you that you'll need to either brake sharply or accelerate in order to meet the requirements of the next gate.

Other new Enthusia Professional Racing features that were announced today included: an odds system that gives you some indication of which opponents will be the biggest threat to you before each race, ranking points that let you know how close you are to achieving your goal of becoming the number one driver, and "Enthu" points which, as far as we can tell, serve as some kind of health bar for your vehicle--ending your race if they drop to zero. When you're not losing Enthu points, you'll be attempting to rack up skill points that, since money has no role to play in the game, serve as currency when it comes to tuning your cars. You won't have a garage of cars that you own or anything like that, incidentally, you'll simply start the game with approximately 50 of Enthusia's 200-plus cars available to you, and you'll unlock more as you progress through the "Enthusia Life" career mode.

The last new feature that we noticed today was a post-race report that will afford you an at-a-glance appraisal of your last drive. The report basically comprises a map of the circuit that you just raced, and icons scattered all over it that represent your achievements and mistakes for each lap. The icons you can expect to see are as follows: full braking, off course, collision with scenery, collision with opponent, overtake by player, overtake by opponent, and another that tells you what your top speed was and where you reached it. We weren't able to spend enough time with Enthusia to comment on how useful this information might prove, but it does seem like it will do a good job of highlighting areas of a circuit where you're repeatedly making the same mistakes.

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/enthusiaproracing/preview_6117368.html

 

[Gregory]

WTF? The car models in these shots actually looks better than the GT4 ones. Clearly even.

I don`t think I`ve seen better graphics. The Impreza is incredible. I really hope they port this to xbox.

 

[Coin Return]

Do you guys think the WRX STi will really look that good in the final product? I hate when they pretty up screenshots.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

lookin damn good, GT4 may have some serious comp here. And how do you know the game doesnt look that good, Looks like a cut scene of course it can look a bit better than when your actually controlling the game.

 

[SolidSnakex]

The Initial D style course in the trailer just looks badass. Can't wait to drive on that.

This screen is nice:

 

[Jonnyram]

The courses are amazing and I hope it kills GT
But no arcade mode = no sale for me, I think. I tried it at TGS and I'm just not a big fan of sim racers when arcade racers like Ridge Racers exist.

 

[dark10x]

WTF? The car models in these shots actually looks better than the GT4 ones. Clearly even.

I don`t think I`ve seen better graphics. The Impreza is incredible. I really hope they port this to xbox.

Yeah seriously, those car models are NICE! Sadly, unlike GT4, I don't think this game will offer progressive scan support.

 

[Crag Dweller]

Looks like it's going to be another great year to be a racing fan. BTW, whats the latest word on the wheel coming to the U.S.?

 

[Gregory]

Yeah seriously, those car models are NICE! Sadly, unlike GT4, I don't think this game will offer progressive scan support.

Yep. One of the reasons why I`d like an Xbox port is that it seems to suffer from some pretty bad aliasing judging by the latest video.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Looks like it's going to be another great year to be a racing fan. BTW, whats the latest word on the wheel coming to the U.S.?

Our best bet for that right now is to email Konami to let them know that it's in demand. I think it's going to be more expensive than the new GT wheel which would mean it'd be a very hefty import price.

 

[demi]

I just got wood!

You too huh?

 

[jett]

Cars are definitely better than GT4's...equally realistic, but with better textures, more polygons, and freaking 3D rims. Looks nice, I'm glad Konami decided against GT's car-collecting way of progressing through the game. I may get this if it gets good reviews.

 

[SKluck]

The modelling looks fantastic, but the lighting is Dreamcast quality. Ruins the look IMO. Clean, but amateurish almost.

 

[Gek54]

No Konami wheel for the US. It has been suggested that it be imported.

edit: and the idea of an xbox port was laughed at.

 

[FightyF]

Like GT4 it has really basic lighting...but like GT4 is has great texturework.

These textures are waaay too crisp though, I don't expect the final game to look like that. I wish, though...

 

[duderon]

IS EUTHENASIA COMING TO XDUDE??????

 

[Gek54]

IS EUTHENASIA COMING TO XDUDE??????

... the idea of an xbox port was laughed at.

ll

 

[cybercrash]

The car models are awesome, other than that I see GT4 owning it in every other department though (visually).

 

[duderon]

ll

 

[VictimOfGrief]

The car models are awesome, other than that I see GT4 owning it in every other department though (visually).

Honestly the car models in GT4 visually.... look better. Enthusia's looks good, but not the best. Forza and GT4 I think are probably more on par visually and physics wise. Don't get me wrong, I think Konami can make a great driving game, but as far as making a great driving sim, well, that has yet to be determined.

 

[mashoutposse]

I can't wait for this game either, but aside from the excellent Skyline and Impreza renditions, I don't see how these models are better than GT4's (except technically, which other racers have done). The quality of the models seems a bit inconsistent at the moment. You have the Impreza, then you have...

 

[ourumov]

About fucking time Konami showed their skills when it comes to racing games. They have already proved they can push awesome arcade racing gems (Thrill Drive, Racing Jam, GTI Club, etc.) Let's hope this doesn't turn to be to GT series what Air Force Delta is to Ace Combat.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Honestly the car models in GT4 visually.... look better. Enthusia's looks good, but not the best. Forza and GT4 I think are probably more on par visually and physics wise. Don't get me wrong, I think Konami can make a great driving game, but as far as making a great driving sim, well, that has yet to be determined.

From the impressions we've seen so far, it looks like Enthusia will take both of them when it comes to phsyics.

Here's IGN's impressions:

The tires aren't just represented for the hello of it either. The tires are colored gray, but as they get more traction with the road from turning or accelerating this will fill up with white. The white begins in the middle and expands to the top and bottom of the icon, similar to the way that KITT used to talk in Night Rider. Push the tires too hard, however, and they'll get a red outline which means that the driver has just lost control and the tires are now skidding along. With a powerful racecar on a wet course we found out how this worked every few seconds. Floor the engine and the back tires quickly shine red as they lose grip and the car pretty much goes nowhere.

When it comes to the cars themselves the Enthusia team has been hard at work on getting all of the car's details down precisely. Each car has been measured for over 300 different characteristics and all of the sounds have been carefully recorded for a more realistic experience. The rest of the numbers for Enthusia are that there are going to be over 200 cars from 50 manufacturers racing on over 50 courses. Of these courses there will be two, Tsukuba and Nurburgring, that are based on real-world courses.

With just two regular courses the others will take place on city streets around the world as well as off-road. To make things extra interesting there will be a desert course that is randomly generated. This is done by incorporating a series of segments, in random order, together so that the races have an extra element of surprise to them.

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/583/583192p1.html

Pics from the Driving Revolution mode: