When you’re young, it’s the one manufacturer’s name that screams style, wealth and most importantly very fast red cars. It is the stuff of dreams and a thousand crude crayon drawings. When age takes its inevitable toll, Ferrari remains as a real-life fantasy. And whilst we all know that owning one might be a touch too much of a stretch on the credit cards, we also know that pretending is the mere purchase of a game away. That game is Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, and it’s about to bring a little bit of Italian master craftsmanship to gamers everywhere.
Since the launch of the title – handily following Ferrari’s 60th anniversary last year – there has been a whole lot of talking about this title. "Being involved at such an historic period of Ferrari's history is a real honour,” says System 3 CEO Mark Cale. “We're dedicating all our resources to developing a game that is worthy of the Ferrari Marque.”
Racing fans have been left with sweaty palms thinking about it, and looking at what is going to be packed into this title, it’s easy to see why. Publisher System 3 has thrown itself wholeheartedly into the task of creating a great racing game, in which both professional and amateur drivers compete on the world’s most famous and recognisable race tracks in 430 Challenge race cars.
50 intricately detailed Ferraris feature in the title, alongside the whole gamut of Ferrari Challenge series tracks, offering plenty of variation. The vehicles have been modelled right down to the last detail, and handle like the real thing. A full 16 player online mode will no doubt ensure Ferrari Challenge an army of followers worldwide, whilst the graphics are nothing short of outstanding.
The title will appear not only on PS3, PSP, Wii and DS, but also the PS2, a move that was announced with a huge Ferrari Challenge special MCV back in January. Tailored towards the older console by developer Eutechnyx, it’s a move sure to keep a lot of yet-to-upgrade racing fans very happy indeed.
“We want Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli to reach as many gamers as possible and the PS2 version is instrumental in achieving this,” continues Cale.
“Despite technical limitations, the team at Eutechnyx are doing an outstanding job in translating the exceptional features of the PS3 version to its predecessor, maintaining an excellent standard of visuals and keeping that incredible handling intact. We’re confident that Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli will set the standard by which other PlayStation 2 racing titles will be judged.”
The May unveiling of the game’s handsome website also helped ramp up anticipation for the title, with a stirring online reaction pointing to positive sales on release.
“Like the game itself, the site is the slickest, most comprehensive digital representation of the prestigious Ferrari brand,” adds Cale. “It features a stack of content which we hope will satisfy fans’ lust for the game through to launch and beyond. The official site will also be the place to find out the latest on the game beyond release – we’ve an absolutely incredible opportunity for gamers, one that’s never been done in gaming before. We can’t wait to see the reaction of our fans now we’ve finally opened the virtual garage doors.”
With such a well-known global brand behind it, as well as a wealth of heavy promotions and a huge swell of consumers waiting to snap it up, it would seem that Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is a dead cert as the summer approaches.
Benefiting from the years of racing game experience the team at Eutechnyx have, there is an air of confidence around this title that is hard not to believe in. Sure to be a big hit with long term Ferrari fans as well as race fiends, it’s certain to speed off retail shelves when it gets released later next month.
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