It really bugs the hell out of me when a decent game doesn't get a decent review. I have to think that this happens because "experts" in the industry are used to writing reviews in the constrictive system of ratio-based reviews. Having to rank a video game on a scale of five or ten forces the content of the review to be equally sweeping and decisive. The review writers can't really be blamed for this, but what I do see is a growing level of cynicism creeping into reviews. The sorry truth that some folks on their high pedestals <cough> at ign and<cough> gamespot <cough> need to realize is that not every game can be God of War 3 caliber. Not every developer can dump millions of dollars into the production of a game. The multi-million dollar budget games do tend to get favorable reviews though. From there, a roughly corresponding drop in score occurs as the budget alotted for a game also drops. So what then? We might as well skip reviews altogether and blow our hard-earned dough on games with only the most bloated production values.

So when one of these games comes along that didn't have a huge budget, but definitely offers fun to at least one group of people, I plan on therapeutically writing a real contrarian review. Please welcome our first contestant: Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2 for the Playstation 2.

Ok, first off, let me acknowledge the syntactical gymnastics this title puts you through. Obviously this smacks of a Japanese title translation in only the way they can pull off. The original title of this game as it was released in Japan is equally nonsensical to the average American, Kaido: Touge no Densetsu. For the sake of simplicity, I'll just refer to this mouthful as TXRD2.

TXRD2 is a racing game that is based on togue racing in the mountains of Japan. Think The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but without grown men actors playing testosterone-enraged highschoolers. This racing game was released in 2005, and what was unique about it is that it got, almost universally, terrible reviews. Ign gave it a whopping 4.0 out of 10. Gamespot was a little more forgiving, and offered a 5.2 out of 10. Major complaints were crummy graphics, terrible handling and an unimaginative story. 

Enter the power of social media. In most cases on websites like ign and Gamespot, where the chance to enter your own score is available, the user score tended to be over an 8 out of 10. Why such a huge difference in opinion? Since I'm a car nut and a sucker for racing games, (and the game was only $6.00 at GameStop) I decided to take a risk on the game and see if this was a candidate for vindication.

The first thing that became apparent to me was that this was not an arcade game. If you like games like Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport, then this game should fit you just fine. If you like Need for Speed and Crazy Taxi, you might want to pass on this one. Ign's reviewer described the handling in TXRD2 like that of a yacht. Unfortunately this game was packaged in a way that does make it look like an arcade game, but the reality is that cars going 90+ mph don't turn on a dime. Also, it is important to note that if you don't like the way your car handles in TXRD2, you can change it by going back to school and getting a masters degree in engineering so you can figure out all the complex isometric values to input into your transmission ratios. That isn't technobabble either, this game will allow you to do that. Almost any value of the cars can be tweaked and tuned.

Reviews also described the graphics as outdated, even back in 2005. I understand that the PS2 at the time had really matured and most of the games released around 2005 really pushed the graphics envelope for the system. I can see how many, especially now in the age of the next-gen consoles would be underwhelmed by TXRD2's graphics. That being said, Genki Racing Project, which developed the game, took the time to actually go out to the mountain roads that are in the game and measure them with all sorts of laser surveying equipment, so again, the focus was on simulation-level accuracy, not special effects.

Then comes the story line. Like the title of the game, this segment of gameplay suffers when it is lost in translation. Characters behave in a way that frankly won't make any sense to most westerners. Personally, I found the text-based dialogue pretty humorous for how ridiculous it is, but after awhile I just skipped through it-I don't really need a story to my racing games anyway.

The bottom line is this: If you are a fan of racing simulations (like GT4,) but also like the cool retro kitsch of being able to drift a AE86 Sprinter Trueno down a mountainside Initial-D style, then this game is right in your wheelhouse. Anyone who likes their racing games relaxed should heed the casuals over at ign and Gamespot and avoid this like the plague.

Ultimately this is why rating video games by a number stinks. Depending on what a person values in the game,  some terrible beast of a challenge to one person will seem like a worthy endeavor to another. In this case, the feeling of accomplishment felt after successfully navigating a downhill mountain run without touching a single guard rail is palpable.

(On a side note: I don't live in the stone age, and I don't plan on reviewing PS2 games forever; my PS3 is currently broken.)