Game Review - by StormDaemon
For all the racing simulator fans out there, be prepared from Viper Racing, a new racing game from Sierra Sports that truly takes the cake from the rest of the games out there with incredible 3D graphics, an awesome physics engine, great control, lots of detail, and its just simply a lot of fun to play. You'll be able to customize your car from the paint job to the drivetrain and much much more. The racing itself is very competitive with good opponents who don't like to lose.

Features:
Viper Racing has a lot of features, which make this game great. The 3D graphics engine is one of the best parts, and so is the physics engine, which really does an awesome of recreating the feel of racing. The graphics are adjustable and can have a great amount of detail, which most things that are at a race in each of the tracks. The cars are detailed and can be adjusted a great amount, giving the game a lot of strength because most of the things can be modified, including paint job, drivetrain, shocks, spoilers, and much much more. The physics engine is just as good and maybe even better because it recreates the feel of racing. From spinning out to the effects of a damaged car, the car reacts as it should, even if you do use the wheelie cheat, which makes the flip in the air. One of the best parts of the engine is the inclusion of a clutch, which I have never seen in a racing game before and makes the level of detail fantastic. The sounds are just as detailed and accompany all of the effects, making the game feel even more realistic, and the number of tracks is 8, making for a interesting mix of racing areas.

Gameplay:
Playing this game is a lot of fun because of all the detail and effects. From the beginning, it was easy to play, but very complex with the sophisticated engines that made the game spin circles around most other racing games. The first detail that I noticed was the clutch, which I have never seen before in a game and really adds a great deal to the level of realism present, which even without the clutch would still be pretty good. The graphics was the next thing I noticed, and I was very impressed. The tracks are huge and because of the engine, you can drive just about anywhere, offroad or onroad. The physics engine made playing a little difficult at times because I wasn't used to the car reacting as real as it did, but after a while, you'll be able to race like the pros. Crashing into things was just about as much as racing because you can see the car get all smashed up, and that will affect the way the car drives. If you get a flat, then the car will pull toward that direction and make it rather difficult to race. If you do a wheelie, be careful because landing on the top of the car also makes it difficult to race, but you still can see the tires move and turn, which is really cool.

Customization is also a big part of the game, and once in the garage, you can fine tune many things including the suspension, drivetrain, aerodynamics, tires, and the paint job. All of those will affect your car and will noticeable when racing if you change something enough. If you really want to race and be the best, then you'll need to customize your car because the other cars are not pushovers at all.

Graphics:
The graphics of Viper Racing are awesome, with really good 3D accelerator affects that surpass many other racing games. All sorts of different special effects were used, from transparent windows to smoke, and much more. Everything is in 3D just about with nice textures on them, and since everything is in 3D, you can drive on or off the track, which is a lot of fun and not too common in racing games.

While driving, you'll be able to see smoke from the tires and rubber s left on the ground from taking turns a little to tight or braking too quickly. The windows on the viper are somewhat transparent, and you can see the driver inside, which is very cool. The graphics can also be slightly customized in that the paint job of the viper can be changed, and you can even design your own for the car.

The detail present within the game is great, and everything you'd expect to be on a track, except for people wandering around, is present. You can drive around and crash into huge trucks if you want, which brings up another point, the damage detail. If the damage is turned on, you can see so much damage happen to car, and it will even affect the car's driving if it is enough. Sometimes the tire will even go flat, but that usually takes a good amount of damage. The rest of the car can get completely banged up, but after a while, it won't be able to move or anything.

Sound FX:
The sounds were pretty good, with all of the effects that go with driving present, such as squealing of the tires and the roar of the engine. The other cars make sounds too, and if you happen to hit one, or anything else for that matter, you'll hear the crunch of steal as your car takes on all that damage. Though the sounds aren't particularly thunderous, they are still rather good and will satisfy anyone who wants a good level of realism, because the graphics and gameplay will take their attention away from the sounds.

Overall:
Overall, Viper Racing is a good racing simulator that presents a great graphics engine, a great physics engine, good sounds, and really fun racing. The ability to drive just about anywhere is a lot of fun and very refreshing because most games just confine you to the track. The rest of the benefits from the awesome 3D world is the great damage detail and the awesome physics, both of which will make you feel like you are almost driving a Viper. The bottom line is that game is recommended for anyone that even remotely likes racing games, or even Vipers for that matter.