![]() ![]() Career mode is interesting because money plays a part in it. Also exclusive to the PSP is the ability to race any class against each other, with the slower class getting a head start. Jet-Powered is exclusive to the PSP: it's been somewhat hastily put in because all you can tune is the Nozzle Size, but at least it's accompanied with neat fire effects. Vehicle classes involve Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Motorcycle, and Jet-Powered, and you have your basic array of Quick Race, Single Event, Career, or two player VS options. In terms of modes, Countdown to Championship is fairly basic. There's even a detailed chart overlay of your car's performance as the race is happening. Afterwards, you can analyze what went horribly wrong by watching the replay with fourteen (!) different camera options. Nevertheless, when you actually get on the track, you will undergo the "burnout" (spinning your wet wheels for better traction), the "staging" (carefully lining up your car) and the "racing" (praying to your god of choice that your reflexes and tuning abilities can overcome awkward nub sensitivity - more on this later). True, the insane detail does make this racer seem more like a flight sim sometimes, and tuning is the bulk of the game. ![]() Option two is that you think this is the worst game ever and you've already closed your internet browser. Option one is that your interest is peaked. Now I'd wager that the preceding paragraph has either had one of two effects on you. ![]() Oh, and depending on your difficulty level, this tuning portion can have a pretty narrow time limit. Tune something wrong and you're liable to have an engine fire. But don't rely on them too much, because different crew chiefs specialize in different things. If you'd rather not deal with all of this, there is an auto-tune option in the lower difficulty settings, and Crew Chiefs that offers different advice about your settings. Things like the primary and secondary clutch, the engine's spark, compression and overdrive, the fuel flow, the tire pressure, the front ballast, and the wings (I'm surprised there wasn't an option involving cup holders). Get used to this idea of planning because pretty much every little thing can be tweaked and tested. For example, air temperature affects horsepower and surface temperature affects traction. The first thing you do is pay careful attention to the race conditions such as the cloud cover, air and surface temperatures, and humidity (oh yes, all of those normally useless stats actually mean something here). I'm sure there's a lame There are five parts to each race : Tuning, Burnout, Staging, Racing, and the Replay. What's that you say? Why would they make a game out of that? Well, it's a little more complicated than just making a beeline to the finish. Instead, it involves two cars (or the newly added motorcycles and rocket cars) that race in a straight line for roughly four to five seconds. In case you didn't know, drag racing does not entail wildly hitting the gas to beat multiple cars in a series of laps. It's really those who are new to NHRA drag racing that will have trouble with this game. However, if you have no idea what Staging or Christmas Trees are (outside the pine variety with presents at the bottom) then keep reading. It is an excellent representation of the sport at a budget price. I'm going to make this easy for the extreme NHRA fans out there : if you try to Stage your car in parking lots and see the yellow lights of a Christmas Tree when you close your eyes, you should buy this game (and seek help). Call this is a testament to just how comprehensive Countdown to the Championship is. ![]() Or rather, I should say that I knew very little about drag racing. ![]()
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