F355 Challenge - stand the test of time?

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 10:49 pm

For years I've been meaning to drag out my original official Sega steering wheel and my copy of F355 Challenge for the Dreamcast and give what I consider one of the finest driving games around another spin. I've been playing a few DC games lately, and some are clearly long in the tooth. They just don't hold up to the test of time very well and what I considered great games nearly 10 years ago are actually a bit blah.

When I first got this game back in 2000, I was astounded. The driving model was challenging, the sound immense, and graphics spectacular. Nevermind the fact it only had a handful of tracks and 7 AI opponents, the driving model was king of the consoles. That enthusiasm took hold in so many ways for me. When shopping for another car I was drawn to the Ferrari name and heritage, driven by the wonderful sound of the virtual F355 emanating from my television speakers. I ended up buying a classic 1978 Ferrari 308 GTB and instantly fell in love with the intoxicating sound and smells of that carbed 3.0 liter V8.

My first time to Japan found me in Tokyo, and the hotel I stayed at had a bowling alley along with several arcade games, one of which was F355 Challenge. Every time I made it back to Tokyo I looked forward to jumping in the cockpit for some racing action away from home. The game was that good, and that big of a draw for me.

So how does F355 Challenge fare today?

Graphically the cars are simply decent. The real gem graphically was always the background, and that still holds true. The clouds keep that realism. The audio was always stellar, and listening with the sound turned up sends a chill down my spine.

But the driving model is what was great, and I'm happy to say it still sits in the top tier of console driving games. The game penalizes you for driving too aggressively. It reminds me of another classic game, NASCAR Heat for the PS2/Xbox, which required you to set up your opponents rather than just barreling through the turns. Most of all, however, is that it's just a thrill to pull off a clean lap on this game.

Yep, it has stood the test of time.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:48 pm

James:

You've nailed it, man. F355 for the DC and NASCAR Heat for the Xbox had the best driving and physics models for a road-racing and oval game on a console through the last generation. I never have owned a current-gen console, but I doubt much on the 360 or PS3 equals either of those games.

My only quibble about F355 was the AI. It was scripted as hell. If that game was online, it would have been console racing nirvana. Still, I put a TON of time into that game on the DC.

Thanks for the memories, man!

Take care,
PK

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 1:35 am

It definitely is still one of the better driving models...however on the DC, I still think Test Drive Le Mans was a better overall package.

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 2:33 am

pk500 wrote:I never have owned a current-gen console, but I doubt much on the 360 or PS3 equals either of those games.

I would probably refrain from comparing old with the new if you've never played the new. Both NASCAR 09 and Race Pro on the 360 are fantastic and have above average PC-like sim quality IMO. Maybe not perfect but neither are the PC racers. Also consider that console racers usually ship as is and don't get the benefit of a robust modding community. Just my two cents.

EDIT:
OK i'm a moron and apparently don't read things properly (its late)... Disregard the PC racer comments

Still the next-gen stuff is waaaaaaay better than the older racers.

skinsfan · Post by **skinsfan** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:23 am

The "track ball" handling and cruddy A.I. keep F355 from really competing with todays' best console racers.Still,it's an amazing game considering it is a port of an arcade cabinet game.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 11:17 am

Hmmm, track ball handling not sure about that. With all assist off the handling and physics were amazing. So much so that at the time Rubens Barrichello then with Ferrari purchased the arcade version so as to practice car handling in the off season. To my knowledge or what I have read the DC version was identical to the arcade machine sans force feedback and multiple monitor displays.

I do agree that the AI was rather scripted and brought down the game somewhat.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 1:18 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:It definitely is still one of the better driving models...however on the DC, I still think Test Drive Le Mans was a better overall package.

No argument with that, man. The ability to run a 24-hour race, saving at stops, was unreal. The transition from day to night to day, even in a condensed timeframe race, was fantastic.

It's a pretty sad commentary on the state of the current gen that the Dreamcast seemingly had as many or more quality racing titles in three years than the current gen, at least from what I can deduce of the current gen from comments here. Test Drive Le Mans, F355, Tokyo Xtreme Racing, Tokyo Extreme Racing 2, Vanishing Point, F1 World Grand Prix, Metropolis Street Racer, Daytona USA, Sega Rally 2, Test Drive V-Rally, etc.

Take care,
PK

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:46 pm

pk500 wrote:It's a pretty sad commentary on the state of the current gen that the Dreamcast seemingly had as many or more quality racing titles in three years than the current gen, at least from what I can deduce of the current gen from comments here. Test Drive Le Mans, F355, Tokyo Xtreme Racing, Tokyo Extreme Racing 2, Vanishing Point, F1 World Grand Prix, Metropolis Street Racer, Daytona USA, Sega Rally 2, Test Drive V-Rally, etc.

Don't forget CART Flag to Flag.

http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/160/160958p1.html

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:46 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:It definitely is still one of the better driving models...however on the DC, I still think Test Drive Le Mans was a better overall package.

Last time I played TDLM I wasn't too impressed with the driving model. I've been nostalgic lately, so it will be getting some play in the future.

pk500 wrote:It's a pretty sad commentary on the state of the current gen that the Dreamcast seemingly had as many or more quality racing titles in three years than the current gen, at least from what I can deduce of the current gen from comments here. Test Drive Le Mans, F355, Tokyo Xtreme Racing, Tokyo Extreme Racing 2, Vanishing Point, F1 World Grand Prix, Metropolis Street Racer, Daytona USA, Sega Rally 2, Test Drive V-Rally, etc.

I was playing Vanishing Point again a few months ago and while it was fantastic at the time, when I went back and played it there was something missing. The driving model was certainly a bit odd, particularly with the cars at the beginning. Too much body roll and almost no turning ability with the brakes on. The AI was always maddening in that game, but that was part of the challenge. There was always some knucklehead traffic ahead that would take you out at the most inconvenient time.

Never really got into Daytona.

YES YES YES to TXR, TXR2, MSR (despite some frame rate issues), and SR2. On one trip to Japan I picked up Sega Rally for the PS2 just because of my love for Sega Rally. Yeah it's an arcade racer, but a fun one.

Don't forget about the goodness that is ReVolt. RC racing at its best.

Some that have not aged well include Speed Devils, Rush 2049, and 4 Wheel Thunder.

Speaking of Ferrari games, is the new one for the Wii/PS2/PS3 worth getting? Don't have a PS3, so it would be Wii/PS2 for me, and of those, probably PS2 so I can use a real wheel. Any impressions? Don't care so much about the graphics if the driving model is sublime.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:29 pm

Toy Commander was fresh as well as Jet Grind Radio.

WillHunting · Post by **WillHunting** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 8:14 pm

How's the F355 PS2 port compared to DC? I know it loses the analog gas trigger, is that it or?

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Fri May 04, 2012 5:33 pm

Wife and I have been doing some spring cleaning and I was clearing out the closet. I've got a couple of old Dreamcast steering wheels, and I didn't know if they still worked so I pulled out the Dreamcast and fired up some F355 Challenge to see if my fond memories of the game still hold. Last time I played this was nearly 3 years ago and stated that it was a bit dated but still fun. So another 3 years, how does it hold up? Well, it's just as dated

I noticed a few wonky physics items, which back in the day wouldn't have bothered me as there simply wasn't the great physics out there on racers. Even today it doesn't seem any worse than even Gran Turismo 5. Gran Turismo's nonlinear physics package is atrocious (by that I mean its inability to handle very large yaw motion correctly as well as impact dynamics) and F355 is a bit worse, but not bad considering the praise GT5 gets in some quarters. Fast forward to 2012 where we have games like Forza 4, F1, or RacePro on the 360 and it's no comparison. The physics of those games are just a notch or two above what this arcade port featured. Nonetheless, with the wheel it's still a fun game.

BTW, also fired up a few other "classics" - NASCAR Heat 2002 and IndyCar Series on the Xbox. I couldn't believe how graphically poor Heat was. I remember playing it back in the early days of Xbox thinking this was an awesome looking game. IndyCar isn't that pretty either, but the driving model is still a blast, and the racing is tough.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri May 04, 2012 5:41 pm

My only beef with F355 -- a BRILLIANT game for its time -- was the CPU AI. The cars followed the same path every lap of every race. Robots on rails.

Otherwise, I enjoyed every second of the seemingly endless hours I put into this game on the Dreamcast.

FifaInspected · Post by **FifaInspected** » Mon May 07, 2012 5:12 pm

I recall some fun DSP nights of Race Pro.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Mon Jul 18, 2016 9:46 pm

I recently got a good deal on a Dreamcast with a some of the racing games mentioned in this thread, including F355 Challenge.

I played a little bit today, just some arcade races at the short Suzuka track, and it was a lot of fun. Some of it was the nostalgia of playing the hell out of the arcade game at Circle Center mall in Indy too many years ago, but the experience of driving with a solid handling model in an arcade-style checkpoint game held up surprisingly well (at least for me). The graphics are what they are, but running it through a VGA cable helped.

Even if some of the other games are duds (Sega GT...), the system and this game will make it worth the time/money to get the system. Next up when I get some time, Test Drive LeMans.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 3:13 pm

Get Test Drive Le Mans...probably my favorite racing game ever. Liked it a lot more than F355.

rmagruder · Post by **rmagruder** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:38 pm

Is now a good time to say that I have a DC copy of F355 autographed by Yu Suzuki himself when he visited a store in California way back when?

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F355 Challenge - stand the test of time?

F355 Challenge - stand the test of time?

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