Metropolis Street Racer is a fast paced driving game. It is very realistic and requires a lot of skill to master. Available to unlock are a hundred or so cars and about the same number of courses set in three cities: London, San Francisco and Tokyo. So grab your leather gloves, plug in your official Dreamcast race wheel and strap in your seat belt because this is going to be a long drive.

Graphics: 9/10
You’ll notice that this game looks great. MSR really does use the full capabilities of the Dreamcast. The racetracks and cities are vast, showing hundreds of buildings and great detail on the road surfaces. All the cars show off smooth curved bodywork and a realistic shine on the polished metal. All the classic effects are included, the hot rubber on the racetrack as your wheels spin. At the beginning of a race the camera flies around the course giving you a great view of the scenery. If you get bored of these don’t worry, just press “A” to skip them. Other cars on track are just as detailed and well drawn, although the downside is that you can occasionally notice slowdown, this doesn’t hamper the experience too much.

Sound: 9/10
Each city you take to brings an authentic radio station. The radio is played thought out your racing time; it can also be turned off if you really need to concentrate. But this would spoil the theme of the game, it would be like playing Jet Set Radio on mute. The song finishes and you get some guy trying to flog “rough guides” that’s on the London stages, some of the tracks are recognisable and there are presenters who have let their voices be included. That as well as the effects for skidding and the roar of your engine make a great experience.

Gameplay: 9/10
Metropolis Street Racer takes a new slant on the racing genre. Not only do you have to win races but there are a selection of challenges that range from overtaking a certain number or cars to completing three laps in a set time. Progressing through the levels works with a kudos system, which you will find is either challenging or unfair on the player. To get the better cars players can alter the parameters in which to complete their gold. For example you have to complete three laps in a certain time, if you are a confident driver and know the course you can decrease the time allowed. If you manage to beat the time you will get more kudos than if you had left the time on default. Kudos can also be earned by power sliding around corners. To prevent losing kudos you have to make sure you don’t hit into any walls, complete that and you receive a bonus. This system is great for challenging yourself but if you make one mistake and lose the race then you lose all the kudos you gained from previously completing the stage.

Overall: 9/10
A great racer. It can be difficult and annoying when you lose your hard earned kudos but there is a great feeling when you know you’ve nailed it. If you found that F355 challenge was too difficult you won’t have any problems here. All areas of MSR are top quality even replay value. Not to mention the two-player mode, it is good to challenge your friends but suffers slightly from lag.

Buy or Rent?
You can never have too many racers and Dreamcast proves that. So purchase MSR even if you have Sega GT, F355 and Daytona. You will find hours of entertainment here because of the wealth of game styles.