Auto Modellista (Game)

Auto Modellista

GAME » on December 6, 2002

GameCube (Platform)PlayStation 2 (Platform)Xbox (Platform)

Auto Modellista is a cel-shaded, self-titled "driving simulator" by Capcom.

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Overview

Japanese/PAL box art

Auto Modellista (Italian for "car designer") is a racing "simulator" published by Capcom (Company) and developed internally at Capcom's Production Studio 1. Its cel-shaded graphics helped separate the game from the rest of the racing genre competition, though it suffered from its ambitiousness. It released in Japan on the PlayStation 2 (Platform) on August 22nd, 2002 and arrived in PAL territories on December 6th, 2002. Upon its release in Europe and Japan, the game was heavily criticized for featuring poor driving mechanics. It consequentially sold considerably under expectations.

March 2003 saw the release of Auto Modellista in North America, dubbed internally as the "US Tuned" version. This version saw Capcom add a host of American car manufacturers and fix some of the game's core aspects from the JP/EU version. Unfortunately, the sub-par driving physics remained present and was released in North America to critical and commercial failure. The US Tuned version would be ported as a GameCube and Xbox game, with the latter due for release in Europe on April 2004, but distributors eventually decided not to honour, predicting sales of the game were going to be poor.

Gameplay

Auto Modellista is, according to Capcom, a racing simulator. While they originally promised to use "real world physics" to accurately simulate each car's handling, the end result is a poorly conceived driving engine that will throw the car into oversteer at the slightest steering adjustment regardless of the selected car. Although players can use these physics to exploit longer corners, it causes cars to become incredibly unstable at high speeds and would frequently cause the player to spin out 180º in any tight corner. Getting back on track then becomes a problem of its own, as the sensitive physics causes the car to spin out when re-starting from a neutral position. The car will spin in endless 360º circles unless they completely let go of the accelerator, which has the chance to re-start the spin-outs once again. With no retry option in the pause menu, the many handling issues made the game far more frustrating than it could have been.

The limited amount of tracks, lack of variety in car selection, and unbearably complicated online matchmaking system were also noticeable faults.

One of the game's few redeeming qualities, however, is the complete lack of currency. Upon starting a new game, the player can pick any car in the list (opponent vehicles will match the user's car class) and you can instantly equip any available upgrades to a car as soon as they unlock. Certain cars and parts were locked as unlockables for completing events. This made experimenting with different car classes and setups a lot easier than any other racing simulator.

A large aspect of the game was its online mode, with online races supporting up to 8 players and a chat room available between races. This functionality (and many of the game modes relating to it) were removed from the original US and European releases, but was added back into the US Tuned editions of the game. The online mode of Auto Modellista has been terminated, and cannot be used in any versions of the game.

Game Modes

Garage Life

This is the main gameplay mode in Auto Modellista. It is shaped like a career mode, though is devoid of any story or ultimate goal. Players start out by naming their garage and selecting a car. From there, the player names the car and types in a license plate. The game then presents the game's main menu, presented as follows:

Change Cars

Where you'll go to switch cars at any time. The game uses a "Sub Garage" system, which acts as slots for your different cars. Since there is no currency or class restrictions in the game, you're free to race with whichever automobile you wish.

Tune Car

Where you can upgrade your currently selected car. Any upgrades unlocked can instantly be equipped without need of purchasing them like in other racing titles. There are host of options in the Tune Car menu:

Easy Tune-Up: This is a "beginner's" way of tuning their car. The game asks you a series of questions to decide which tuning setup would be best suitable for you. It will ask which track you will be racing on, if you want a higher focus on acceleration or maximum speed, and if you would like your steering to handle more tightly or loosely.
Tune-Up: This is the more advanced option to upgrade your car. This option will allow you to change your tires, brakes, suspension, turbo, exhaust, CPU, engine, and transmission settings. Each option can be fine tuned. When selecting an option other than the default option.
Dress-Up: Here is where you can upgrade your car's appearance. You can change its body design (generally gives the option of racing stripes or not), parts like the car's hood, mirrors, front and back bumper, side skirts, spoiler, rims and headlights, it's paintjob, decals, and license plate.
Test Run: This allows you to test your car's current setup on any of the game's tracks.
Garage Design

Where you can change the appearance of the garage. In the Garage Life menu, the background is displayed as the inside of a garage housing your car. The garage itself is fully customizable with a wide variety of objects and posters that can be unlocked in races. For a complete list of Garage Design unlocks, refer to the list at the far-bottom of the page. In the Garage Design menu, you can rename your garage, change the type (Between a regular garage, concrete-walled garage and a log cabin garage) and change the layout of items within the garage.

