Customer Reviews

Flag to Flag Cart Racing

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sure, the game has its problems - that display in the cockpit always shows zeroes (not real information like other games). As well as the lack of a tachometer with numbers (you end up using your ears - still effective). But the game more than makes up for those problems. It has very good controls and a great deal of customizability (a VMU or other memory card is a must). Also the graphics are very good - high quality and very smooth. It has an excellent variety of tracks and drivers as well. Easily the best reality based racing game for a console that I have played. Definitely worth buying for anyone who wants realistic, open wheel racing without a PC.

This game was a lot of fun and especially if you're a CART fan. Not many CART games have been made at all so I was very excited to get this game. Many people don't appreciate this game as much because they are not true CART fans and do not have a favorite driver or a rival driver. The games graphics and sounds are amazing! The animation is great too! The only improving thing they could do for this is to make spin-outs and better AI. Your car seems to go faster than everyone else's. If you crash you should be out of the race. It should'nt be so easy to crash too! But overall this is a great game!

This game could have been great. All the tracks are fantastic, the graphics are great, the cockpit view is superb. So why only 2 stars? The computers AI is horrible. The cars take 1 or 2 paths around the track and rarely pass. Sounds realistic, right? Well, if the car in front stops, then all the cars will stop. Literally. Stop, dead in the track. I passed 22 cars at once because they were stopped going into 1st turn, backed up all the way down the straight. Also, there are no crashes, you just sort of bump off your opponent, bump off the wall. If you hit the grass, your speed instantly drops to 40 mph, no matter how fast you're going. You never spin out. This game could have been great, but the unrealistic (lack of) racing on the computer's part coupled with the silly physics of no crashes and no spinouts ruins this title for me. It is good for a rent, but I'd recommend not buying it.

I first played this game on my demo cd that came with my Dreamcast. The controls took about a few laps to get proficient with, but afterwards, hurdling through turns at crazy speeds becomes almost second nature. I can't get enough of this game! Basically, this game has two modes: Career & Arcade.

Unlike most other games I've played, this one I can play alone for hours without getting bored. I usually tire of playing single player mode with most games, and only play them with friends. This is Flag to Flag's strength. I can play an entire season and still come back for more. There are a lot of different tracks. From city streets to ovals to airport runways.

I started this game on Easy mode, then eventually switched to the medium difficulty, and now play at the hardest level. Also, the AI for the other racers is excellent.

Before the race, you can adjust almost every feature with the cars. From the tire types, to aerodynamics, to the gear ratio. This is one the most detailed racing game I've ever played.

Worth buying for sure!

The game is very educational in what can be learned about cart racing...if you are interested. The problem with the game is that it does not give off a realistic feeling on racing. The graphics are great. the sound is fair. But take for example the "Rolling Start". In real life the cars would cirle the track at a set speed for one or two laps, depending on the pace car, before getting the green flag. However, in this game the computer does it for you and not even for 1 whole lap.If that wasn't bad enough when you pass the green flag the control of the car is given to you at a speed of about 185mph just before a sharp curve. This causes you to either slam on the brake and drop down to 26th position within 1 second or pass about 14 cars in 1 second which takes away the feel realistic racing & competition. The game has two great things. It teaches a bit about cart racing and it allows you to custimize your car's every aspect from gear ratio to aerodynamics, all of which dont really matter if you dont know what you're doing.I feel that in any simulation game the realistic feeling that the player recieves should surpass any aspect of the game. Though graphics are very important they are useless if the game feels cheap.

Flag to Flag is an interesting DreamCast racing game based upon the 1998 CART season. It is perhaps ironic that CART's title sponsor in the 1998 season (and thus seen prominently in the game), FedEx, has recently announced (as of the writing of this review) that it will no longer be the title sponsor as of the 2003 CART season... and after this past weekend's fiasco at Surfer's Paradise in Australia, I can certainly understand why :-(

The main note that may scare away potential Flag to Flag players is that car control is available ONLY by using the analog stick above the D-pad >:-( This makes car control for aggressive drivers (such as myself) extremely difficult at best, especially on road courses (such as Road America or Burke Lakefront) or street courses (such as Toronto or Detroit). This issue is not quite as glaring when racing at the oval-style circuits (such as Miami homestead). Therefore, those unfamiliar with analog-stick driving who do not have a good amount of time to spend perfecting this driving skill should probably stay away from Flag to Flag. This game does fortunately support a racing wheel; I do not own one, but I suspect that car control will be MUCH easier for players using a racing wheel.

Flag to Flag contains only two race modes: Arcade and Championship. This means, unfortunately, that only the most diehard of CART racing fans will be keeping this game for any immense length of time. There are no unlockable items, no bonuses to be gained, no goals to attain (other than simply winning races), so it may be best to just borrow this game from a friend, or from a store which permits games to be returned simply for not liking them.

For those who simply want to start racing, this is the place to begin. Arcade Mode races are rather short, however - generally only three or four laps in length - so those looking for longer races should instead turn to Championship Mode (see below). Arcade Mode supports both single-player and two-player capabilities. Since these races are rather short, the player(s) will have very little time to try to maneuver up through the field, which makes the analog-stick car control issue mentioned above all the more crucial to success. Interestingly, players are always kept appraised of the driver of the next car ahead on the circuit (regardless of whether there is a difference in consecutive position and/or laps completed), which will help in learning to recognize which drivers are in which cars (by colors, logos, etc.).

Championship Mode is a single-player mode with the goal of winning the CART Drivers Championship for the 1998 season using all of the nineteen 1998 race venues in the actual calendar order. The Drivers Championship is won by having the most points at the end of the nineteen rounds of the season; at each race, the top twelve drivers receive from 1 to 21 points, with the other fifteen entrants not receiving any points. Obviously, consistency across all nineteen rounds of the (1998) CART season is key to winning the Drivers Championship. Fortunately, there are three difficulty levels for Championship Mode; selecting Easy at the beginning of the Championship Mode season will give the player a far better chance of attaining consistency (and wins) throughout the season. It is important to note that Championship Mode is the only mode in the game which permits car set-up customization.

Overall, Flag to Flag is an interesting game... but only for a while. In less than a week, all but a very few diehard CART fans will likely tire of this game and move on to other games. One must keep this in mind when considering buying Flag to Flag.

Understand I have only spent time on this game at the in-store demo but what I have seen has simply been awesome. The graphics and sound are amazing - the premier open wheel racing series has been captured by Sega! Took a few laps at Miami and Laguna Seca and can't wait to buy it. You're also able to choose your level of difficulty which made it great to just start right up and race. Even the pit stops are cool!

I believe this is a perfect example of first stage graphics for Dreamcast. Play for fun, it reminds me of the old school Atari games.

Don't get me wrong. It's a fun game, but the AI is just the worst ever. Each time you play, you can expect all the cars to do pretty much the same thing every time. I think this was a fairly early title, which does explain things. But go with something better like Daytona.

If you were like me... looking for a fun and real game, this is it! You can play it with real damage or arcade!! You can adjust your car ... like a pro!! try it !!! if you are starting this is the game! nice graphs, easy to learning... But its has his opportuninty area... the control does not vibrate! :(