Tokyo Xtreme Racer DRIFT 2 (PlayStation 2)

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The basic concept might sound good, but DRIFT 2 stumbles in almost every aspect of execution. The menus, dialog, and instruction manual are poorly translated, which makes even the most basic tasks difficult. The message board and e-mail system is cumbersome and completely ridiculous. Nearly everything about the game is tedious, from earning money and unlocking new races to figuring out what you need to do next. You'll spend a lot of your time wading through posts and e-mail in search of a clue as to how to unlock the next race because winning races and beating rivals often doesn't do anything. Then suddenly, you'll hit some magic point threshold and unlock something new.

The game's biggest problem is that the cars handle more like boats than cars. Even with your car totally pimped out, it's a struggle to make it through anything other than the gentlest curve without grazing the wall because the cars are so unresponsive. That's when you're driving normally. It's even worse when you try to drift: Your car will start to slide and then it's almost impossible to control. This is a huge problem in the drift races because not only do you lose any points you gained in a drift when you hit a wall, but you also lose the opportunity to get any points in that particular drift section. Bumping into walls is also frustrating because you lose almost all of your forward momentum; hitting one wall is often the difference between clearing a course and not clearing it. You can somewhat compensate for the shoddy controls by changing your tire type, but even that is made difficult by the menus, changing weather, and races with seemingly random sections of dirt.

None of DRIFT 2's problems are helped by its lackluster presentation. It does have a solid frame rate and the cherry blossoms that fall on some of the courses look nice, but nearly everything else is substandard. There's a lot of aliasing, and the draw distance isn't very impressive. Despite the solid frame rate, the game never conveys any sense of speed; something that makes the dull racing even more boring. The car models aren't very detailed, and they don't show damage either. Most of the courses look the same; you'll see lots of trees and the same signs repeatedly. For the most part, they're designed the same because it's often impossible to discern one course from the next. There's little variation to the sound of the car engines, but the finishing touch on DRIFT 2's shoddy presentation is put on by the game's soundtrack, which is mostly an ear-splitting mix of a handful of Japanese ska, punk, and pop songs.

If you played the first DRIFT game and found yourself wanting more, you'll probably be reasonably content with DRIFT 2 because it's essentially the same game. But the reality for most people is that Tokyo Xtreme Racer DRIFT 2 is an all-around disappointment, even if it costs just $20. Anyone else who's in the market for a cheap but good racer would be better suited to grab something out of the PlayStation 2's ample "Greatest Hits" library.

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Where to buy

Tokyo Xtreme Racer DRIFT 2 (PlayStation 2): $10.87 - $14.99

store	price	in stock?	rating
	$14.99	Yes
	$10.87	Yes

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	Deep Discount.com	$10.87