Juiced

Platform: PS2; Xbox; PC
Genre: Racing
Developer: Juice Games
Publisher: THQ
Publisher in Russia: Buka
Project website: www.juiced-racing.com
System requirements: P-3933 MHz; 256Mb RAM; 64Mb Video

The past year can be considered a good year for racing games. True, it is necessary to make allowances for the fact that he was successful in the increasingly became simulators: gamers were just four serious and very good-quality project. With arcade racing thing was a bit worse.

Frankly miserable Ford Racing 3, and others like him in the calculation will not take. NFS: Underground 2 was more like a cheap Chinese gum, which at first seems to be, and tasty, but very soon and asked to leave as soon as the oral cavity.
Juiced
FlatOut showed only a true master class and deservedly became a favorite of the year. However, players have hopes for a further two projects: a widely advertised Street Racing Syndicate and Juiced. First, however, nothing coherent to provide a demanding public and could not, while the latter has undergone many metamorphoses on the way to release. Now we will look at whether they went to the benefit of the project.

Sold!
Guide Acclaim had high hopes for his «Underground-killer", and that this project is drowning in debt publisher sponsored the most actively. Juiced was supposed to be a hit and help the company stay afloat for some time. But laborors of Juice Games dragged too long and distressed Acclaim suddenly went bankrupt, and not short of its flagship project to completion.
Juiced
As a result, tasty but not quite baked pie called Juiced was put up for auction, where he immediately flew hungry publishers, moneybags. Participated in the auction, and Take-Two, and the ubiquitous EA, but all turned out to be more generous THQ. Having the right to play in October 2004, the publisher did not rush anyone, leaving another six months for completion, which seems to have gone the game only for the benefit.

Orange juice
Juiced two-faced: a sugary-pious face she turns to us in the mode of Arcade, and spiteful and disdainful grimace - a "career". About Career dragon rules we will discuss the second part of the review, yet also reversible our gaze on the features of "Arcade".
Racing events is enough: ordinary Circuit with specified number of laps, familiar from NFS: Underground Sprint, Point-to-Point, Lap Time (lap for a fixed time), Perfect Lap (the same thing but without the right to receive at least one injury) and Showoff. In addition to the basic qualities of any virtual driver, one of the most important factors in winning a chosen class of car. Front-wheel-drive - the most pliant and obedient. Control them is not too difficult, most importantly learn how to neatly fit into corners.
Juiced
Zadneprivodnye machines - these "messengers of the devil." They are able to accelerate to exorbitant rates, but the skids - their top friends. That at least more or less confident of their control, an urgent need to forget about the technique of driving cars from other classes.Yet time to think before you choose a model with similar characteristics.
Relative novelty is the mode of Showoff, where you will get a certain score, performing a variety of pirouettes. Yes, it is recommended to view Tutorial, which explains in detail what constitutes each trick. Total are 11 championships, with five races in each - 55 Trues can serve as a good way for a very boring evening.

Juicy juiced juice
All these boring ring road and race at the time meant, sorry for the very green newbies. Its true grin Juiced demonstrates a "career", one of the most ruthless regimes, I have seen over the last three or four years. But in spite of the utmost complexity, it is just damned fascinating thing.
Juiced
In fact, the very beginning we have only a few tens of thousands of dollars that are urgently needed to buy something cheap, but, as usual, angry. For example, "Peugeot 206", or a genius marketing idea - Ford Focus. Hung on the horse which can svezhepriobretennogo details, and forward - on earnings.
There is no city with an imaginary freedom of movement, but in this case is a good thing. But there is a calendar that marked the date of the legal and not-so events. As a rule, we can choose almost any favorite race, after referring to the number of laps and the length of each.
Special mention deserves a very tricky finding developers. All cars are divided into classes: the eighth (lower) on the first (Everest). Each class is there for ten divisions, which, in fact, show our rating and a total capacity of the vehicle.
Juiced
In this case, we can go to the next trick: artificially underestimate the true power of a car, becoming the king of racers with a lower status. This method is good for nailing a small capital for the purchase of critical spare parts. However far you are such a pace, pardon the pun, do not leave (or the same will go for too long), because with increased ratings significantly increased, and the prize amount. And yes, please note that the function «Restart» in the menu there. Nevertheless, losing the race can not be considered a major cause for the disorder, as for the further advancement of the plot must be addressed tuning, and access to newer parts you can get, just get to the finish. But even at that is not all pitfalls, prepared by the developers.
In total we have three possible stages of modernization, plus a special prototype, in which is the main snag.
Juiced
The fact that you can not buy it - and perhaps only win at special events organized by the generous sponsors. If rolled first, then, in addition to a solid remuneration, gain a sense of pride in owning a unique piece.

