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Namco and Eutechnyx try their hand at the ever-popular underground racing scene. Gamers like underground street racers. This is showcased by the multi-million unit sales of last year’s Need For Speed Underground. So looking at screenshots, particularly those that take place in rain-soaked darkness, it seems that Namco is simply getting a cash-in. To Street Racing Syndicate’s credit, the game was supposed to be released last summer but was delayed with the whole 3DO fiasco happened.
Street Racing Syndicate features an unimportant narrative but its Street (Career) mode is aptly satisfying, nonetheless. While the actual racing in the underground street racing community is important, more often than not, the cars and other “belongings” of the racer are far more important. Street Racing Syndicate (“SRS”) suitably shows this in the career mode. You’ll need to participate in races to earn cash to keep entering future races. You see, you need this cash to bet on the races before someone will even bother with you. You’ll also need it to repair your car, forcing you to care for it. In addition to the cash, you’ll also earn respect and the attention of the ladies.
SRS includes fifty licensed cars to race around in. These include the typical companies like Toyota, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Mazda and Nissan. But you’ll also be able to race in cars from more prestigious companies like Lexus or companies you wouldn’t actually see in a real street race like Volkswagen. The cars differ in top speed, horsepower brake, torque and of course, the price.
Of course, a large part of the game’s appeal is being able to modify and “tune” your car to get the most out of it. There are many options available from changing the exhaust to reducing the weight that will give you better performance. I’m not just saying that, you’ll be able to notice the difference. In keeping with the atmosphere, Namco went ahead and licensed actual brands for the parts. There are also cosmetic upgrades like simply slapping decals on your car or giving it a sleek paint job.
Of course, what’s the point of having a sweet ride if you are riding it by yourself? The game allows you to unlock eighteen, actual, real-life models to be your in-game girlfriend. To win her over, you’ll need to complete her challenge which can range from being a sneaky driver to being a speed nut. Your girlfriend will serve as the flag girl during your races, and you can unlock videos (over fifty!) of her if you do a good job. If you race poorly however, she’ll leave you for the next big thing.
If you simply want to race, SRS features a fully functional Arcade mode. Here, all you need to do is pick a car, map and mode and you’re ready to race.
During single-player, the game’s A.I. performs admirably. It is never cheap, and you’ll notice other drivers sneaking up on you but they never seem to get super boosts to keep up with you. They’ll also make mistakes every so often and move around frequently.
And then there is multiplayer. In multiplayer, you can choose to simply race or compete in SRS’s game modes. In addition to regular split-screen, SRS also features a fully functional four-player online multiplayer mode. Here, you can wager your car for the possibility to take the car from some poor fool. I suggest that you practice quite a bit before doing wagering your car.
Visually, SRS is pretty good. The car models are excellent and in the showcase room, feature authentically modeled engines. The environments are fitting for a game like this and feature the wet look and blur effects made so popular by Need for Speed Underground. The game’s sense of speed is respectable considering that the developers went for a more realistic approach. It is not as fast as let’s say those Burnout 3 videos are, but fast enough.
The game’s hip-hop flavored music fits the underground racing scene but unfortunately the music isn’t just very good. Thankfully, the sound effects make up for this as they really bring to life the cars onscreen.
Street Racing Syndicate is a good underground racer. Its realism is second to none with so many licensed cars and parts. You can spend hours simply customizing your car, which will please the real tuners out there. The actual gameplay is solid, although the sense of speed and sometimes too realistic handling hurt the game a bit. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Sep 3, 2004
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