If you, like me, were worried that you would not have the first Super Woden GPRest assured, Super Woden GP II is a completely standalone game. And, at the risk of giving away a few spoilers, a pretty entertaining one at that!
Yes, Super Woden GP II is a racing game from Vijuda and Eastasiasoft that aims to take us back to the beginnings of racing games in the early 90s, when playability and fun were more important than the latest, stunning graphics.
But in a world where Forza Motorsport exists, is there room for a little racing game that sets the world on fire? Well, maybe gentle smoldering would be a better analogy…
In Super Woden GP II you can take part in a series of races. You are also given a car and must do your best to emerge as the winner. Motivation is pretty much all there is in Super Woden GP II.
That’s fine, but this game commits the cardinal sin of a racing experience, at least in my opinion. The makers didn’t buy licenses to use real car names, but instead created a pretty detailed model of the real cars. For example, my Soop Avenger MkIII is a Ford Capri, there’s no doubt about that, and there are obvious copies of the Subaru Impreza, the Toyota Supra JGTC (right down to the distinctive red, green and white livery) and the list goes on. Even the title screen shows a car that is clearly a McLaren F1 racer in the famous Gulf livery, but that’s never mentioned in the game.
Apart from this Super Woden GP II looks OK. It’s an isometric racing game where the cars drive diagonally around small circuits, and it all looks great. It also moves at a very high pace, and I never noticed a hint of slowing down. The smoke from the tires as you drift around corners, the sparks as you hit other cars, the different landscapes you race through – from a wet speedway track in America (I assume) to a dusty rally in Kenya – all of this works well, as do the weather effects like rain and snow.
Of course, the actual racing is only half the story, as there’s plenty to do away from the track too, and an intuitive map interface lets you access all the bits you need. It’s reminiscent of Gran Turismo 2’s map screen, which isn’t a bad thing. All the car dealers are there, along with icons for the other things you can do – from arcade racing to the music room, where, believe it or not, you can listen to the music on offer.
Speaking of music, it’s in keeping with the game’s style and fits the mood perfectly, but unfortunately the engine sounds are flat and one-dimensional – all variations of the “bees in a tin can” sound we were so used to. A little more variety would have been nice. But all in all, the developers have done a good job in presenting the game.
Now for the gameplay. There are many different aspects that together make up the game. Starting with the easiest mode, Arcade, we are taken to a completely separate interface for this section. It is classic arcade gameplay. Here we find a rally stage that we must complete in a certain time. If we fail, we lose a credit and have to start the section again. If we lose all three credits, we have to start the whole thing again. So the challenge is there!
The rally stages also appear in the main area of Super Woden GP II under the heading “Go Race”, and they do what they promise. You can choose between regular races, the aforementioned rally events, endurance events and even time trials if you want to get to know the tracks – and that’s recommended. Switching between racing diagonally and steering around corners at the same time feels strange at first, but soon becomes second nature and the controls work really well.
Of course, you wouldn’t expect to have access to everything right away in Super Woden GP II, would you? Well, you’re right, because as we race we earn stars, of which we need different amounts to access new events. And since these new events have restrictions not only on the type of car that can be used, but also on the car’s performance, there is a good tuning part in the game, which even includes the “oil change” and “car wash” functions that I saw in a certain PS2 racing classic…
Tuning a car obviously helps in the races, but you have to win races to get the credits to buy the parts, so a cycle is set up. And I for one am here for it. It doesn’t count as grinding if you’re having fun, right?
All in all, Super Woden GP II is a good racing game that harks back to the glory days of arcade racing. The challenge in the later levels is intense, while the hunt for credits and stars to get new events is enjoyable in and of itself. Personally, I hate that there are no actual car names in the game, but that doesn’t really affect the action on offer.
