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I've been playing World Tour Racing the last couple of days, and I find it to be a decent game. Its biggest problem is a somewhat-slow framerate: not as bad as Supercross 3D, but not as good as Super Burnout. When you get into heavy traffic, or use 2-player mode or crash into a wall, the slowdown is more apparent. It's very difficult to play something like F1 or Ridge Racer on PlayStation and then enjoy WTR as much on Jag CD. Still, as a big Atari fan, it's nice to see all the Fuji logos and Atari signs all over the many tracks and cars in the game.
WTR (developed by Teque, published by Telegames) comes packaged in a Jaguar cartridge-size box, with nice cover art and full-color illustrations. Inside, the CD is in a plain jewel case, and the instruction manual is in black and white, looking just like the one for Breakout 2000 (also published by Telegames). There are lots of options available in WTR, including three racing modes, one or two-player competitions (two-player contests offer a split-screen), 12 tracks, customizable races and cars, three levels of difficulty, and eight different viewpoints. It's quite easy to customize the game to suit your playing style, and this is perhaps WTR's best feature. When you turn the game on, you are treated to a nice FMV intro that shows off the benefits of the CD format. Of course, when the game starts you are left wishing that the in-game graphics looked more like the intro sequence. Once you select your options and get into play, you roll out of pit lane and onto the track for some racing action. You can toggle on/off the texture mapping on the track by pressing "8" on the Jaguar keypad. WTR also makes use of the Jaguar Pro Controller for certain options. WTR is very playable, and the car controls nicely with none of the annoying Checkered Flag-type handling problems. The short but tasteful FMV sequences are great, especially the ones for pit stops where it shows your front wing being replaced, or tires being changed, etc. There are other good ones too, like when you select the arcade mode, and a standup arcade size WTR machine breaks through the wall of your living room and knocks over your TV, or when you lose in arcade mode and a giant "Game Over" crashes down on your car, creating a nifty scene of destruction. It's especially cool when the driver's helmet comes tumbling back down after a few seconds (minus the driver!). However, as we all know, you can't play FMV sequences. The game itself is what has to be scrutinized, and in many areas, WTR holds up quite well. There are 12 different tracks to race on and they are quite varied, offering nice background scenery and scrolling clouds. The tracks are lined with advertisements for Atari and games like Doom and Super Burnout. When you choose either the single race or championship season modes, you are given the choice of free practice, qualifying, or just starting the race. You will notice that the frame rate is higher when you are on the track by yourself in the practice mode when compared to actual race conditions. At the end of a race in the championship season mode, you are given a password to write down so that you can turn off the game and resume later for your next race. Unfortunately, the game relies on this password system instead of making use of the Memory Track. It would have been nice to be able to save the game on the Memory Track instead of having to write down a 32-number password after every competition. Racing sim fans will enjoy the car workshop available in WTR, where you can customize your tires, wings, gearbox ratios and brake balance. Make no mistake though: WTR is an arcade-style racer with only limited sim features. If you're looking for the authentic Formula One-type experience, stick to PC games like F1GP2. When you crash into other cars on the track during a WTR race, or when you hit the wall, you easily bounce right back into place most of the time, often maintaining speeds over 100 miles per hour. When playing at higher difficulty levels, it seems like you are more likely to lose your front wing or otherwise damage the car and have to make a pit stop, costing you valuable time during the race. So overall, it is difficult for me to fairly evaluate WTR. I am a big fan of Atari, and to have another piece of Atari 'memorabilia' and another decent game for my Jaguar CD is a big bonus. To say that WTR is truly worth $59.99 is a bit of a stretch. You would probably be better off buying three copies of Ridge Racer for your PlayStation at $19.99 each. Despite its 64-bit label and CD capabilities, the Jaguar CD just can't compete with PSX, Saturn or N64 in the racing arena. The slow frame rate in WTR is often annoying (not to the degree of Supercross 3D thankfully), and the graphics and gameplay don't really improve all that much on Virtua Racing for the Sega Genesis. It is still fun to play, but since I have been exposed to so many better games in the last couple years, it is hard to give WTR high marks after seeing F1 for PSX or Daytona CCE for Saturn. If you own nothing but a Jaguar CD, then WTR is definitely your best racing bet. If you are interested in a collectable game that is still fun to play and is packed with options, then WTR is still a decent bet. If you want good value for your money and you have other new systems like Saturn or PSX, then skip WTR and buy a more reasonably-priced (and far better) racing game for one of those systems. Nostalgia still packs quite a punch, but only serious Atari fans will want to fork over 60 bucks for a somewhat outdated racing experience. WORLD TOUR RACING RATINGS:
OVERALL: ***
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