Innovations perhaps outweighed by problems
Games with a license from a single car manufacturer have been a mainstay of the driving game genre ever since the original Lotus Esprit Challenge hit Amiga systems in the late eighties, and various other formats thereafter. Since then, Porsche Challenge on the Playstation, and F355 Challenge in the Arcade and on the Dreamcast, have both faired very well. Conversely, others such as Lamborghini 64 have been overtly mediocre. Now this sub-genre has come full circle with a new Lotus game. But despite an interesting mix of traditional racing and stunt based challenges being on offer, this latest single manufacturer experience falters in several key areas.
A gloomy picture should not be painted too readily though, as this game from UK developer Kuju does many things well. The main single player game centres around a challenge mode, in which the player must complete set tasks, be they normal track races, road races, or stunts. This is all done reasonably well, with a storyline setting out your experiences driving for the British Lotus team. Lotus challenge has been largely criticised in the gaming press for supplying a sub-par physics engine, and an ambitious control system that is a dismal failure. Such criticism is unfair, and perhaps made by members of the press with little time or experience to apply to this game. Lotus Challenge includes a revolutionary new style of control, which works very well. Instead of basic left-right movements, the player steers using a circular movement on the left analogue stick. It sounds odd, and has been widely lamented as being unbearable. In fact, this action mimics an actual steering wheel, and if given time and adapted to, it provides substantially more precise control than traditional methods (which are also included anyway). The car handling and crash dynamics of Lotus Challenge are also both excellent, and as such it makes it difficult to see where attacks on the games physics engine have come from. Cars handle with varying amounts of understeer and oversteer, respond to bumps in the road and lock brakes if stopped too quickly.
A full damage engine is also present, and this can make crashes spectacular. Most cars will loose aerofoils, wing-mirrors and bumpers, while the Grand Prix cars will loose wheels. And yes, you read correctly, Lotus Challenge includes Grand Prix Cars. In fact, a full range of Lotus’ racing and production cars are ready to be unlocked in this game. Classics such as the Esprits, the Elan, and the Lotus Eleven which raced at Le Mans are included, as well as World Championship winning Grand Prix cars that were driven by the likes of Graham Hill, Jim Clark and Mario Andretti. The AI in Lotus Challenge is another area it is strong in. Cars will move in attacking and defensive ways very convincingly, and will sometimes make mistakes, causing wheel-tearing crashes, without any input from the player. For the motoring or racing enthusiast this game should be a dream come true. However, faults are present, and they need to be clarified.
Despite very apparent quality, Lotus Challenge has several problems. Most fundamental of these is a lack of challenge in race mode. Despite the title of the game, the player will ease past the five opposing cars very quickly on many of the tracks, even on the hardest difficulty setting. This problem arises despite strong AI, as opponent drivers seem to lack the ability to brake properly into slow corners from high speeds. Often, the player can overtake the entire field into one braking zone. This fundamental problem rips the heart out of a game that otherwise shows a great deal of potential.
Other problems with Lotus Challenge are more periphery, but require mention nonetheless. Firstly, the tracks in Lotus Challenge are disappointing, with no major licensed tracks available. The Norfolk based Lotus test track at Hethel is available, as well as MSR style street races in London. But any true racing fan will be wishing they could take the Eleven around Le Mans, or the Elise around Brands Hatch. The other, fictional tracks, are not of high quality either, and cannot match the track design of those from many other games, such as Gran Turismo. Another problem of authenticity is with the opposition teams. While it is quite logical that a British Lotus team may compete in a form of classic or sports racing series, it is conversely illogical that teams of Italians, French, Japanese and Americans would also be racing purely Lotuses. A trivial irregularity, but one for which a supposedly plot led game offers no explanation. Lotus Challenge would also benefit from more depth and finishing touches. While the main challenge mode is certainly refreshing, it is a little short lived, and lacks polish in places. The release of this game was originally delayed, and it shows that it was probably a struggle to get the game out in time for Christmas 2001, as some parts of the game appear totally unfinished. This is most noticeable in some of the occasional cut scenes between challenges, which set out the building of a rivalry between you and a fellow driver, as some parts of them are very poorly done. Furthermore, in another part of the challenge mode, you work for a Hollywood director in commercials and films; these sections are rather undercooked though, and could have been much better. While Kuju have succeeded in providing a new and quite refreshing approach to the racing genre, a lack of depth and gloss hold back central play mode significantly.
Visually Lotus Challenge is good but not stunning. The cars appear well modelled, though surprisingly some do harbour inaccuracies in comparison to their real life counterparts. Damage and reflections over the cars are both well done, while background detail varies greatly throughout the game. Some tracks, such as the Arizona desert levels appear excessively plain, with horrible pixelated horizons. Others, such as the central London tracks, are as detailed and as well modelled as counterparts in games like MSR for the Dreamcast. Aurally the game is also decent, with a typical but reasonably good soundtrack, and acceptable if hammy voice-overs.
Lotus Challenge has to be seen as a bit of a missed opportunity. There are clear elements of fundamental quality present, and many players will enjoy the experience. Despite some problems, the racing is often still gripping, while the more unusual challenges are refreshing. But a series of problems, of varying levels of significance, mean that the overall effect and replay value of the game are seriously diminished. The new approach to the genre is welcome, and Kuju should be encouraged to continue with this experimentation. Hopefully in future projects, any new ideas will be followed up with a better level of execution than is present here. Ultimately, Lotus Challenge could accurately be described as a game of flawed genius.