The Fast and the Furious

Reviewed by Norman Canseco
October 31, 2006

Developer: Eutechnyx Publisher: Namco Bandai Consoles Available: PS2, PSP (TBA) Players: 1-2 (online up to 4) ESRB Rating: Teen Website: Click Here

Screenshot from The Fast and the Furious. Courtesy Namco Bandai. Click image to enlarge.

For the fans of the explosive movie series, Namco Bandai delivers the experience of street racing in The Fast and the Furious. Based off of the third movie Tokyo Drift, The Fast and the Furious puts the player in the idle of Japan 's Wangan Highway , where other racers challenge each other for bragging rights and respects with the local car culture. After choosing a car, players have enough credits to modify their car and take to the streets. Gamers begin looking for challengers while making their way to the mountains where the other events take place. From point-to-point races to mountain drift-offs, you take on the local clubs in their own area. Beating teams earns discounts at the performance shops for better mods and faster rides.

One of the key aspects in this game is the countless combinations for body as well as engine modifications. Nearly 100 cars ranging from Japanese imports to classic muscle cars fill the roster. Over 300 body kits and other licensed performance parts will keep players experimenting for the perfect street machine.

There have been quite a few racing titles before The Fast and the Furious. This makes the game a little too late for its time. With such franchises as Need for Speed and Gran Turismo, The Fast and the Furious ends up getting lost in the numerous titles. The graphics are fair but for its quality it looks as if it should have been released long ago. The camera angles in the replays are very dynamic. However, during game play it gets so shaky that it becomes too much of a distraction. As for sound design, the engine sounds were more focused on emphasizing the turbo induction of the engines and made the cars sound more like vacuum cleaners. All in all the game was satisfying but if you've played the other franchises, then you already have an idea on how The Fast and the Furious is like.

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