| Introduction
According to the press release, "the TOCA Touring
Cars Championship is the ultimate in racing and over
the years, only a few have succeeded in winning, while
many have fallen short in their quest for global glory."
As you can see, this isn't just another racing game
from Ubi Soft, but one that bears the TOCA license.
As such, players will get to play as the 'real' teams
driving their 'real' cars in the TOCA Championship.
GamePlay
As soon as you start the game you'll find options
aplenty and negotiating them is an adventure in itself.
It's all reasonably user friendly though, so players
who simply wish to dive into the game should be racing
in no time at all thanks to the 'Free Race' option which
allows you to select tracks, cars, laps and even weather
with no pre-defined expectations of the race's outcome.
Even more instant than the 'Free Race' option is
the aptly named 'Quick Race', while the 'Time Trial'
option, as the name implies, is great for the wannabe
speed demon striving for the fastest lap time.
Once you've become accustomed to the various tracks
and cars you may then want to try your hand at the more
immersive 'Championship Mode', which is really what
TOCA is all about. This pits you against some of the
very best drivers in the world and charges you with
delivering on a variety of different criteria over a
six-race season.
If you happen to have friends with their own copies
of the game, you can then indulge in some frantic multi-player
action. This is undoubtedly a game highlight, although
you'll only be allowed to play the 'Quick' or 'Free
Race' mode, which is a shame really but better than
no multi-player option at all.
TOCA does offer a little more depth than your average
racer, and this is provided via the various workshop
sections where you can change your car's parts according
to the weather conditions. To be honest, I found that
this made little difference to the outcome of my game,
although you might have a different experience.
The save feature is a joy to use as it's another
of those wonderful battery back-ups that simply records
your progress when you ask it to. On the down side,
it isn't available when you're in mid Championship Mode,
so if you fail to meet the progression criteria on the
last race, you'll need to start all over again.
Controls
The control system in racing games are all about
handling and physics. Make them too rigid and arcade
like and the game could be deemed too simplistic. Make
it too sensitive and complicated and players will find
it too much of a chore. TOCA is probably, and more sensibly,
somewhere in-between. Different weather conditions actually
affect the car's overall performance, so until you become
comfortable with the controls and weighting, you may
find yourself spinning out of control on a regular basis.
There is, however, one aspect about the control system
that I found more than a little irritating and that
was the computer read-out. There were many occasions
when the position read first or second but the statistics
screen actually had me rated lower. This may seem like
nit picking but trust me, if you're relying on a podium
finish in order to progress it can be incredibly frustrating.
Graphics
Racing engines have come a long way since Mario Kart
and the GBA has seen some truly outstanding titles in
the visuals department. Unfortunately, TOCA isn't one
of them. That's not to say that it's terrible, just
that there's nothing here that we haven't seen before.
As such, don't expect much in the visual department
since each track in TOCA is simply made up of 'mode-7'
coding with some polygons thrown in to border the circuits
and break up the scenery with the odd stand or building.
The cars are possibly the highlight but as many of
them look alike, there's little variation in the races'
visual appearance. What really lets things down though
is the collision detection. During one record lap I
found myself sliding out of the general game area into
a mass of green only to be forbidden to re-enter the
race – to get back I had to switch off my GBA. Although
this may be a bug that was missed in the testing stage,
it's still unforgivable.
Sound & Music
Once again, I'm not saying that the sound and music
in TOCA is bad, but that you've probably heard it all
before. The intro music is probably the highlight with
some suitably chunky sounds accompanying the various
menu systems. The actual in-game sounds are also fairly
good with a mixture of car engines, skidding and commentary
on your current position. I'm probably being a bit too
harsh here but when you've recently enjoyed the stunning
audio in EA's 'F1 2002', it really is difficult not
to compare.
Final Comments
Whilst TOCA isn't as instantly playable or visually
impressive as other GBA racing titles I've seen recently,
it's certainly a title that grows on you once you spend
a little time with it. It's a pretty tough challenge
too and the Championship Mode especially should keep
you occupied for some time given that the completion
criteria is as difficult as 6 out of 6 podium finishes.
There are a handful of minor quibbles with the computer
placing and some of the collision detection is questionable
to say the least but overall it's an enjoyable and satisfying
ride. It's by no means unique though, so if you own
other similar racing titles there's little in the way
of extended features here to tempt you. Overall, TOCA
is a definite 'try before you buy'.
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