So it's come to this, has it? A racing game that boasts the "feature" of being able to collect a stable of girlfriends and watch them perform cheesy stripper tryouts on video? A fella doesn't know whether to fall to his knees in thanks or hang up his joystick in shame.
Thing is, that's probably how Namco's Street Racing Syndicate is going to be best remembered. It's a reasonably solid racing game and a valiant attempt to capture the street-racing culture that has exploded into the mainstream like Pokemon for the over-20 set, but it struggles off the line and never really gets fully up to speed.
Like any racing game worth its nitrous oxide, SRS starts you out with an easy race and cash to buy a low-end car, which you can then pimp out with a dizzying array of real-world aftermarket parts, from turbo kits to giant spoilers to the kind of incredibly pricey rims that scream, "Who needs a job when your daddy is an oil company CEO?"
SRS takes an interesting free-form approach to its structure, allowing you to drive around virtual versions of Los Angeles, Miami and Philly to look for races and challenges, flee from cops or just check out your ride beneath the glow of streetlights. As you amass more wins and cash, you can naturally buy, modify and race more impressive sets of wheels, and even put them on the line in races for pink slips. (As in ownership papers, not silky women's underthings.)
Speaking of which, you can also accept driving challenges from hotties who, apparently, are real-world models in the street-racing subculture. Impress her, and you'll have the option of "hooking up" and making her your main squeeze, which increases your street cred. You can also unlock somewhat creepy videos of the girls writhing and "dancing" for your pleasure. Sadly -- or not -- they remain fully clothed.
Blame Vin Diesel. If not for The Fast And The Furious, maybe street racing wouldn't have caught on with the masses to such an extent that we have no fewer than five games in this burgeoning sub-genre coming out this year: SRS, Acclaim's Juiced, Microsoft's Forza Motorsport, EA's Need For Speed Underground 2 and Rockstar Games' Midnight Club 3. That's a whole lotta NOS, chief.
But having spent time with both Juiced and Forza Motorsport, and given the pedigree of the Need For Speed and Midnight Club franchises, it's a good bet that Street Racing Syndicate will end up finishing last in this lap. It's got speed and substance, but it lacks style.
Girls or no girls.
BOTTOM LINES
While the "girlfriends" are an interesting twist, Street Racing Syndicate doesn't rise much above a strictly average racing game. You'd be better off with Need For Speed Underground and a copy of Maxim.
