Just as I started to think that the Nintendo DS's library of racing games needed some more Italian dressing, System 3 came around with Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli. Basically a port of the PS3 and Wii Ferrari Challenge games, the DS version is a racing game with no real major flaws, but also no real notable features to set it apart from the rest of the genre. It only offers a couple of different modes, and because you are only racing against other Ferraris, the lacking variety becomes noticeable very quickly.

But here's the catch – I found myself enjoying Ferrari Challenge, just a little bit. It was a good friend of mine for several boring nights, when I was too afraid and paranoid to continue playing Dead Space all alone in the dark. It might be nothing but mindless racing, but how great are racing games these days, anyway? To me, they're like politicians. You always hope for their very few mechanics to be unique and interesting, perhaps to inspire a little much-needed change – but usually, they're all the same old thing deep down inside. So when I realized that I was “still playing” Ferrari Challenge in a month like this October has been so far, I gave it a chip of credit.

Vroom vroom. Jump jump.

Let me be brutally honest: Ferrari Challenge is a decent game in most rights, but it has no soul. Playing the game is attention-grabbing, even enough for me to consider it “addictive” at times, There aren't really any problems with the graphics or the sound. So what is the deal with Ferrari Challenge? System 3 published a racing game that exists because of three simple facts: (1) Ferraris exist, (2) racing entertains millions of people, and (3) the DS was currently without a Ferrari title.

I mean, what can be said about a racing game whose top feature is its Training Mode? This is the case in Ferrari Challenge, but the tutorials are not set up in a traditional “hold-your-hand” style. This is a Tranining Mode doesn't belittle your driving ability; you earn points towards medals based on your performance on each track. If you learn to brake, turn, and accelerate properly, it is easy to rack up points, earn gold medals, and master the game. I definitely won't knock a racing game for helping you learn the ropes in such an addictive way, but I find it somewhat comical that the Training Mode is the best mode.

The other modes of play are very standard – in fact, they are minimal in comparison to other games, even Mario Kart DS. There are only a handful of tracks and a Championship mode that forces you to replay them over and over. It gets very repetitive, very quickly. Naturally, this makes it much less interesting to race the same tracks in Practice Races or Time Trials. There are four difficulty modes in Championship, and it gets pretty hard after you blaze through the Easy and Medium cups.

The replays showcase the game's graphics well, but they also make it even more obvious that you are always watching the same cars in different colors.

I guess there is technically a point to Championship mode – you unlock cards that can be used in the “Challenge Cards” mode. Still, this is a strange distraction, sort of like playing darts in Grand Theft Auto IV. You can earn cards by winning in Championship mode, and you can customize your deck of legendary Ferrari cards. Each card displays several different stats describing the vehicle on the card, and to “win” each turn, you choose which stat on your card that you think is the greatest, largest, or most significant one; the one that will “beat” the same stat on your opponent's card. For example, a car that was made in the 1950's technically “beats” one made in 1998; the one with the fastest speed wins, etc. I am sure this mode was implemented to teach people Ferrari facts and please devoted Ferrari buffs, but I don't think it is a very interesting approach.

Versus Mode is a nice addition, mostly due to the fact that Ferrari Challenge offers Single-Card Wi-Fi Multiplayer. That means that you and four of your friends can sit together and race Ferraris...on a couple of tracks. I have to give props to System 3 for including this feature; since the first time Single-Card multiplayer modes were introduced on the DS, I have desperately wanted every other game to adapt the idea. Only offering a couple of tracks in Single-Card play is half-assing it, though; to say the least. No kudos for that idea. Multi-card play is less restrictive, of course.

Check out that heaping helping of single-card multiplayer tracks...

Ferrari Challenge has solid graphics that render the cars about as realistically as the DS can. To compare, I think it looks a bit like what Gran Turismo 64 would look like, if that ever existed. The tracks are also filled with a lot of detail: clouds in the sky, trees and buildings in the background, grand stands near the finish line and surrounding big turns. There is no damage modeling, but this is a DS game – I wasn't expecting realistic damage physics by any means. It is too bad that the collision detection is so strange. Sometimes when it looks like you are coming into contact with another car, you aren't, but other times, it feels like you are stuck to the car next to you, and when you finally pull away, you lose control. The bottom screen is neglected from use and not helpful anyway, thanks to the small map and over-sized speedometer. I think it would have worked wonders to make a different map and move it to the bottom right of the top screen. It would actually make playing the game better, since you could learn when to anticipate the turns even quicker.

Naturally, I turned my DS's sound off quickly while playing Ferrari Challenge. The sound effects are not the greatest and do not make for a smooth-sounding experience. Ferrari Challenge would have benefited from some kind of background music, but there is none to be heard while racing. Perhaps that is a good thing, because the music selection that IS actually provided when you are flipping through menus is terrible and sounds like it is tearing holes in the DS's speakers. If you play this game, just mute it as soon as possible like I did.

As you can see, the touch screen's display is not necessarily the most helpful.

In the end, Ferrari Challenge is somewhat satisfying to play when there is absolutely nothing else to play. As a racing game with no real glaring flaws, you can't really fault it for being a racing game with no real huge perks. I feel like Ferrari Challenge on the DS is an underwhelming but still capable attempt at racing, with a few missed opportunities here and there – particularly when thinking about the lack of music, the dull Championship mode, and the strange Single-Card and Card Challenges modes. If you've played Codemasters' two DS racing games, Diddy Kong Racing DS, and Mario Kart DS to death, Ferrari Challenge is probably your next choice for racing on the DS. Otherwise, it is just pretty standard and passable.

Final Score: C-

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed