Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano
| Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano | |
|---|---|
PlayStation 2 cover art for Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano (North American version)
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| Developer(s) | Milestone S.r.l. |
| Publisher(s) |
Valcon Games (PS2) Black Bean Games (Xbox) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 Xbox Windows |
| Release |
PlayStation 2
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| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) |
Single-player Multiplayer |
Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano, known in Europe as SCAR - Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo (literally SCAR - Alfa Romeo Racing Team), is a Gran Turismo-style racing game for the PlayStation 2, Windows and Xbox. It was developed by Milestone S.r.l. and released in 2005.
It is similar to the Gran Turismo series except for the role-playing game elements. The game was lauded for having artificial intelligence superior to Gran Turismo 4. When compared to Gran Turismo 4, Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano has far fewer cars and tracks. All the cars in the game are manufactured by the Alfa Romeo motor company (unlike Gran Turismo which has vehicle makes and models from countries from Australia to Sweden). While most of the tracks are in Italy, a few are in other countries like Germany and the United States. With a maximum of nine laps in any race, with most races lasting only three to six laps, the races are too short for the game to model pit stops.
A distinguishing feature of the game is that it models driver development using a system almost identical to a role-playing video game. In addition, cars get damaged, both visibly and in performance, by collisions or by driving off course.
Like many racing games, the game has a quick race mode and a career mode (called dynasty mode). The initial choices of cars and tracks in quick race mode are very limited; additional choices are unlocked by progress in dynasty mode. Initially, dynasty mode has a limited number of events available to enter. Placing third or better in races unlocks new races, series of races, and championships. At the same time, the game models the development of the driver using a system that is almost identical to a role-playing video game.
This elaborate system of developing the driver's experience is used to toughen up both the player and the car that he or she uses. Experience points (referred to in the game simply as XP), are acquired for various achievements during a race, such as passing opponents, or driving a clean lap. Similar to the way that XP is lost after dying in some role-playing games, failing to finish the race cancels all XP earned in the event. When certain thresholds of XP are reached, a new driver level is achieved, and a Skill Point is awarded. These Skill Points can be used to develop driver and car. Additional Skill Points are awarded for other achievements. Some races award a skill point for beating a particular opponent for the first time. There is also a list of dynasty achievements, the completion of which awards a number Skill Points. One such achievement, for example, is going faster than a certain speed in dynasty mode.
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