Maker: Atari
Format: PSP
Review: Jason Round

Now, we won’t hold the title against it, but Shootout brings a whole lot more to the racing table than just V8 Supercars. In fact, the title’s being tweaked for a whole range of countries, commonly known as Toca Pro Race abroad, though Oz will does get its beloved V8 series.

There are, however, plenty of choice and options in the racing itself, with over 37 licensed cars, 34 real-world tracks and five very distinct tiers to unlock.

For the PSP, the game modes have moved towards more ‘challenge’ than ‘championship’ with the brake test and ‘drive the line’ sequence in particular questioning why idiots like us even have a licence in the first place.

You see, the World Challenge sees players compete through a series of international events, each packed with the abovementioned skill-testers and challenges, after which you can progress through to the main racing championship itself against a haphazard collection of colourful foes.
There are ze DTM Germans at the Nurburgring, American Race series, British GP, even NASCAR, which makes for quite the eclectic racing experience.

We were blown away by the transition to PSP, too, and it’s amazing how the developers have managed to squeeze so much graphical juice from the diminutive unit, with visuals only suffering a little trackside, where things tended to look a bit flat, and when you’ve got more than 20 or so cars on the screen at any given time. Still, the game looks great, and as such I was patiently waiting for the moment when the PSP would simply spontaneously combust such was the amount of graphical data pouring through it.
It sounds great too, with snorting, dirty V8s and racers faithfully reproduced for the masses and a symphonic soundtrack of utter automotive delight . Hell, you can even hear gear whine for crying out loud.

The damage engine has been kicked up a notch, with spoilers breaking free, windscreens shattering and sparks flying, and there’s more ‘tweakability’ than ever before in regards to the cars themselves. You can adjust gear-torque ratio, ride height and brake bias amongst other things, all of which kept us fiddling away more than is probably healthy.

The joystick is pretty much useless in this title, but the D-pad seems to provide good feedback, and although it takes some getting used to, steering is both accurate and true to life.

You can also challenge up to 12 of your mates simultaneously, or GameShare can be used for up to four people using the one game, which is even more reason to jump on board the mechanical ménage.
Is it as good as Gran Turismo? Probably not, but hey, it’s pretty much about the next best thing, and judging by the lack of skin on our thumbs, probably a good bet in the addiction stakes, too.

4/5