Ferrari Challenge (or Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli if you want its full title) is the first all Ferrari based racing game to be released this generation, with previous Ferrari based games providing a solid and enjoyable racing experience such as Ferrari F355 Challenge on the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, System 3 have had a huge task on their hands in order to create a game worthy the Ferrari name. Thankfully for us they have created one of the finest racing simulators of this generation.

Ferrari Challenge ticks the most important box in a racing simulator and provides us with a physics engine which allows all the cars to handle as you would expect rewarding and punishing players for their good and bad driving respectively. By turning off the driving aids you can really see how good the handling in this game is. The Handling system in this game is more forgiving that the ultra realistic system you find in Gran Turismo games so racing fans that are put off by the system in Gran Turismo may want to give this game a look in.

The Ai System in this game is also equally impressive, the difficulty level of this game will adjust depending on your own ability which does provide a steep difficulty curve as the first few racers are easy, however the next set of races will all of a sudden leave you really having to push your driving skills to the limit in order to finish the race in first. Another example is overtaking, if you overtake your opponents one way they remember how you did it, and next time you try to overtake them using the same technique they will try and block your path and become more aggressive to ensure that they keep their position.

Visually this game is also impressive, while it won’t wow you like Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, the textures minus one or two poor ones now and then are solid throughout and 14 of the most famous tracks from around the world including Silverstone and Monza are beautifully recreated in this game. The cars are modelled with plenty on detail and really allow you see the cars for what they are and on top of that the cars sound effects are top notch and help to create the virtual Ferrari experience. It will be a crime not to mention the rain effects in this game, they are some of the best seen this generation in a racing game and you can argue that this is when the game looks its best as you see the rain drop’s running down the windscreen and the track surface looking great in the wet.

The game also has damage implemented and while visually it does look good, it really is no more than a cosmetic inclusion, the bumpers falling off look good, however the handling of the car doesn’t really change that much as you might expect which is one of the games slight disappointments.

Like all games this game does has its downfalls however, the lack of spilt screen is a slight disappointment, however a solid but basic online system makes up for it. The way the game is structured will also provide some confusing moments for gamers, however the core game play more than makes up for this.

Like all racing simulators I recommend a force feedback steering wheel in order to get the most out of the game, however if that is not an option the dualshock 3 controller will not leave you disappointed. Ferrari fans will love the attention to detail in all the cars with the engine sounds being nearly spot on to their real life counterparts. Many will view the game as a time filler before Gran Turismo 5 is released, however Ferrari Challenge is more than worthy of the Ferrari badge and System 3 can hold their heads high knowing that they have created one of the best racers of this generation.

Final Score – 9.0 out of 10

Right i will start off by saying that i have avoided spoliers to the plot in this review, since i know theres still people who are yet to pick up this game.

The game which Fan’s have been waiting for is here, and boy it doesn’t disapoint i’ve never felt this way about a game since Final Fantasy VII, all your emotions will get a run for their money, the way the great gameplay mixed with the fantastic story line will keep you hooked and will make you play it back again. However these are mere words along with the review which follows, no review will ever justify this game enough, only by experiencing it for yourself will you see what a masterpiece this is.

Gameplay

The gameplay is much improved than ever before. You really can choose how you want to play this game, whenever you play it using the First Person mode and as more of a shooter in places, or you can sneak around and try not to get spotted at all costs. The latter is recomended as it really shows what this series has been about over the last couple of decades. The octocamo allows you to blend into your surroundings, and great map design ensures that you can find many paths to achieve your missions.

Theres also plenty of guns (around 80 for those looking for a figure) which are all customisable, most guns can be brought using the dreblin Points obtainted from collecting guns on the battlefield. A target range can be loaded up allowing you to practice using these weapons agaisnt targets.

Being true to the series the game also features some great boss fights while i wouldn’t say they reach the level of the ‘The End’ boss fight, (which i reguard as the best boss fight in any game ever)  all are unique in there own little ways and none will leave you disapointed.

The controls have been refined, the menu system works great and is easily accessable using the R2,L2 triggers.

