Vanishing Point - PlayStation

Vanishing Point is not just about racing; it’s about driving your car (and yourself) to the limit. For the vast majority of us, it’s hard to appreciate what driving to the limit of your performance is all about. A sensible ride on a public highway at a safe speed is the norm. Acclaim and Clockwork Games have joined forces to bring us Vanishing Point, allowing the player to break all those restrictive road rules, with the experience touted as the definitive driving sim for the PlayStation.

Almost three years in the making, Vanishing Point doesn’t disappoint. Even from the very first play, it’s easy to see why this title has had the driving fraternity (Gamers Division) getting all excited. At the outset, there are just a couple of cars available in Single Race or Tournament mode. Once used to the handling of your chosen vehicle, you should find access to the other cars in the game easy at first. There are such desirable marques as TVR, Lotus and Jaguar available to drive, as long as you can progress through the increasingly demanding races. Single Race and Tournament are all about being the fastest around the track and not necessarily overtaking as many cars as possible. Some of the traffic on the course is non-competitive and can pose as much of a problem as the bona-fide racers. Time Trial mode is an ideal opportunity to get used to VP’s handling with no other cars on the track, and CWG Rally mode is basically a multi-stage variation on the Time Trial mode. Finally, there’s a Stunt Driver mode included, where you put your skills to the test in a series of difficult challenges. The inclusion of such an option is a stroke of genius, as it means that Vanishing Point is not just another racing game that simply has to be taken deadly seriously: the makers have remembered to make it fun too.

Vanishing Point for the PSX isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing game (see the Dreamcast version for the full graphical glory) but it definitely deserves a place in driving/racing sim fans’ hearts. The three years in development have been well spent.
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