The sound of the game is not much to write home about. However there is the inclusion of a custom tracks mode. You will need to download the custom tracks utility from the Code Masters website (try it right now by clicking here!) It will support MP3 and is easy to get going (Take note Rockstar!)

The cut-scenes have great sound and for once the voice acting is actually believable.

In general apart from the grunt of the different types of engines and the chatter across the radio from the Scotsman there really isn’t too much more to offer in the sound department. Then again it’s a racing game, what do you expect!?

The title of the game is V8 Supercars but essentially it is a re-badged TOCA Race Driver – everyone knows this is a clever marketing strategy by Codemasters to appeal to us Aussies but thankfully there is a fair bit of V8 action in this game. The addition of the V8 cars is more than a patch to the game and the inclusion of 10 tracks from Oz should make this a must buy title for die-hard V8 fans! However just remember that despite the title, this game focuses on many other types of racing besides V8 Supercars.
There main focus of this game is on the career mode. You will start as a rookie driver accompanied by an enthusiastic Scottish manager/partner. Start winning races and you’ll get the attention of a sexy American manager, you’ll feature in the filming of TV shows and you’ll gain respect (or scorn) from some of the more successful and egocentric drivers. This story really does help to link all the different types of racing together and thankfully the acting and quality of the cut scenes really help to make this an entertaining part of the game.

Ok enough about the story, this game is about cars. The sheer amount of cars you will drive is impressive. You’ll be able to race sports cars, rally, formula ford, V8 super cars, GT, stockcars, classics and even trucks! This means you are constantly adapting to the characteristics of the different cars and conditions.
You can also setup free-racing which is great if you simply want to simulate some V8 action on the Gold Coast.

The controls vary for the different cars under different conditions, although once you’ve mastered one type of car, the same approach can be applied to the other cars and conditions without too much trouble.

I found that often a barging approach (cutting corners and using other cars as brakes) was effective (and amusing) but I don’t think it punished you for it, and certainly isn’t realistic. Often you can cut a corner (at the right speed) and slam into a car and get into first place without much damage or complaints from the officials! I think for the enthusiasts this game focuses more on an arcade rather than a simulation approach to game play.

This said the damage model on this game is fantastic and lets face it; if you can’t drive a car backwards around the track and cause the pile-up of the century its not a true racing game! You can expect to total your car; including wheels flying off, bashed panels, lost bumpers and bonnets; all this is in addition to internal damage such as the old gearbox and engine failures. Nice!

Loading times are OK. You can expect around 20 to 30 seconds but this is not too bad considering you can do the old “I’m going crap, stop and restart” without taking another hit from the UMD.

I never got the chance to test out the wireless portion of the game that supports a whopping 12 players, which I’m sure (provided it doesn’t suffer from lag) would be a blast! Have you tried multiplayer? If so add to the comments to let us know what you think!

You can pick up this title and start playing without delving into the instruction booklet. However initially I found the analogue control to be difficult and touchy when trying to control the car. It took a few races before I found the “sweet spot” and was able to become more consistent.

The damage model in this game is great, but it also makes it difficult, as the more you smack you car around the more difficult it is to drive. However after you get a few races under your belt; you’ll learn to keep your ass on the track.

The game become progressively more difficult the further you advance and often there is no prize for second place. It can be frustrating but it’s also a reason to keep hacking away at it!

The game has a lot to offer and there are many different modes to choose from. Sometimes the races themselves feel a bit repetitive but the storyline and the multiplayer options should help to keep it interesting. Unfortunately I never got the chance to try out the wireless with another player let alone with 12 other players!

This game is pretty much an exact port of the Playstation 2 (or PC) versions of this game. If you’ve played them before you probably won’t get too much more out of this game unless you never finished them or you want to take it on the road and relive it all over again. However for those who have not played the game on other platforms, V8 Supercars 2 should provide many hours of entertainment.

In short, this is a great port of a solid racing title.

The graphics are good and the ability to use custom audio tracks is excellent.

The storyline is engaging and there is an incredible variety of cars and tracks to get stuck into and the damage model will ensure you get to smash them all up too.

If you’ve played this game on other consoles you won’t notice too many differences, so if you liked (or hated) the other versions you can expect the same for the PSP.

The V8 portion of the game is not an afterthought as there is a decent amount of Australian tracks, however I still feel the title of the game is misleading!

This is more of an arcade title than a simulation but I’m sure most people won’t care too much as long as they get to wage the war between Holden and Ford!

Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Difficulty: Value: Score:

8/10 7/10 8/10 6/10 7/10 7.5/10