OPERATION:

GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS!...oh, And A Few Cars As Well

One look at 3DO's SRS: Street Racing Syndicate, and you'd probably think it was the next incarnation of DOA: X, only with cars. And, to some extent you may be correct, but according to 3DO, its aims with SRS are to accurately recreate the street racing culture on your TV screen. So what do the girls have to do with street racing? For starters, these aren't just any girls, in fact - each of the game's 18 red-hot models are actually some of the best known import racing models in the world, including Sasha Singleton, Cheri Roberts, Kaila Yu and Francine Dee. But the question still remains, what purpose do they serve in the game besides acting as eye-candy (and let's be honest guys, you know you'll spend just as much time flipping through the model galleries as you will playing the game)? As you progress through the game and win races -- and I assure you, this IS a racing game -- you'll earn street creds, which will help you gain the attention of the models. Once you're 'in' with the girls, they'll clue you in to all kinds of information about races, such as where the illegal races are going down or what the other guy has under the hood. In addition, once a model becomes your girlfriend, you'll be able to enter her in special, off-track non-racing events like bikini contests, which will win you money to help maintain your car. You'll also be able to use your girlfriend as ante in illegal races. Hmm, I think it's safe to say that Martha Burk and the American National Council of Women's Organizations won't be picking up this game.

But I digress. In order for the game to recreate the street racing scene, you kind of need to include racing. The game will include three cities to race in: Miami, LA and Philly. Every city will feature both legal and illegal events to race in. Legal events will offer winners big money and sponsorships, while illegal racing will win you fame and money (through bets), as well as other guy’s cars and women. By running in illegal races, players will also run the risk of being discovered by the cops. In that case, you can then play the good citizen and pay the fine, or play the bad ass outlaw and try to outrun the fuzz in the city streets. However, if you're caught you'll lose your car to the impound lot and all of your parts will be stripped.

SRS: Street Racing Syndicate will also feature licensed cars which can be outfitted and tricked out with parts from over 40 real-life aftermarket manufacturers. Each of these modifications will be represented by your car's appearance, giving players their own personal rice burners built to their specifications. In the end, if you're just looking for a good legal race - check out the other guys. But remember it's the bad guys that always get the girls.