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Auto Modellista

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2002 video game
Auto Modellista
European PlayStation 2 version cover art featuring a Mazda RX-7
Developer(s)Capcom Production Studio 1
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Hideaki Itsuno
Producer(s)Yoshihiro Sudou
Designer(s)Tatsuya Nakae
Shinichirō Obata
Ryozo Tsujimoto
Keni Kinoshita
Composer(s)Tetsuya Shibata
Isao Abe
EngineArtistoon
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
GameCube
Xbox
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • JP: August 22, 2002
  • EU: December 6, 2002
  • NA: March 25, 2003
  • JP: September 11, 2003 (US Tuned)
GameCube
  • JP: July 3, 2003 (US Tuned)
  • NA: September 30, 2003
Xbox
  • NA: January 20, 2004
  • JP: January 29, 2004
Genre(s)Arcade style racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (online PS2 and Xbox)

Auto Modellista (アウトモデリスタ, Auto Moderisuta) is a racing game developed and published by Capcom, first released on PlayStation 2, later ported to GameCube and Xbox.

Description

Auto Modellista distinguished itself from other games of the same genre with cel-shaded graphics, which gave a hand-drawn and cartoon-like appearance. The game plays similarly to games like Gran Turismo, with the player picking a vehicle which they can modify and customize. There are six tracks in the default game, including the real-life Suzuka Circuit and the Mt. Akagi mountain pass.

After poor initial reception, Capcom modified the game for its North American release. In Japan, the game was rereleased with these changes as Auto Modellista: US Tuned. This version featured American cars such as the Dodge Viper, two new oval tracks, various UI improvements and a new handling model that saw cars accelerate slower and lose more speed in turns.

The US Tuned changes were present in every following release of the game starting with the North American PS2 release in early 2003, evidenced by the new cover art with the Dodge Viper. Many distributors predicted that sales of the game were going to be poor, and generally refused to carry it.

Also in 2003, Auto Modellista received a followup in the form of Group S Challenge for the Xbox, though it lacked any of Auto Modellista's visual style and is generally not considered to be a direct sequel. Capcom has not been involved with driving games since, although it did publish some games based on MotoGP developed by Milestone srl, and included Mega Man Battle & Chase, a racing game based on the Mega Man franchise, in the Mega Man X Collection.

Gameplay

Auto Modellista attempts to be a very technical racing game, with an immense amount of available parts and settings for the selection of cars provided to the player. Various aspects of each car can be tuned, allowing the player to tweak the performance of the car.

In the Garage mode (the main single-player mode), the player is granted the ability to select one of four tire types which affect road grip in regard to the weather conditions on the race track (for example, the "Semi-Slick Tires" provide maximum speed and grip in dry weather, but suffer in rain). Other options include Brakes (which determine braking efficiency), Suspension, Turbines, Mufflers, Computer (determines the car's ability to accept upgrades later in the game), the engine, "Final Gear", and Weight Reduction.

Auto Modellista's customization options also extend to visual enhancements, allowing the player to choose from many different color combinations, hood and spoiler types, plus the ability to add badges, stickers and even create license plates. Engine swaps are also available, for example, the Subaru 360 can have EJ20T in place of its EK32. Swapped engines cannot be re-tuned in the game.

A large aspect of the game was its online mode, with online races supporting up to 8 players. This functionality was not available on the GameCube and European PlayStation 2 versions. The online mode of Auto Modellista has since been discontinued, and can no longer be used in any version of the game.

Development

Auto Modellista was a part of an initiative from Capcom's Production Studio 1 to develop three network focused games on the PlayStation 2. The other games were Monster Hunter and Resident Evil Outbreak. Capcom's plan was that at least one of the games would become a million seller. Both Monster Hunter and Resident Evil Outbreak eventually became million sellers.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GCPS2Xbox
Metacritic62/10066/10052/100
Review scores
PublicationScore
GCPS2Xbox
EdgeN/A4/10N/A
Electronic Gaming MonthlyN/A5.83/10N/A
EurogamerN/A4/10N/A
FamitsuN/A30/40N/A
Game InformerN/A8/107/10
GameProN/AN/A
GameRevolutionN/AB−N/A
GameSpot6.2/106.9/106.8/10
GameSpyN/A
GameZoneN/A8.9/10N/A
IGN5.5/107/105.7/10
Nintendo Power3.7/5N/AN/A
Official U.S. PlayStation MagazineN/AN/A
Official Xbox Magazine (US)N/AN/A5.5/10
Awards
PublicationAward
E3 2002 Game Critics AwardsBest Racing Game
GameSpot E3 2002Best Game, Top Game

The game received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave the PS2 version a score of 30 out of 40.

References

  1. Rough Italian for "car collector".
  2. "Auto Modellista : Original vs US Tuned". YouTube. 渡辺ノキ. 3 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  3. Yin-Poole, Wesley (11 March 2014). "As Monster Hunter turns 10, can Capcom finally make the west listen?". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  4. "Platinum Titles". Capcom Investor Relations. 29 August 2006. Archived from the original on 3 September 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  5. Edge staff (November 2002). "Auto Modellista (PS2)". Edge. No. 116.
  6. EGM staff (June 2003). "Auto Modellista (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 167. p. 131. Archived from the original on 3 June 2004. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  7. Bramwell, Tom (3 December 2002). "Auto Modellista (PS2)". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  8. ^ "プレイステーション2 - アウトモデリスタ". Famitsu. Vol. 915. 30 June 2006. p. 93.
  9. "Auto Modellista (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 122. June 2003. p. 104.
  10. Helgeson, Matt (April 2004). "Auto Modellista (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 132. p. 106. Archived from the original on 24 June 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  11. Four-Eyed Dragon (21 April 2003). "Auto Modellista Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  12. Gee, Brian (19 April 2003). "Auto Modellista Review (PS2)". Game Revolution. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  13. Gerstmann, Jeff (1 December 2003). "Auto Modellista Review (GC)". GameSpot. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  14. Gerstmann, Jeff (1 April 2003). "Auto Modellista Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  15. Gerstmann, Jeff (27 January 2004). "Auto Modellista Review (Xbox)". GameSpot. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  16. Pavlacka, Adam (15 April 2003). "GameSpy: Auto Modellista (PS2)". GameSpy. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  17. Leeper, Justin (7 February 2004). "GameSpy: Auto Modellista (Xbox)". GameSpy. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  18. Bedigian, Louis (6 April 2003). "Auto Modellista - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  19. Rodriguez, Tyrone (16 October 2003). "Auto Modellista Review (GCN)". IGN. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  20. Perry, Douglass C. (28 March 2003). "Auto Modellista (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  21. Rodriguez, Tyrone (27 January 2004). "Auto Modellista Review (Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  22. "Auto Modellista". Nintendo Power. Vol. 173. November 2003. p. 151.
  23. "Auto Modellista". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. June 2003. p. 102.
  24. "Auto Modellista". Official Xbox Magazine. April 2004. p. 80.
  25. ^ "Auto Modellista for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  26. ^ "Auto Modellista for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  27. ^ "Auto Modellista for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 December 2014.

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