Presentation

The Presentation in this game is simply unbelievable, you can see the effort put into this game from the start. The game supplies us with some of the best visuals avaible this generation, and provides a new standard for what we have come to expect from a cutscene in a game, this game will send all you emotions flowing freely. The voice acting and sound effects in a game are good enough to rival hollywood movie’s and that statement applies to how well the cutscenes have been directed as well.

Story

This is by far the greatest achivement of this game, its told in such a way that all loose ends are explained and fan’s of the series will be thankfull of this, however the second half of the game does give the story priority and this means less gameplay that the first few act’s (however the gameplay which is in the second half of the game is some of the best which i have ever played) so newcomers may feel a little Miffed, but those who have been loyal to the series over the years won’t moan one bit.

Metal Gear Online is also included with the game, however i will review that after i’ve spent more hours on it.

Conclusion

This really is a game which every gamer needs to experience at some point or another, its really that good. Not only is it one of the best games ever created, its also one of the best films created as well, with a stunning Story and extremly well directed cutscenes. Its a game which is pushing gaming as a medium and a work of art at that. Its a game which is unlike no other, and is a game which i can’t see being topped for a long long time.  Snake Old Friend, you’ve given me some of the best game experiences of my life and now its time for you to enjoy you rest.

Final Score – 10/10 – If i could go higher than 10 i would.

After picking up my copy of HAZE which is actually a solid shooter, and will tide any Ps3 owner over until Resistance 2 hits in November despite what our friends at IGN seem to believe.

Anyway i’ve just noticed this on the back of the case [Please note this is the UK PAL version of the game, there are some reports that the US version doesn't state free downloadable content]

As you can see, it seems there will be some free downloadable content coming in the future, most likey will be maps and maybe weapons for the multiplayer modes, but it is refreshing to see a developer not charging over the top prices for a few extra maps (call of Duty 4 and Gears of War suffered badly from this).

Just like to thank all those who… ..have left feedback on the 2 previews, i posted them simply because its been a while since we had any news on the game, and i know alot of people on here are very interested in the game, and not only here but will thank those who posted there reactions on Gamespot, IGN, Gametrailers, N4G and every other site/forum out there which posted my preview on there.

Im also amazed at the response, we had so much traffic at once trying to read the preview that the site ended up with major slow down and wouldn’t load up for alot of people. – Make sure you check it out now and then www.pslegion.com, and also after i posted it on my blog it became the second highest viewed and rated post out of the 124,987 posted posted yesterday.

Like i say if you have any more questions on the game just feel free to post here and i will try to answer them ask them on Pslegion or here and you will more than likey get the answer alot quicker.

-Resistance100

Now i have been called a fanboy on certain sites now and then for know real reason other than saying that i like certain things about X console or i prefered the controls of the X console version of X game over the other.

Now as a gamer which currently has a Playstation 3, Xbox 360 Elite and a Sega Dreamcast (retro i know) set up and have a PSP for my travels i just laugh it off knowing that im here enjoying Uncharted: Drakes Fortune or Bioshock, while they accuse me and more than likey can’t access some of the game.

But what about the people who really do go all out, what about those who create multiple accounts and go all out just to say there console is far better than overs. A recent example of this was in my recent Haze impressions. Two users created accounts which they targeted one console and tried to make it worse, which lead to a reaction from others. Now after checking out these to users, i found something very interesting

They were in fact the same person, now this leads me to believe that why would someone go all out just to ’slag’ off another console? Is it for attention or to create a reaction? I don’t know, maybe its because they love this machine so much they protect it with there heart and soul. Now i personally can’t see why they would do this, but im sure they have there reasons.

My real opinion on this however is more the fact is you should enjoy your console for what it is, it provides you with hours of entertainment and why other’s can’t see that another console won’t also provide otheres with hours of entertainment, it just makes no real sence to me.

I feel that yes people have a right to like a console more than another, i personally will always look for a playstation as a first choice console, because they are the people who got me into gaming and have never been let down by one of there products. Basically what im saying is being a fan of a console is one thing, but people who go all out for no real reason will continue to confuse me and many others for years to come.

What a start to the F1 season down under that was, only 6 people finished and a fellow englishman wins which is all good.

