In the early 2000s, Capcom set its developers a challenge: develop three new games with a focus on online multiplayer—a relatively new concept on consoles at the time—and make one of them good enough to sell a million copies. Resident Evil Outbreak and Monster Hunter both resulted from this initiative, and sold over a million copies each. But the third game did not fare as well. Auto Modellista was a street racing game with a unique cel-shaded aesthetic that, despite its eye-catching art design, spectacularly failed to make an impact. I bought it, but not many people did, which ultimately sealed its fate as a curio rather than a smash hit. But that was then and this is now. It's time to bring Auto Modellista back.
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I'm gonna come right out and say it: Auto Modellista is not a good driving game. It was by no means terrible, but compared to its contemporaries (Gran Turismo 3, Burnout, Midnight Club) and even previous gen racing games (Ridge Racer Type 4, Colin McRae Rally 2.0, Need For Speed 3: Hot Pursuit), the cars just aren't fun to drive. The handling model is stiff, lifeless, and clunky, which does a disservice to the impressive garage of real licensed cars it has to offer. Not even the retooled driving model in the 'US Tuned' release—which would make the cars accelerate more slowly and lose extra speed at turns—could save it.
That's a lot of negativity for a game I'm A) claiming to love and B) want Capcom to bring back. But I thought I'd shove that elephant out of the room first and spend the rest of the article talking about what's great about Auto Modellista. First up, and most obviously, is the art. It rendered its cars—Mitsubishi Lancers, Nissan
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