As the final hours of the PlayStation tick down, it's interesting which games appear on the shelves. We've got things like Fear Effect 2, with cool gameplay and graphics. Games like Final Fantasy IX can still 'wow' us with graphics and sound. And then Ford Racing comes along... As a contestant in the line-up of PS games so far this year, Ford Racing falls short on a couple of fronts, but nowhere as bad as graphics. This would have been a fine looking game 2 years ago, but now it just seems strange to watch something this out-of-date stream over your T.V. But, it would have cost more than $10 then, so you're probably still getting your money's worth buying it today. Still the cars look like burned marshmallows with spray-paint on them, and the tracks don't do anything to improve matters. Sound and music are actually passable, and the music was surprisingly cool, all things considered. But, even the now budget racers from last year make Ford Racing look bad.

As a judgement on the racing quality here, Ford Racing doesn't score that poorly. It works on several levels. The Career Mode is fun, and lets you work through championship seasons to earn different cars. Each set of races gives you a new car, stock and untested. You then have a chance to practice a track, qualify for placement and race. At the end of each race, you're scored and awarded in cash. Most events are free, but others require an entry fee to participate. This whole progression becomes cooler when you start exploring the Body Shop, where you can modify a car during any season. Modifications are standard, and include brakes, tires, engine and some aerodynamic mods that seemed more appropriate for an F1 game. The decision to save money for events or spend it on the car is a fairly easy one after you try out the Body Shop. Races that were way hard or that you won by a hair are almost too easy once you buy some of the custom options, but luckily you start over each season. That way, you build up a car and then switch out for the next series of races.

After you open up all the cars (there's even a truck) in Career Mode, taking them out for a Single Race or Time Trial is fun. This lets you try different tracks or cars, but only cars you've opened in Career. Head to Head is the split-screen multiplayer mode, and really plays off the Single Race Mode design. Most of the game is racing through Career, and that's short lived if you're any kind of gamer. Opening up the cars can be cool, and I wish they would have given you a garage or way to keep playing favorites in Career. But, the structure is nice if a little linear, and if you've played every other PS Racer on the market, Ford Racing doesn't entirely disappoint with gameplay.

Whether it's bad AI and the ability to exploit narrow tracks to keep cars behind you indefinitely, or just lack of good design, Ford Racing feels very soft. Cars aren't really 'earned,' since you start the season racing whatever car is available for that season. The custom mods make for really strong cars, and after winning the first 1 or 2 races, the rest are pure cake. This one is really just for the experience of racing Ford cars and trucks.

Limited camera views, both in-game and for replay, really hurts Ford Racing. The default view is a straight shot from behind the car, and doesn't show any definition. Then you either pull in closer or do a cockpit view, which only showcases how pixellated the graphics are. Replays happen after every race, and although they're passable, they don't have anything interactive about them. I really like being able to switch camera during a replay to see different perspectives for certain events. Not happening here. Control for driving, although analog on the left stick, has gas, brake and reverse mapped to the top buttons. Again, this might have worked a few years ago, but not being able to put speed on the right stick is annoying when so many games have it now. I didn't notice much slowdown, but without much glam or glitter, there's really nothing to slow Ford Racing down. The selection screens and Career Mode options are well done, and earning prize money through a season to buy new parts was a nice touch. It's surprising how much different parts can translate to handling, but even after all the changes in the world to your suspension, brakes and tires, Ford Racing is an arcade racing game all the way. Only for the most diehard racing gamers, and maybe those Fiesta owners who always wanted to try out Daytona. ;)