Print
Discuss
Send to friend
Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo (SCAR) is touted as the first 'CARPG' ever developed, as it combines fast-paced auto racing with elements you'd normally associate with role-playing games.
Whereas most games require you to upgrade parts of your car to improve performance, SCAR uses a skills upgrade system that lets you improve nine different driver abilities across three levels of experience.
Skills include intimidation (the ability to scare other drivers into making mistakes), acceleration (which reduces the amount of time it takes to change gear) and endurance (the rate at which the condition of your driver regenerates).
The way that these skills are put into practice during a race is quite clever. As you hurtle around the track, you can reduce other racers' condition by putting pressure on them from behind. Hogging their bumpers makes them nervous and more likely to make mistakes.
When the tables are turned and the drivers are on your tail, the screen goes temporarily blurry, which makes it more likely that you'll get overtaken. Unusually for a racing game, SCAR lets you turn back time to correct mistakes, using what is known as the Tiger Effect.
Rating SCAR is difficult, as it treads the line between an arcade-style racing game and a simulation (replete with role-playing elements). It does well to mesh all three aspects, but some gamers may prefer titles such as Gran Turismo which concentrate and excels in one particular area. At times, it can seem as if the game is a jack of all trades but master of none.
While they don't always get it right, the makers of SCAR have done a fantastic job in evolving the genre. If you want a fairly realistic racing game with compelling character-building aspects, this is definitely worth considering.
System requirements:
- 256MB of RAM
- 64MB graphics card with T&L
- 2GHz CPU
- DirectX 8.1-compatible soundcard
- 1GB of hard disk space
See also:
All Arcade Games
del.icio.us
Digg this
reddit!
