Square has made a racing game! How can this be you ask? Well I am not sure exactly what team worked on Driving Emotion Type-S but this game has come from the dark pit of worst games ever to one of the best racers ever. Square's racer first arrived in Japan and horrified everyone with its utterly unusable control scheme. Although I have never played the Japanese version I an assure you that the game's handling has come around full circle and is now far more playable then ever before. Without a doubt, Square has created an ultra realistic racing simulation that in my opinion is second no other console racer ever released. Yes this game will test your patience and sanity at times but if you want the most realistic driving experience possible, then Type-S is where it's at.

Gameplay
Type-S doesn't try to get fancy with exciting FMV intros or flashy menu styles. It's all about the driving the many "emotions" that you are likely to go through as you strive to master every vehicle. Before you head into the "arcade mode" (which happens to be a not so fitting name considering that this is the sim mode), there is a Line Training mode that paints a race line on the track and shows where and when to brake for each track. It is a good idea to check out this mode before you take on the intelligent AI competition in arcade mode. There is also the standard Time Attack and VS Mode as well. Unfortunately in VS mode you can't select the cockpit view to race in which really makes it difficult especially if you are used to that view. Time Attack of course, lets you race against your best times and the ghost car.

In the Arcade mode, players begin with just a few cars such as the lowly Civic and Impreza but as you win 1st place on the various tracks you earn more cars and tracks. Once you win on a track you also gain access to the next division that pits you against even faster cars. There are three divisions plus a special GT division for highly skilled players (or should I say gifted?). If there is one thing that I must make perfectly clear to you in this review it's that you absolutely MUST play this game using the cockpit view inside the car! Yes there is a chase and bumper view but the game's controls just don't feel right at all using those views and you will probably think the game sucks that way. There is no questioning that the developers designed the game with the cockpit view in mind.

Now, when you first play this game you are probably going to say what the !@#$ is this? No kidding, the handling does seem very bizarre at first but then if you think about it, this is just how a real car handles! I think the main problem is that the control stick doesn't articulate the sensation of using a steering wheel but the car reacts as if you are using a steering wheel. The result is that a lot of counter, counter steering is involved and until you practice for a good hour or so you'll be swerving all over the place. But doesn't that kind of remind you of the first time you took driving lessons? Don't forget that the game is designed to replicate real-world physics and to be challenging so you can't expect to blow by your competition like in GT2. Once you get enough practice with the handling and start winning some races, this game becomes very fun and addictive.

The cockpit view like I mentioned before is simply the best way to play the game and is brilliantly implemented. In front you see the windshield, the hood, steering wheel and the rpm/speedometer readouts on the console. Heck they even put in air vents! Some of the cars actually have digital speed readouts on the console as well. The reason why this view plays such an important role in the gameplay is because you get to experience the real sensations of drift and centrifugal force acting on the car and you are seeing everything from a driver's point of view. I can't stress enough how awesome it feels.

In Driving Emotion Type-S there is emphasis placed on many real-world physics that act on a car traveling at high speeds such as body role, drift and the pull of gravity. When driving, these handling physics must be taken into account as you drive or you'll be eating dust and spinning out more times than you care to speak of. This is the main draw of the game; the accuracy to real driving is unparalleled. You can't just fly around corners doing 150mph or do insane powerslides. Folks, this game makes Gran Turismo 2 seem like an arcade racer. Although Type-S isn't as polished and doesn't have the same level of depth, it handles the driving experience much better than GT2. Don't forget that Type-S also gives you access to many customizable features of your car like shock absorbers, spring rates, transmissions and gear ratios. It pays to mess around with your spring rates and shocks because you can improve a car's handling significantly by adjusting them.

One thing the game is lacking is a large variety of tracks but there are alternate routes and each can be raced in reverse. Some of them are real world tracks like the F1 Suzuka circuit in Japan. Strategies for winning on each track can vary greatly since there is a mixture of road courses, urban street races, hairpins and gentle turn/high speed tracks that will test your driving skills to the max.

The AI opponents are very intelligent. This isn't seen in too many racing games but in Type-S your competition will follow proper racing lines, take turns at appropriate speeds and are very much aware of your location on the track. Basically what this means is that you can't always cut a line through the pack as they will occasionally cut you off and get in your way. Want to take the inside line? You'd better think twice because they also want to take it so don't get too cocky! If you want to drive like a maniac, you'll crash and burn fast. Another enjoyable aspect of the game is the need for awareness throughout the race of where the other cars are and knowing when to make your move.

Type-S offers a fair amount of cars to drive but it's nothing compared to GT2 in this respect. However, you will have the chance to drive some spectacular cars such as the BMW 328Ci, Honda S2000, Mazda RX-7, Porche, and the Ferrari 360 Modena to name just a few. There are really very few things to find wrong with the game except for some rather slow loading times and the lack of tracks and cars but there is enough to keep things interesting. The game's biggest limiting factor is the fact some people just won't be able to deal with the handling and give up on the game, but those who stick with it will no doubt agree that it is one of the most realistic racers ever.

Graphics
Driving Emotion Type-S definitely has the 1st generation fever look to it. While the cars, and backgrounds look overall very nice, the game is hampered with ugly aliasing and crawling effects on the textures. The heat wave effect doesn't look too great either. The car models on the other hand are stunningly beautiful, the polygon models are very detailed and the only place where you can see flat edges is on the wheel rims. The cars feature shiny reflecting metal that looks a bit overdone but the reflections are real-time which looks very impressive. The sky textures look photo realistic and the framerate is a constant 60 frames per second that never falters in single player. The cockpit view inside the cars shows a lot of fine detail with moving steering wheel and subtle reflections of the interior on the windshield. My only gripe is that the windshield is tinted and darkens your view, which obscures your view far into the distance but it isn't a big problem.

The end result is a good-looking 1st generation game that is hurt by just a few nagging technical difficulties that many early developers had problems with. In comparison with Ridge Racer V, it looks a bit better. Mostly because of Type-S's impressive car models.

Sound
The music isn't really what you would expect, it sounds more like the arcade tunes you would hear in Sega GT and during the race it's mostly forgettable. On the other hand the car sound effects are very good. The squealing of tires is realistic; the engine sounds just right when shifting gears. Even the sound of dirt hitting the underside of your car when you go off the track sounds excellent. Unfortunately there isn't anything that really stands out and it's too bad that the engine sounds weren't a little louder.

Value
Driving Emotion is a hard game and will take a long time to master. Fortunately the game is extremely rewarding and fun to play once you get the hang of it and you'll want to beat every track and race in all the cars. But as far as track selection and overall variety goes, it comes up a bit short. You can't earn money to buy car parts to upgrade your vehicle or enter different types of racing venues like in GT2, but this is something to look forward to in a possible sequel.

This is a game for serious racing fans and those who seek a challenge. This is an unforgiving and extremely realistic racing sim that not everyone will like and that is why I suggest to rent it first. If you can learn how to handle the cars then you will have hours of fun with this game but if you aren't up to the challenge then you will likely hate it to death. This is the racer that will separate the men from the boys.