Group S Challenge

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Group S is split into 2 main modes of play Ц arcade and circuit, both pretty self-explanatory. Circuit mode is the attempt at Gran Turismo; you buy a car, race it against competition, win cash, upgrade your car, tune it a bit, and repeat until you beat the entire thing. There's plenty of licensed rides from all major manufacturers, but nowhere near the depth of a Gran Turismo or Project Gotham Racing 2. There's a few recognizable tracks as well such as Monte Carlo and Suzuka, split into different areas Ц these are the better tracks; the street courses are a bit bland even if they're based on real Tokyo streets.а Unfortunately, the game lacks a lot of depth as the main challenge mode with races is split into 5 classes that can be cleared in a weekend, if not sooner. There is more than just a typical race though, with the one on one challenges to unlock some new cars to break things up, along with a racing line challenge that is the lone bright spot. The racing line challenge puts the Сperfect' line on the screen in the form of collectible crystals (though they look more like pyreflies of Final Fantasy X fame). If you stick in the racing line, you can collect them all and get a high score. It's fun and pretty challenging, but it's a shame that I can find better racing lines than the ones Capcom stuck in.

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On the track, Group S attempts to emulate Gran Turismo, yet also more arcade-style racers to create a careful balance between the 2 genres of racing.а For the most part, it turns out decently Ц cars feel heavy enough and yet controllable, but it's all too easy to skid around a corner perfectly and slaughter the slower computer cars and easily win races. It's so easy to slide around that I kept waiting for my Kudos to pile up, before remembering that it wasn't Project Gotham that I was playing. On the plus side, Capcom did figure out how to make cars handle like cars instead of the floaty physics from Auto Modellista that made the Boomshine Saigon mission from GTA Vice City look like the tightest-controlling mission in the game.

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On the downside, the sense of speed is quite lacking. Even with finely-tuned rides like a Skyline or Supra, it doesn't capture the speed of racing at 200 MPH very well. It's polished well and runs at 60 FPS, but there's little thrilling about the action, and that's unfortunate. Also, the game is way too easy Ц while it can be curtailed a bit, it's easy to just race until you can afford a supercar and then smoke everyone without much trouble, especially with the knowledge that you can practically fly around corners while the opposition has to slow down and brake, making it easy to pull away from the AI and win a snoozer.

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Otherwise, Group S Challenge is a polished game that has too much gloss and not enough substance. While the racing line challenge is very cool, it's the lone new idea to the genre, and when so many other racing games do it many times better, a game like Group S just doesn't cut it; why buy this game when you can get Project Gotham, Moto GP, or Sega GT? The game is cool enough at first, but once you see that it's lacking in many areas, and generally boringly simple, you'll realize that this is just not a fun racing game. It's not like Capcom to deliver a game so derivative of others, which makes Group S even more disappointing, as it could have been leagues better.

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In terms of the graphics, no question that Capcom did a bang up job, as they look very nice and polished. 60 FPS at all times, excellent car models and trackside detail, the whole kit and kaboodle. It looks pretty and hangs on the Xbox with ease compared to the competition.а However, that pesky sense of speed drags things down a bit Ц the slow, methodical pace of it makes for a game that's nice to look at but none too thrilling to play when you feel like you're barely tipping 55 MPH despite the speedometer showing 175. Thus, there's way too much time to take in the scenery and admire the highly detailed car models, when you should have to quickly think your way around a track and not have time to admire the graphics. It's pretty, but the sacrifice made doesn't quite add up to be something special.

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