Street Racing Syndicate

Its not like we have anything better on gog...

Nothing to write home about. Yes, the theme is the same, but Need for Speed did everything so much better. On the other hand, GOG does not have many racing games, and this one even has real car brands. What I liked about the game: Good: - There are at least 3 different cities. - Some races take place in daytime. - Real car manufacturers. - Ricer culture. Bad: - Very few cars, and a lot of the cars are the same in appearance. Only the year of manufacturing and, I assume, the stats differ. - The game emphasises models (girlfriends) way too much. Perhaps unlocking a sexy video or two might seem interesting at first, but I got bored fast and didn’t even aim to unlock them. Also, said videos are of low visual quality. They should have added more car models than girls. - Engine sounds are very, very weak and not satisfying at all! - Car appearance customisation is very limited compared to the NFS games. - Car performance customisation might be a bit confusing if you are not familiar with various car parts. - Car handling is not great. Some cars grip very well, other cars start drifting on every turn.

This game came out in 2004, and I’m a sucker for anything 2000-2007. 00’s babes and 00’s music in an arcade style racing game you say? *VEGETA KNEEL* It is a nice trip back to a better time, worth the $0.89 sale price for sure. Quality of Life Improvements: -Extract ThirteenAQ Widescreen Fix into the Street Racing Syndicate game folder. -Change [MAIN] ResX = 1920 ResY = 1080 -JoyToKey For Automatic Transmission: Stick 1 Left: Left Arrow (Turn Left) Stick 1 Right: Right Arrow (Turn Right) POV Up: Up Arrow (Navigate Menu) POV Right: Right Arrow (Navigate Menu) POV Down: Down Arrow (Navigate Menu) POV Left: Left Arrow (Navigate Menu) Button 1: Left Ctrl (NOS) Button 2: F (High Beam) Button 3: Space (Hand Brake) Button 4: M (Map) Button 5: W (Rear View) Button 6: C (Change View) Button 7: Esc (Navigate Menu) Button 8: Enter (Navigate Menu) Button 11: Down Arrow (Brake/Reverse) Button 12: Up Arrow (Accelerate)

This game unapologetically draws from NFSU and NFS:MW. It does not do so to the same effectiveness, the police chases are an afterthought and don't make much sense, there is a slight bumper-car feel to the driving, and everything looks just a little bit tacky. What makes it good is that it doesn't shy away from its faults, and that makes it a fun experience, just not one you'd want to introduce to your more polite friends, especially not in the current social climate. The racing is decent, if NFS is your standard to measure it by. The storyline is non-existent beyond a few voiced phone-calls and a 10 second intro movie, having had even less effort than your general NFS effort. You drive, get the cars, and get the girls. Literally, do not expect more. Amusingly you get to keep both your cars and your girls in the same warehouse. I don't know what they do there all day, but given that the team put more effort in writing out the girls' stats and the apparently obligatory dance-video than giving them (or any other character for that matter) actual personality, I don't think they'll be very bored staring at the walls all day. It is cheap, and the game is too, but given that it's an easy way to get to something trying to do what NFSU and NFS:MW did better, that it delivers plenty in the 'fun'-department as well, and being a lot easier to get running on windows 10 is than either of those other games, I'll take it without a second thought.