Toca Race Driver 3

by Codemasters

Product Features

• 116 championships; over 35 different racing styles
• Ultimate racing experience with extensive variety of autosport
• 6 thrilling autosport genres rendered in extraordinarily-realistic detail
• GT, Touring Cars, Off Road, Open Wheel, Track, and Classics
• Incredible damage engine that creates a greater sense of realism

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000ESJL08
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 22, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,896 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #13 in Video Games > PC Games > Simulation > Driving

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Toca Race Driver 3 is the ultimate racing experience with more variety of autosport than any other game on the market. Featuring six thrilling autosport genres rendered in extraordinarily-realistic detail: GT, Touring Cars, Off Road, Open Wheel, Track, and Classics, it's effectively six games in one!

Features:

• Incredible damage engine that creates a greater sense of realism.
• Weight and aerodynamic effects on every car component change through the course of a race.
• Tyres warm up, radiators overheat, and engines blow.
• Expanded and tuned physics for ultra-real handling.
• 116 championships (including bonus championships) with authentic racerules and regulations.
• Over 35 different racing styles including Stock Cars, Big Wheel Trucks, Muscle Cars, Pick-ups, Baja Motorcross, and Sprint Cars.

Product Description

Toca Race Driver 3 features 6 thrilling autosports, all brought together in extraordinary detail. It's really 6 games in one, as you play GT, Touring Cars, Off Road, Open Wheel, Track and Classics modes. World Tour mode gives you immediate access to the game and lets you sample all the different racing styles on offer. Pro Career mode lets you concentrate on one autosport discipline of your choice at a time: Open Wheel, GT, etc. Work your way up from entry level vehicles to the ultimate race cars in the class and become the ultimate racing driver! The real driving physics, crash engine and tracks will make you feel like you're really out there on the asphalt, testing yourself against the world's best racers. More than 70 licensed race cars and over 100 different Circuit variations on tracks including Bahrain International, Indianapolis, Laguna Seca, Hockenheimring and Bathurst Intense pack racing with up to 21 cars on track at once Cinematic cut scenes create a plot-driven narrative that focuses on your progress as a racing driver, as well as the history and detail of each car New online game modes including practice, qualifying and eliminator, plus leaderboards for individual driver ratings. Hardcore head-to-head multiplay with 12 players

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice blend of arcade and sim racing, November 5, 2006

By 

z0ot - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Toca Race Driver 3 (Video Game)

This is a great purchase for a gamer who is looking for a more in-depth racing experience without the complexity or difficulty of a full-out simulator. The variety of racing genres (road, oval, rally, dirt, etc) is second to none, and the graphics are extremely good, even on a mid-quality gaming platform.

The game has an accessible learning curve, so gamers new to sim-style racing can ease into races without feeling overwhelmed. The AI competition is better than many games though not stellar. Hard-core sim fans might be turned off by the lack of realistic tuning, and the widely varying degree of realism between race types. Drivers looking for NASCAR-style racing may want to look elsewhere.

This game is best experienced with a racing wheel, though I was surprised to find that the game was actually pretty controllable with a keyboard. A clutch and sequential shifter are supported, but there does not appear to be support for an H shifter.

Pros:
-Terrific graphics
-Many racing styles
-Nice arcade/sim crossover feel to it

Cons:
-Quality of racing varies widely between race types
-Racing physics may not appeal to hard-core sim fans
-Limited vehicle setup customization compared to other sims

Bottom line:
The variety of racing styles alone makes this a worthwhile addition to a racing enthusiast's library.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Leaves Much to be Desired, June 13, 2006

By 

B. Boesel - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toca Race Driver 3 (Video Game)

Some of the physics make you feel as though you are driving a bubble - not a car. The computer opponents are insanely stupid - every time they bump you, you go flying off the road or fall back 5 or 6 positions; whereas if you bump them, they hardly veer off their perfect race line.

The bumper camera is set absurdly low, which makes it very difficult to see the road ahead. Bumps, hills, etc, will send you flying all over the place, computer opponents hardly notice them. The "realistic" wear of tires and what-not is a neat aspect, although computer opponents adjust perfectly when cold tires were put on mid race - which means they continue to hold a perfect race line at perfect speeds.

The game completely lacks a teaching system, if you thought the Gran Turismo system of teaching how to hold lines helped you out, you'll hate this game for the lack of one. The race lines are difficult to hold and see - the cars don't have any "feel" to them what-so-ever. The 900HP F1 cars will nearly drive perfect circles around the circumfrence of a dime at 190mph, but if you try turning those cars at less than 20mph you'll need the worlds biggest parking lot to make a 'U' turn. This can make hairpin turns excessively difficult.

The Career mode will have you driving dumpy crummy cars for one set of races, and the next set will be F1 cars. No practice inbetween races to get used to the difference, no warm ups.

The voice acting during the races gets.. annoying. If you don't set a race to include qualifying, you'll find yourself re-starting it 10 or 15 times before you get used to your car. Every time you restart the race, your pit chief always has a few words of encouragement to share...

The career mode is not about having skill - it's about dodging the idiot computer AI long enough to finish in the top 6. I absolutlely DREAD the thought of having to finish the career mode. Qualifying in the top 3 is difficult enough, starting out with 18 AI opponents behind you - each which

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Game, May 31, 2006

By 

Peter D. Anderson "pdka" (Miami, Fl) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Toca Race Driver 3 (Video Game)

If you only buy one racing game get this one. It has everything; track racing, open wheel, off road, rally, trucks, dune buggys and even monster trucks - you really dont need any other game
The physics and handling are greatly improved over the previous game (where the cars had a tendency to 'float' when the going got rough) and the cars can and do suffer extensive damage if you start getting over enthusiastic
There are essentially 2 different games, a career mode and a simulation mode which breaks down the type of racing you participate in by type (off road, open wheel, etc). Both are pretty easily beaten in the early stages but get progressively harder as you go on.
One minor quibble I have is the system of penalizing you for dangerous driving, where it seems that you can get an extra time penalty even when the other cars hit you. However as this can be switched of it is of no huge importance