The racing itself is as always, a fairly straight-forward matter. Rival racers may attempt to block your passing offensive, or may elect to stay on the optimum racing line. It tends to vary greatly from one race to the next. Collisions with cars, or roadside obstacles again lean toward the arcade, with players sustaining no damage, merely a reduction in speed. A good feeling of speed is experienced while racing, especially in the later cups when the available horsepower is definitely unhealthy, and attainable speeds hint at bone shattering levels. After each race, a replay of your exploits allows you to grin (or wince) at your efforts. Although reflections can be seen on rival cars within the game, it is within the replay that such touches are most apparent. Distance blurring also comes into effect -- a nice touch, but one only seen in the replays.
Graphically RR5 does nothing to disappoint, but then again does little to impress. Buildings and roadside forms are all acceptable, but lack anything impressive to catch the eye. The road itself, although twisting and hilly, is always flat, right up to the edges -- subtracting a small amount of realism from the overall picture. Small details like road imperfections, or curbside drains would at least allow the player some extra details to keep in mind.
The sound effects and music are standard fare, with suitably up-tempo beats accompanying drivers around the track. Theres the odd comment from the announcer praising the occasional piece of artful driving. The game offers up few surprises, but retains its flair for fun. Winning new cars and engines is part of the enjoyment; working out how to drive them is also great. Most people will elect to punch their way through the cups, finding each more challenging than the last, as well as competing one-on-one with fellow players in split screen fun.
In two-player mode, graphical finery has been sacrificed to maintain a high frame-rate. Fogging that is totally absent in the single player game is readily apparent in two-player duel. The viewable horizon no longer shows buildings and skies; instead the grey haze that envelops large U.S. cities has been faithfully reproduced to create that authentic feeling of smog. The fog, more than any other discrepancy, shows how unfamiliar developers are with getting the most out of the PS2. For a console designed to throw several million polygons at the screen, that firepower has definitely not been put to use here.
RR5 breaks no new ground in terms of game-play, preferring to stay within traditional boundaries set by its ancestors. Good for the Namco faithful among us, but unlikely to sway newcomers to the cause. The graphics unfortunately do not live up to our lofty expectations. Sega's Crazy Taxi does a better job in most respects of entertaining the gamer. Crazy Tazi shows off the power of the Dreamcast -- and highlights the unfamiliarity of programmers with Sony's radically designed PS2. While this remains true for now, developers are becoming more adept in their abilities. It should become apparent within the second generation titles how capable the PS2 is. At present, RR5 is a title that could have been made on the Dreamcast, and is not something that signifies the "next step" in gaming.
