When it comes to most import PS2 games, the fun never starts. Hresvelgr is no exception; it could have been a decent game, but its flaws keep it from reaching its full potential. This title will be ditching the unpronounceable Hresvelgr moniker upon arriving in the states, and will be known as Fusion GT. Improvements are also promised along with the name change. To know what needs to be improved, I have to tell you whats wrong with it. Here goes nothing.

Hresvelgr is a Wipeout/F-Zero clone, with some minor changes thrown in. Instead of flying over a road or a track, you fly your jet in mid-air. The game is still rather linear because you are forced to stay in between floating energy beams to keep your momentum, and if you stray to far from these beams you become powerless. While you are powerless away from the track, you are given a small amount of time to make it back. On the first level you are given around ten seconds to direct your momentum trackwards, and if you fail, you are placed back into the thick of things, right in the middle of the track. This track design had the potential to be truly innovative, and in some ways it is. Since you are not on a road you are able to pass cars above, below, and to the sides. There are also large drops and huge climbs that are in the courses adding a nice challenge and a small amount of uniqueness to the game. When you begin your game you choose from three difficulty levels, and seven jets, each varying in shape and size. The difference in the cars is more than cosmetic, as each has varying attributes. After choosing your vehicle you are given the option of picking one of two pilots to control your jet. There is very little difference in pilots, outside of their experience, and this is a rather pointless option. Next you head off to qualifying, which you must do before every race, no matter what position you finished the race before. When you are done qualifying, you are able to choose one of a variety of weapons or powerups for you vehicle. Missiles, rockets, shields, and boost are all available for selection. None of the weapons are very effective, so the boost is what I tended to use most often. The grand prix mode is scored in typical racing game fashion, you get a certain amount of points for first place, and progressively less the lower you place. The winner of the cup is the person with the most points at the end of the season. After the lower difficulty is beaten, the other difficulty levels become available. In the more difficult levels, the "track" becomes more narrow, and you are given less time to get back on the track once you have strayed too far. If the time runs out while you are too far away, the race is over. That seems a bit harsh, especially considering how narrow the courses are, and how poor the control is, but Ill cover that later. Heck, Ill talk about it now.

The gameplay is always what makes or breaks a game, and this holds especially true when it comes to racing games. Hresvelgr is a big dud when it comes to control. The control on all the vehicles is loose, sloppy, unresponsive, poor, anything bad, it's here. When precision driving becomes a must in the later rounds, this game seemed almost impossible to play. The controls are not solely to blame for this games poor performance however. An inconsistent frame rate is equally responsible for this poor gaming experience. The frame rate is pretty smooth during time trials, but it falls apart when more than one vehicle is present. Its almost like playing a different game, the difference is that great. Another culprit is a miserable camera. Youd think that it would be difficult for a camera to ruin a racing game, but it does. Often I would find myself unable to see going around a turn because the camera was on the other side of the wall. On several other occasions I would fly off the track and die because the camera would not allow me to find my way back. These games do get playtested right? Sometimes I have my doubts about the people that test these games. Gust thought that adding weapons to the mix would be a good idea, but they are utterly pointless. I was struggling so bad to control my vehicle, that the last thing I was worried about was lining someone up and firing missiles at them. When I did try to blow someone away it seemed to have little effect on them. The same held true for when I was fired upon. A warning message would pop-up warning me that I was in someones sites, yet I never noticed getting hit even though Im sure I did. Even though you dont want to lose a race because of a cheap rocket shot, they should affect you somewhat. If you have friends, theyre in luck; Hresvelgr is one player only, so they dont have to suffer along with you. Why in the world are developers not putting two-player ability in racing titles on the PS2? Yeah, I know Ridge Racer V has it, but as anyone who has actually played two player on it can attest, it is one of the most pitiful things ever. All in all the gameplay of Hresvelgr gets a big thumbs down.

Hresvelgr is a pretty nice looking title, but nothing that will blow you away. The jets are nicely modeled and look like they are made of quite a few polygons. The tracks dont live up to the standards set by the vehicles however. While some of the tracks are very nice looking, with nice backgrounds and vibrant color, some are extremely bland, and poorly textured. A favorite track of mine was one that let you climb up to a tremendous height and then let you sit at the top for just a second, similar to a rollercoaster. Looking to the land far below gave me the feeling of truly being that high off the ground. One track that illustrates these inconsistencies is the track that goes under water. Various parts of the tracks are nicely detailed, leading up to the part that travels underwater; once you reach this point the track is virtually impossible to follow in the sea of blue. While graphics dont make the game, they should never get in the way, and in this game they do.

Sound is one of the areas in which almost all of the PS2 titles have been a let down. There is nothing really good or bad going on here. Average sums up the titles audio elements in all aspects. The sound effects are enough to get the job done, but again, they are nothing spectacular. The background music, does just that, stays in the background. Theres nothing here that compares to the tunes of Wipeout, or the old favorites in F-Zero. Why have all these fancy audio outputs if nobody is going to use them?

Blah, Hresvelgr is a decidedly bland title. Bland music, poor control, lame textures, all combine to leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. Even though Ive had my PS2 for months, I am looking forward to its upcoming domestic release, just so I can quit playing these god-awful Japanese titles. Crave promises a re-vamped version for US release, but theyve got their work cut out for them. I personally dont think they can make this into a title worth buying. Save your money for the upcoming PS2 Wipeout game.