Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Racing
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 03 May 05

User Rating
9.7 (7 votes)

Score 10 (Best) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Worst)

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Overview

I think many of us have struggled with the numerous delays that the highly anticipated Gran Turismo 4 series had before the game actually did hit store shelves. Today we are going to be looking at a game that is really the total opposite in terms of hype, because to be quite frank with all of you, I highly doubt many of you have ever heard of this game and if you have I doubt you were really looking forward to it. Now I am sure there are some exceptions to this (because there always are) but for the most part Enthusia Professional Racing for the PS2 is a game that comes in under the radar and tries to become a sleeper hit. Can it do just that? Read our full review to find out!

Gameplay

The racing genre is in my opinion one of the most technically demanding just because everything really has to be perfect in order for a racing game to work. With the Gran Turismo series constantly setting the standard for the genre, any sort of flaw or oversight could be the end of the games' lifespan. I know there have been many times that I have played racing games that were all visuals and no substance and vice versa. So can Enthusia Professional Racing give us gamers the full racing experience?

So diving right into the review, how does the racing in the game end up staking up against the competitors? Like many racing simulation games, Enthusia is not one that you can just pick up and play like a pro. In fact, this game may be harder then most are used to. The controls, in my opinion, are extremely sensitive, making full concentration absolutely crucial. To be honest, not being the best racing gamer out there, I struggled with this game for quite sometime.

The one thing that may disappoint some simulation race fans is that the game really doesn't provide a whole lot of tuning features. Sure you do have some areas that you can tweak to your liking, but the overall effect of this is not all that spectacular. In fact, when you put it up against the recent GT4, there just is no comparison. With that being said, this is fine if you're a guy like me and isn't as much into the fine-tuning aspects as you are into the actual racing.

The career mode doesn't really try anything all that different from other racing simulations, in that you are just going to be racing in a ton of races to gain prestige and more cars. The one thing that I kind of felt a little frustrated with was the points system, which deducts your points when you hit cars and such. This can be somewhat of a drag at times, but will probably be fine with most racing simulation fans. The career mode is really just the standard mode that won't give you anything that you haven't seen before.

One of the biggest disappointments for GT4 was that they dismissed the online play, and in my opinion that is really what held the game back from true glory. Enthusia Professional Racing is also a game that is lacking in the same department, and for me that also could have really put this game over the top but the lack of it really just makes this game run more on the average mark.

What's really odd about Enthusia is that you didn't hear much about the game during development, and yet the game features a huge lineup of cars and this really to me was a huge surprise. With that being said, the overall gameplay doesn't do anything to really overwhelm or surprise me, but instead gave me a rather average driving simulation experience that won't be much different from games we have already played.

Graphics

To compare Enthusia Professional Racing to Gran Turismo 4 visually would be unfair, as the game still looks pretty good on its own merits. The car models in the game are probably the best aspect the game has to offer, as they are full of detail and a very nice use of color. The environments in the game I wouldn't say are as impressive as other racing simulations but still do a rather nice job of keeping things fresh in the game.

The one thing I think I was more impressed with though then anything was how well the game held up in the frame rate department. Everything ran extremely smoothly in the game, and to be honest I didn't experience really any slow down whatsoever.

Overall the visuals of Enthusia Professional Racing are actually quite impressive and they deserve some recognition as they do offer up a very nice experience.

Fun Factor

Driving simulations aren't known for being the most fun of games in the world. I mean, look at the license tests on the Gran Turismo games. With that being said, the racing simulation games still offer up some fun and this game is just that "some fun". Like I mentioned earlier, the gameplay has been done before and to also in some cases done better. I think if the game had worked harder on getting a more complex multiplayer (aka: online play) then this game really could have been a major contender in the racing simulation genre.

Overall

Enthusia Professional Racing is a good game from start to finish. It may not have all the neat bells and whistles like some of the other racing simulation games out there, but it has enough to offer to satisfy a lot of racing simulation fans. If you are by any means intrigued by this game, I would definitely recommend checking it out. It will be worth your time.

Gameplay
7.0

Graphics
8.0

Fun Factor
6.0

Overall
7.0

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