Auto Modellista Review (no fat)

Game Description

The first well known racer by Capcom comes forth as an arcade outing. The pretty cell shaded graphics of Auto Modellista boasts frame-rate friendly extras. From Speed Racer type wind, to cool prolonged peel outs, its all there to see, play and enjoy.

The highly customizable racer also offers the prettiest car jobs in the genre, and an upgradeable garage to boot. With the addition of online play, Auto Modellista houses up to 8 players for (broadband only) online racing.

Auto Modellista Midway Racing

The gameplay of Auto Modellista which will frustrate many players while endearing the well versed Midway fans. Taking a page out of the beloved Midway AI, and style of play, the developers have applied it to the 1 ton metallic beasts flying by at 300 mph. The physics, as expected in an arcade racer, are not realistic. It plays like a faster and more graphically improved Tokyo Extreme Racer (Dreamcast).

Bouncing off of walls is abundant, but unlike TER if you hit a wall in Auto Modellista it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the race. You hit and still run at 70% speed.

Capcom is an arcade fighting company first, which is why the physics problems are forgivable. No gamer in their right mind would expect Capcom to introduce fans to racing with a sim. When it is all said and done, Capcom actually set out and made a pure pretty arcade racer to do just that. Look pretty and play fast.

Auto Modellista Modes

The modes are average: Arcade, Garage Life, Time Trials, and Network. The two modes that will get the most play will be Garage Life, and Arcade. Yes, you read that correctly, Arcade.

Garage life is the career mode of the game where players will get to participate in a handful of levels to gain upgrades, in the meantime making their super expensive car look even more expensive. If you want to be cheeky about it you can spend some of that time decorating the garage with your accomplishments or random things.

Networking is dead for this title, to be blunt. Once bustling, the chat, and what comes with it, is now a barren place only populated at certain times by fanatics. If players are brave enough to set up online then there is not a mandatory, but compulsory requirement for a keyboard.

Auto Modellista Graphics

The rarely used but cool cell shades return in a racing game, for a one of a kind introduction. Fans of Sega’s Jet Grind Radio or Capcom’s own Viewtiful Joe will be pleased with the usual smooth play of such titles carried out in the cell shaded format. This is a very good idea for a racer, the way the graphics are done for cell-shading guarantees smoothness, an all important feature in racing games…almost making 3-d look like a dying art.

Auto Modellista’s graphics are a breath of fresh air in a heavily cloned genre. Over the course of the game, players will go through the usual repeated tracks and situations. The difference is they still look amazing even after seeing them ten times. One of the tracks in particular (Suzuka) looks particularly nice, and is the only offer of a complete real world track.

Special effects will dazzle during and after the race, where you can become an amateur ‘VJ’ editing your replays to your heart’s desire.

Auto Modellista – the Pretty

The game clearly aims for the eyes, even with its heavy customizable features you will notice the majority of it being just to look good as you win. With no money system in place, gamers must rely on their superior racing skills to win extra parts to crush the AI with. Particularly nice is the upgrade for the garage, being able to decorate the garage is an unnecessary but fun feature.

Making the rides hot with paintjobs, rims, and the whole nine yards will be the biggest time-waster in the game. And with a large selection right off the beginning of the game from major manufacturers, even the once ‘have to earn’ Viper is selectable to beginners. That is wonderful feature for a racing game, an enjoyable element that puts you right in the high class at your first race.

Since the game has a slight Japanese theme, expect a few cars not normally seen in normal racing games. The variety is top notch, but in the end it doesn’t matter with the upgrades that can be won.

Auto Modellista Sound

For a game of this magnitude with its graphics, a bumping Techno track from licensed artists/groups should have been included. One can only dream of a cell-shaded racer where they can hum along to Tele-pop-music and bump opposing cars off the road all at once. But alas, racing is pigeonholed but not to full mediocrity. Decent tracks give the game enough life and consideration as the gamer will be more focused on the nice sound effects than the actual music playing.

The announcer is funny, possibly annoying for some. But he is beloved by many fans of Capcom, and everyone wishes him the best in his future virtual ventures.

Auto Modellista Summing up

Auto Modellista is an extreme arcade racer, made for eye candy and quick thrills. Players should approach this title with no hopes for any type of simulation racing behavior. Look at Auto Modellista like a new and classy Outrunner. The controls are literally out of control, and are going to cause some tantrums to more testy players.

But if you are not a stickler for perfect realism, this is a great escape. The price actually justifies buying it just to get away for an hour or two. Capcom makes a decent and fun entry into the racing genre, with everyone in high hopes that they will spank this new horse like they have done their past series.

Auto Modellista Cost

Auto Modellista retails for $9.99US at the time of this review.