The new '05 Mustang is out and it is always a delight to see this sleek car
on the road. The new retro '05 Mustang redefines what a mustang really is and
shows a little more of its history. With this new hot car on the market that
people are exited about, most car people would enjoy playing a game based solely
around the Mustang. Luckly 2k Games has just published Ford Mustang: The Legend
Lives which
is exactly that. It is a new racing game that features the Mustang line of cars,
both new and old, with a good number of tracks to race on and gametypes to play
through. But is this Ford Racing game just as sleek as the new '05 Mustang, or
just another cheap way to make a few bucks and further promote the Mustang name?
Gameplay
Like in every other racing game, the object of the game is to finish each race
before any of your opponents can. As you advance through each race, just about
every time you will unlock a new track or a new car depending on your final
position in the race. The game stays true to its name and the only car you will
be driving and racing against is the Mustang. Whether you are in the old school
cars or the "new hotness" cars rest assure that it will be some type of mustang.
The main form of gameplay in Ford Mustang: The Legend Lives is the career mode. When you
first start in career mode you have a set number of tracks and cars available to
you already. After you pick which mustang you wish you race with you will be
able to pick from about five tracks in which to race on. Pretty much the only
way to unlock the next track is to place first place. The career mode is
extremely easy and does not really get hard at all until you advance to the
professional career mode. Sadly the career mode has no new tracks, but instead
you race the same track on a reverse route. By the time the gameplay actually
gets somewhat challenging you are already tired of racing the same tracks over
and over again.
There are two other single player gameplay types besides the career mode, which
are the arcade mode and challenge mode. Within the arcade mode you have three
different types of gamplay that are the Quick Race, Time Attack, and the
Eliminator. Quick Race just sets you up with a race and gets you into the game
if you don't feel like playing any other gameplay type. In Time Attack you race
against the clock and must make it to the next checkpoint before time expires.
You will race in a series of three races and progress by winning each race. In
Eliminator you will race a series of three races. At the end of each race the
last place person will be eliminated from the next race.
The challenge mode is slightly different. Within the challenge mode you can
choose to either play the Time Trial Challenge or the Slalom Challenge. In the
Time Trial Challenge you are racing against the clock again but this time you
have to complete a total of three laps and try to bet the fastest time for that
track. When you beat the track record you complete the challenge. In the Slalom
Challenge you have you pass through a certain number of gates in a specified
amount of time. Once you pass through the specified number of gates you win the
challenge and can move onto the next challenge.
The physics system used in Ford Mustang: The Legend Lives is nothing special. From the
first lap that you race you will be able to tell that the physics of how your
car reacts to the road is not very realistic and that controlling your car at
150mph is surprisingly extremely easy. In fact with just about every turn, you
never have to take your finger of the accelerator. This is no where near
realistic. In other racing games cornering is a major skill that you have to
master to become good at the game. In Ford Mustang: The Legend Lives all you have to do is
press the direction and maybe take your finger off the gas for a second.
Breaking before turns is not needed at all.
The physics is also unrealistic when it comes to crashing. When you smash right
into oncoming traffic at 150 mph you expect something spectacular to happen.
However, the most that happens is your car spins around and a few fake looking
pieces of debris fly off and a few sparks. And then you are off again with a
nice looking new car just like what you started with. If the physics engine in
this game would have been a little more in-depth, it would have improved the
gameplay tremendously.
If you have ever played Project Gotham Racing, or a similar racing game, you
are familiar with the kudos, or points, system in some racing games. Basically
the more aggressive and stylish you drive, the more points you are going to rack
up. Ford Mustang: The Legend Lives has a very similar system but to be honest, it is no
where near as in-depth as the one you would see in the Project Gotham games. You
will gain points for doing things like drafting, power sliding, going on two
wheels, near misses with oncoming traffic, and even for getting some air time.
Unfortunately you are only given a set amount for every move that you perform
and the points can't form combos. In other racing games the more you stick the
power slide, or the two wheels, or any other move, the more points you are going
to earn for that trick. Also, if you happen to go straight into another move
worthy of style points you can form a combo and gain even more points. However,
Ford Mustang: The Legend Lives has none of this. Points are awarded for each trick you do
whether you held it for half an hour or two seconds. On top of that every time
you perform a move that deserves some points text shows up right in your line of
view that is not transparent at all and really obstructs your view. Once you get
used to the game these text messages letting you know about your points will
pretty much be there after every turn and it will get very difficult to
determine what is coming at you due to the text being in your vision.
Once you get tired of playing single play you can always play with a friend,
but unfortunately you won't be able to jump on Xbox Live and begin playing with
this game. The only multiplayer options available to you are the Multiplayer
Quick Race and the Catch Up Race. The Multiplayer Quick Race is simple and you
just race against an opponent on a split screen. The Catch Up Race is much more
interesting and fun to play in. The object of the game is to get at least 100
meters in front of your opponent and hold that lead for at least ten seconds.
Once someone has reached this distance ahead of the other player a countdown
will appear. If the behind opponent is unable to get within 99 meters of the
person then the game is restart. However, at the start of the next race, the
previous loser is given a head start. If the person that gets the head start
loses again, at the start of the next round they will be given an even bigger
head start.
Graphics
Just like the gameplay, the graphics of this game is really nothing special.
The most outstanding aspect of the graphics would have to be the car models. The
car models very closely resemble the actual Mustang models and look excellent
while in the races. The reflections of the sky and environment also look very
nice on the car and are well done. However, things such as the environment
outside of the track could have been a little more detailed. It is nice to have
something to look at, but objects such as trees and buildings could have been
had a little more detail.
There is absolutely no car damage in this game and your car will look the
same all the time, no matter how you drive. If you happen to ride the wall the
entire race, that side of your car will still be shiny and look as if it was
just polished. Although some sparks and debris may be flying around your car,
once you are back on the road you will notice no difference in the appearance of
your car.
Audio
The soundtrack does a good job of making the mood of the game. The music
within the soundtrack is mostly classical rock that goes well with the Mustang
theme of the game. Sadly if you would prefer to listen to your own tunes, you
will have to put on your cd player or something, because there this game does
not support custom soundtracks. Also, sound effects are pretty weak throughout
the game. You won't be able to tell what kind of Mustang you are driving by just
listening to the sound of it. And the sound effects of peeling out, or slamming
into another car are not very realistic either.
Overall
If you are a hardcore Mustang fan then you are going to enjoy this game. But for
everyone else, there are much better racing games on the market for your money.
With poor gameplay, mediocre graphics, and no online play Ford Mustang: The
Legend Lives
should be retailed at about $20 instead of the traditional $50. If you are in
search of a new and hot racing game this is defiantly not it. Other Xbox games
such as Forza Motorsport, Project Gotham Racing 2, and Needforspeed Underground
2 are well worth your fifty dollar bill. Sadly Ford Mustang: The Legend Lives for Xbox is
no where near as fun, sleek, and hot as the new '05 Mustang that are now all
over the roads.
| The Core Score |
Overall
6 |
| Fun |
|
6 |
| Gameplay |
|
6.9 |
| Graphics |
|
5.7 |
| Audio |
|
5.5 |
| Replay |
|
5 |
|