Grand Juiced Auto
Six months, provided by the publisher for revision have been spent not only to combat "bugs". Perhaps, Juice Games called attention to the GTA: San Andreas and decided that some elements of creation will fall Rockstar Juiced be most welcome. So this is a parameter «Respect» and a conditional division of the territory occupied by numerous groups of street racers.
At the end of the race we will be awarded points mentioned. The difficulty is that they are both positive and negative. Came first, having gone to a considerable margin? Please, get 280 points.Lost, and besides, had crashed into all the opponents on several occasions? Get the same 280, but with a minus sign. Naturally, the "respect" is present not only for the sake of a tick, it is the most direct impact on gameplay.
Juiced
Earning "distributed" between all factions. More credibility you will earn from one of the gang, whose territory held races. Gaining more and more high ranking, you can arrange your own race, to negotiate with rivals (you can even win a car opponent), but most importantly - your team will want to join new parties. Every two parameters: Skill (driving skills) and Composure (self). The more you trust the companions, the more they will experience, the faster will grow the skills and you're buying a few more cars, will take part in group rides.
It is impossible not to note another interesting find - a bet. Before the start of the race you can come to one of its members and put on something that you lose to him. Similarly, we can do and you - yourself a bet. If the proposal is accepted or beaten a big bet, you can get more Respect Points.

Makeup
Externally Juiced hardly meets modern standards. However, with a maximum vykruchennom Antialiasing'e and use shaders version, all is not so scary. Available 50 + licensed cars look very good, not to mention how cute they are in a completely ottyuningovannom form. Design slopes, in contrast, has disappointed: now and then come across the same familiar sites, the number of sets is not enough, it is impossible under any circumstances cut.
Juiced
The sound is made is quite standard for games of this kind, but the soundtrack is worthy of the most positive epithets. Presented songs very organically fit into the unrestrained drive of the game, and the predominance of a certain musical direction is not observed, unlike the brainchild EA Black Box.
AI, by the standards of Underground 2, behaves improperly: Do not allow yourself to overtake, rams, constantly uses nitrous oxide, and fits perfectly into corners. However, all this mess is the merit of scripts: the case of collision look extremely unnatural, and they are counted, apparently, the operator of random numbers. Until honesty FlatOut'a still go on and on, but at the same time, no child concessions are not observed. Amused only the behavior of AI on the slopes with lots of circles: poor accelerates to maximum speed and inevitably bump somewhere, at the time of drop out of the race, which allows us to calmly get to the finish, not paying any attention to outsiders.
Juiced
This, meanwhile, is a rather serious gap in the balance: the data types of competitions, usually measured in the largest number of banknotes.

***
As a once-sure Juiced be completely Globe project, now I'm forced to admit his mistake. THQ wisely decreed the fate of the game, giving developers the time necessary for grinding gameplay. Unequivocally, the metamorphosis went Juiced only benefit.

Gameplay: 8.0
Graphics: 7.5
Sound and music: 8.0
Design: 6.0
Estimation of the author: 7.0
Outcome: 73%