| Telegames | Teque | Racing |
World Tour Racing is the first racing game to hit the Jaguar CD and it's the second CD release from Telegames. World Tour Racing consists of twelve tracks and several modes of play. You can choose from a single race, championship simulation, arcade and you are allowed to play two players via the split screen also. There are seven viewpoints, but only three of them or suited for longterm racing (as for example, one view is looking at the front side of your vehicle). You are also allowed to alter your tires, brakes, the gearbox, among other things to hopefully give your vehicle the best performance possible.
World Tour Racing opens with a neat Teque intro and then an impressive good length full motion intro. I was quite impressed with the amount of short FMV sequences this game had. They were short for the most part, so they don't bore you, but there were a very decent number of them which added a nice touch to the game. For example, as you choose to start championship play, a championship cup is shown as you enter that mode. Then when you finish a race there are four sequences to see, pending your racing position, ofcourse. The FMV involved was done quite well.
On to the graphics during play, they are pretty nice themselves. The backgrounds are done very well, and the scenery with the clouds, buildings and ofcourse ad boards on the side of the track advertising Jag games look very nice. Depending on the view you pick, you either see your car, or it's steering wheel. The car is fairly detailed in view two, as you can read the Atari logo on the car. The game also includes a good sized track map which can come in quite handy due to the size of these tracks. Overall I am very happy with the graphics, they don't necessarily scream "next-gen" during the game (the FMV does), but still hold their own very well.
On the audio end of things, World Tour Racing does very well in all accounts. As far as the music goes, there are only two different tracks, but both go very well with this type of game and are very long. The voices are clear (though voices are not used often), and the effects are very nice. As a car gets closer to you, the engine noise gets louder and louder and the screech of tires are fairly realistic as well. No problems here.
As far as the play goes, World Tour Racing plays very well. The play is very responsive and your car handles much better then in Checkered Flag 2. The frame rate is a bit slow, though not really as bad as some have made it out to be IMHO. It does not really detract from the game, it is not great, but certainly acceptable. The frame rate tends to vary from track to track, it is slowest during two player, and fasted in tracks that are perhaps more country like. Overall, the play is pretty good, much better than in Checkered Flag.
Overall, I was quite pleased with World Tour Racing. The games mixes FMV and gameplay very well and the amount of modes of play gives this game about as good of a replay factor as any racer can have (the arcade mode will keep you coming back for a long time). While this game has it's flaws, it is still a fun racer and with myself being a fan of this genre I am getting quite a bit of play out of it. So if you are looking for a racer, this game is worth a look, it is a nice addition to the CD library and I thank the folks at Telegames for making it possible.