Who would have predicted that Williams and BMW Sauber would end up with podium places! My Friends we are in for a heck of a season already.

Now wonderkid who last year in his first season in F1 nearly went all the way to win it, however i’m sure this year Hamilton will want to go all the way and is already well on his way to it and if his reaction to his car continutes im sure he will.

“The car was phenomenal, a dream to drive compared to the car we had last year.’

Ex Teammate Alonso also had a good start, by finsihing in 4th at his new (which is also his old) team.

Here i was at play.com LIVE today enjoying playing Halo 3 in the over 18 section when this happened.

Make of that what you will

Here are some more images from Play.com LIVE

Excuse the light, but that is SC4

Yep The Motorstorm 2 teaser trailer made an apperance today as well.

Due to high demand here’s my second go on HAZE.

I decided to take more time on the second demo today and really concentrate on the gameplay elements. I also changed the difficulty settings to hard to get a true idea of what the AI is capable of, and also can now confirm that you can customise the controls to however you like and the sensitivity, so the control problems i found yesterday are a thing of the past.

At the start of the demo you start in area, getting attacked from various directions were you have to take out several of your enemy’s, now the Ai is impressive here they were flanking, and when you shoot at them or go towards them they will dive out of the way and into cover. Once you have taken care of them you and your 3 friendly’s jump into a car and you have to reach the other base camp. On your journey you will encounter your enemy who are throwing bombs at you as you drive past, and they have also placed explosives in the mountain side which if you go to close they explode. Once you get past that you get to a gate and you need to get out and find the lever to open it. (which if your interested is in the shed next to it), once through the gate you get into there base camp. Now if you make the mistake i made and get off the car, just before the enemy from a shed come full pelt in a car and try to ram you down while shooting at you. This is where the Ai really did shine, as i was trying to run away and shoot the car at the same time, it trys to cicrle you while others on the car are shooting at the same time. I did manage to get past it by taking out one at a time and having a bit of luck. I will say one thing for the visuals on this one, while the cars etc where well textured the landscape was a bit bland but saying that you are in a sort of desert environment so its not to surprising. Once you get past that you drive ahead and get to large shed where you find more enemy’s shooting at you, the best thing to do i found was to simply try and run them over, which is alot harder than it seems. In the end getting out and shooting worked well enough, however it came at the cost of 2 of my men and that about sums up the second demo. The 2nd time i played it today i focused on seeing how the necture add’s to the gameplay. The first thing i noticed was that the drug makes you move a bit faster and the enemy’s stand out more, this is very useful and i suspect will be vital for completing the first half of the game where you are a mantel trooper. There is a downside to using necter however. Firstly if you take to much at once, (which is known as an overdose) the screen will begin to blur making it harder to see your enemy’s, but not only that but it does it a little harder to notice who your own men our and i one point i ended up shooting my own allies by accident, so you need to make sure you don’t overdose. The other thing i noticed is that the play dead feature comes into place. Your enemys will click that you using necter and will play dead, now this is annoying as a side effect of necter is that you can’t see any dead bodies and while using necter you can walk through what you think is a safe area then all of a sudden people will appear and start shooting you. So thats another thing you need to be careful of.

Just one more thing i was asked by someone if HAZE would support mod’s and the answer i got today was its unlikey however they wouldn’t rule it out completey let.

Update – i have had alot of requests to mention the current framerate. I’m unaware of the actual framerate (however i believe its 30FPS), however whatever it wasit doesn’t matter as the demo’s i played where smooth and solid and did not notice any dips during gameplay at all. In my personal opinion its only when a framerate drops during gameplay that we have a problem

Seriously, i knew posting my views on here would put some interest on my blog but my views managed to get to number 2 in top posts out of all the thousands of posts posted here on word press every day. However looking at the stats people are reading my preview from everything from N4G to Gametrailers and IGN which is something i never would have expected.

I would like some feedback on my preview focusing on the quailty and so forth (no fanboyism please, as i will just delete them anyway) so if you have a minute i would appriciate you leaving one on this post.

Cheers

ps – remember to check back tomorow when i will have a full preview on the Second demo

Here are some of the photos’ i took from todays Play.com LIVE event