TOCA PSP touched up for US
New tracks and cars.
The PSP version of TOCA Race Driver 2 is being touched up for its US release as Race Driver 06 - so much so that you might even want to wait and import it if you've put off buying it so far.
Released in Europe last September, TOCA 2 was one of the best of an early crop of pretty high-standard PSP racing games, largely because it did more or less everything that made it into the excellent PS2 version.
Race Driver 06, due out in May in the USA, is ostensibly the same game, but Codemasters says it also features a brand new game mode, as well as 10 brand new international tracks and various new cars as well.
The new mode is called Trans-World Cup, and has been designed for short PSP-style bursts of gaming, with an event structure built around challenges - Time Trials, Skill Tests and other ideas - as you try to make it to the number one rank.
Meanwhile, those ten new tracks include Nashville Super Speedway and Shanghai, and those of the new cars named are the Buick Gran Sport 455, Pontiac Firebird Formula 400, Dodge Charger, Gemballa GTR 750 EVO, Koenig GT and Koenig GTD. The totals are 60-plus tracks and 50-plus cars.
And of course they span all manner of racing disciplines - one of TOCA 2's most delightful features is the range of activities, from GT Sports Car and Rally Cross to V8 Supercars and Super Truck racing. The PS2 Career mode survives in its entirety.
Finally, it's worth pointing out that TOCA Race Driver 3 is due out on PS2, Xbox and PC in Europe on February 24th. From what we've played of it so far, it seems fair to say it's "a bit good". We'll have a review in the run-up to release.