Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli (PS3) Review
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 10.16.2008
Does Ferrari Challenge get the checkered flag or does it get stuck in the pit?
Title: Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli
Publisher: Activision
Type: Racing
Players: 1-16
The PlayStation 3 is gushing with racers with such hit titles as Gran Turismo Prologue 5 and Burnout Paradise so with System 3’s Ferrari Challenge on the market, we got a chance to see if it belonged on the starting line with those two titles or in the garage.
Gameplay
The game as you can imagine revolves around the Ferrari Challenge which takes you on a 14-track tour around the world not counting the two unlockable courses which are split into the Italian, American and European tours. When embarking on the Race Weekends, you’ll delve into qualifying sessions along with 15-minute races. The issue I found with it is that instead of the races being completed by a certain number of laps, you’ll have to actually race for 15 minutes which makes each session seem painfully long. There’s an option in the menu to drop that time limit down but it’s still a bit frustrating to go through. Arcade mode has the same problem as you’ll have to race from the beginning to the end without being able to save in between so even with smaller time limits, it can be cumbersome.
Zoom zoom!
As far as the Ferrari’s themselves go, 32 of them are included that date all the way back to the 1957 Testa Rossa. Racing fans who are looking to try other vehicles out not named Ferrari may be disappointed but it’s still a fun look at the history of the brand. The developers did a fine job of trying to replicate the sound and feel of the different Ferrari’s, each with their own engine noise, handling and look.
I also took the game for a spin with Logitech’s wireless racing wheel and found the game to be quite responsive. In fact I found it more enjoyable than going with the PS3 controller. One thing that’s a bit frustrating though is that you can’t really see the turns from the tracks coming up so unless you have the driving line turned on, you’ll probably end up on the side of the road.
Graphics
The game looks pretty good, though perhaps not up to par with some of the other racing titles on the system. Weather effects are pretty cool and the game runs at 30 frames per second. I do wish however that the view from inside the car was a little bit closer. You see a little too much of the car’s interior when driving from this viewpoint so it can be a bit difficult to see what’s going on to your sides.
Sound
If there’s one thing that stands out is the sound of the engines. Even from the moment you hit the start button, you get a glimpse of the gorgeous sound of a Ferrari’s engine. It appears that the development team spent a great deal of time trying to fine tune those sounds and it shows. I’m sure that was a fun aspect of the development process. The game’s music isn’t anything special – mostly generic tracks but it doesn’t take away from the game.
Fun Factor
As a single player game, the game is pretty decent while the online mode is ok too. The game can be pretty challenging so depending on your love for the genre, you’ll either get frustrated or you’ll love having to dig deep. The game allows for some adaptive A.I. where depending on your skill or difficulty level, you’ll see a range of challenge. To me, driving around in the various Ferrari’s from its history was pretty enjoyable and you won’t get to do that anywhere else.
Lasting Appeal
The are enough tracks on here to keep you busy though again it may feel like a drag driving through 15 minutes on each track. The developers have promised to dish out new content to the game so that could definitely keep Ferrari Challenge around for a while.
The 411
Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli is a decent title that aims to please Ferrari lovers while giving fans of the genre something a little different to play with. Ultimately the game is fun to play in spurts but the lengthy races and average online mode put this one behind some of the system’s best.
Graphics
7.5
Good if not spectacular.
Gameplay
7.0
Realistic driving mechanics but long race times
Sound
7.0
Ferrari's sound great. The music is so-so.
Lasting Appeal
6.5
This game faces very stiff competition from excellent racers.
Fun Factor
6.0
Frustrating race times and the arcade mode isn't any better. What happened to good old fashioned laps?
