Once upon a time, a RX7 cruised the local streets. What a fine machine – handling and acceleration were excellent. Of course, owning such a car, there is the temptation to see how fast it can really go. Rubber through four gears, a smooth and effortless drive at 110 miles an hour – what a blast!

Move into the present – the streets of Tokyo and and a little course call Shibaura Yokohane Out – comprised mostly of straight stretches of road. A straight stretch comes up and you pop the machine into fifth and hit speeds in excess of 150 miles-an-hour. But something seems amiss. This car is sliding too much, even at 86 miles an hour.

Crave Entertainment and Genki present Tokyo Extreme Racer 3, a PlayStation2 title. The game sports many new features in the line of titles, but is somewhat limited in options.

Yes, you can pick your car from one of the 15 different models available. And there is a solid array of tracks or courses to choose from in Japan. There are four modes of play – quest, free run, time attack and versus battle for head-to-head multiplayer gaming.

Other new features include a new driving physics engine, vehicle tuning options and some rival characters.

In quest mode, new powers are vying for control of the streets. You begin by selecting your car, color and license plate. The car will cost you money, and you will have to earn it back.

The game also features a first person view as well as  third person.

The setup screens for each race include an esoteric intro to the meaning of the race. Perhaps this is an attempt to insert mystery, but when you are looking at a race that has a respawning pace car that you will pass time and again, the concept seems to fly out the window.

The game sports three course areas are available – Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. While the tracks are very similar in style, the environments are rather generic. This is not a game that will blow players away with the scenery whizzing past.

The game’s controls are very simple as well. X will tromp on the accelerator and the square is the brake. The triangle will alternate views.

How simple is the game? You begin each race in auto pilot mode, then it counts down and releases control of the game to the player. You are already at a moderate cruising speed, so you hit the accelerator, weave through light traffic, take the right turns at the checkpoints and outrace your foes.

The driving physics, though, do leave something to be desired. No matter what tire configuration you put on the car, it still has a tendency to slide a bit. This may be intended to challenge the racer’s abilities at controlling at car at high speeds, but when you are talking about a sports car, on dry roads in fair weather conditions, the sliding that is going on here is unrealistic. Imagine going 85 on the local interstate, coming to a slight bend in the roadway and sliding across the lanes – that is the feeling here.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 is not a bad racing title. It will, though, have a tough time keeping pace with a title like Gran Turismo 4.

Gameplay: 7

The driving physics are advertised as improved but still these cars do too much sliding. The courses bear a similarity in design and scenery as well.

Graphics: 7.5

The lighting and shadows are solid, and the cars are well detailed.

Sound: 7

The courses are rather long and so the game replays the same musical track for that course over and over. The music, at first fine, gets redundant. The only other sounds are that of the engine and squeal of the tires.

Difficulty: Easy

This game is not that tough once you get used to the car handling.

Concept: 7

While the developers have added features, this game comes out as an average title.

Multiplayer: 7.5

The versus mode is a nice feature, and the action is a little better and realistic than the single-player quest mode, or time attacks.

Overall: 7

Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 is a solid title. But it is a budget sports car in a high-revving world. With a solid options package, the game allows for player flexibility, and the car models are well rendered. But all that may not be enough with the high-graphical concept games are released.