Fast & the Furious: too little, too late

You can check out the offending press release, after the break.
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS™
FOR THE PSP®SYSTEM DRIVES HOME NEW FEATURES
NAMCO BANDAI Games Brings
Edge Of Your Seat Portable, Drift Racing On The PSP® System
SANTA CLARA, CALIF., (April 11, 2007) – Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that its newest racing title, The Fast & the Furious™ has new features for the
PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. The video game is developed through a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products. The Fast & the Furious on the PSP® System will allow players to feel an unparalleled sense of power as they drift race their way through beautiful visuals and new modes exclusive to the PSP® System. Wirelessly trade your customized rides in the Swap Meet, tune your car and give it an oil change in the Tuner Shop for a temporary performance boost, challenge up to 3 friends in multiplayer drift battles in the Road Sweeper mode or visit the Extras menu to view tricked out rides from the movie and real world.
The Fast & the Furious for the PSP system follows on the red hot heels of last year's hit PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system game. The game introduces ground breaking racing gameplay, making drift racing accessible to both beginning and veteran game drivers alike. Here's what car enthusiast and gaming magazines had to say:
"Realistic grip and nitrous-fueled sprints add impact as you screech through neon-lit city streets and down darkened mountainsides." Super Street, October 2006.
"...a metric ton of ways to pimp out your ride, and a few nods to the three films upon which it's based." Electronic Gaming Monthly, November 2006.
Inspired by last year's hit film, The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the game places the underground world of drift racing into the players' hands. Gameplay features a unique drifting mechanic that allows beginning players to enjoy the game, while giving veteran racers a chance to try out more complex techniques. Players will be able to race in over 100 JDM Tuner, Classic Muscle, and Concept cars with over 300 body kits from real JDM companies. See the action from cinematic camera angles straight from the movie as players encounter boss battles across gorgeously rendered city streets.
Exclusive PSP system Features:
· Swap Meet - Gamers have the chance to show off their creative side by using the PSP system wireless connectivity option to trick out a ride and send it to other players via "Swap Meet" to use in non-career game mode.
· Road Sweeper - Putting drift racing skills to the test, up to four players can be challenged in this feature where the aim is to tag as many highlighted corners as possible using drifting maneuvers. The more complex and varied the techniques are, the more points added to the overall score. The player with the most tags (or drift points if there is a tie) wins at the end of the race.
· Oil Change - No car runs well without oil, so to increase performance, The Tuner Shops will offer a multi-grade oil change as a purchasable item. By purchasing the oil, the player's speed and performance will be temporarily enhanced upon returning to the HUB.
· Extras - Fast & Furious fanatics will get a special treat in the "Extras" section that will feature an unlocked selection containing images of both the movie and real world cars.
Rated T for teen, The Fast & the Furious has a suggested retail price of $29.99.
For more information on The Fast & the Furious, visit www.namcobandaigames.com









Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
G1orkatsos @ Apr 12th 2007 8:34AM
Personally i dont give a sh*t about the extras...
That's why i loved nfs:cabon on the psp, because it was not a port but a different game...
txa1265 @ Apr 12th 2007 11:12AM
Perhaps at $19.99, like they did with The Warriors (still love that one!) this would be more reasonable ... but as it stands it is fodder for the over-priced PS2 port argument.
Jason @ Apr 13th 2007 4:37PM
NFS Carbon was a horrible game. The track would randomly disappear whenever it wanted leaving only the bitmapped background. You'd then slam in to walls like crazy and the Mario Kart style opponents would catch up to you instantly.
Incog Inc. @ Apr 12th 2007 1:45PM
The funny in this story is, that the Fast & The Furious game was announced like 4-5 years ago by Vivendi. It took so much time and a publisher change to finish such a turd. Simply ridiculous how some publishers waste money so stupidly.
jell-o @ Apr 12th 2007 2:27PM
well the ps2 version sucked like hell like you start with a fully pimped engine and it takes hours to get up to 100 kph so with this start the game sucks and if they want to make a psp version it beter be mor erealistic and fun to play or it will sink in the toilet
daniel @ Apr 12th 2007 5:06PM
if i like gta VCS for the psp, will i like Warriors.