===Sub Garage===

Here is where you can manage cars stored in your sub garages. You are given the option to delete them, copy them to other slots or store them in the current slot you're using.

Race

This is the game's main mode. You'll be dropped into a menu where you select from different tier-like "Levels" to race in. Levels will have playlists of tracks to compete in with each event having it's own reward, difficulty rating, and style. Certain races will be Technical stages (tight corners, narrow roads, and focusing heavily on racing lines) while others will be High Speed stages (long stretches of road, wide and long corners). You'll race in a variety of environments and track styles. Certain tracks will be closed circuit tracks like the famous Suzuka Circuit in Japan, others will be uphill/downhill races (otherwise known as 'touge' races) or highway circuits.

Status

A menu to view statistics and progress of your current game.

Auto Modellista Shop

This option is locked from the beginning of the game. Once you progress further into the game, you gain access to the Auto Modellista shop. This allows you to replace the engine of one car with another from within the same manufacturer. i.e.: Transposing a Toyota Supra RZ engine into a Trueno GT APEX, giving the Trueno a 276HP engine.

Mail

Where you get to read all of the absolutely useless e-mail that is sent to you throughout the course of the game. Anything explained through these e-mails can be found within the game manual. "Driving tips" are given here but, due to the game's handling physics, are basically purposeless.

===Save===

Arcade Mode

This is where players can go for a quick race. You're able to race in a single race mode against computer opponents, split-screen against a friend or in Time Attack mode against the clock.

V.J. Theatre

Where players can go to view saved replays or "Remix" their own replays. You can use the game's built-in video editor to splice in footage, building a music video of sorts.

Network

This is the game's multiplayer component. Auto Modellista can be played online (on the PS2 or Xbox) through Xbox Live or, on PS2, the S.N.A.P. application. The SNAP interface acted as a fake web-browser, requiring registration and other inconveniences to access online play.

Options

Here is where you can change the control scheme for the game, set different options for audio and display settings as well as view your high scores.

Save/Load

You are given the privilege to save and load your game here.

Track List

Track Name	Description	Difficulty	Directions	Track Length
Rokko Hill	Mountain-side touge track. It features a series of sharp turns and chicanes.	4/5	Uphill and Downhill	2.3 miles
Akagi Hill	Mountain-side touge track. It features a series of sharp turns and chicanes with a few stretches of open road.	5/5	Uphill and Downhill	3.5 miles
Suzuka Circuit	The world-famous race track in Suzuka, Japan.	3/5	Forward	3.6 miles
Osaka Highway	A very simple, closed-circuit highway track. It contains extremely long stretches of road connecting into long, stretching corners.	1/5	Forward and Reverse	3.1 miles
West Tokyo	A slightly more technical closed-circuit track on city streets.	2/5	Forward and Reverse	2.2 miles
East Tokyo (Day)	A fairly technical closed circuit track on city streets. It features long stretches of road leading into sharp corners, so quick thinking is required.	2/5	Forward and Reverse	1.7 miles
East Tokyo (Rain)	The same track mentioned above, only with rain effects. This affects handling.	3/5	Forward and Reverse	1.7 miles
US Dirt Track	A completely standard oval track with a dirt surface.	2/5	Forward	0.8 miles
US Speedway	An oval track on a closed circuit.	1/5	Forward	1.5 miles
Tamiya Kagekawa Circuit	This track is LOCKED from the beginning. It is a remote-controlled car track.	???	???	???

Car List (*cars found only in US-Tuned)

Manufacturer	Model	Class	Horsepower	Layout	Acceleration	Handling	Max Speed
Acura	Integra*	B	190HP	FF	2.5 / 5	3 / 5	2 / 5
Chevrolet	Camaro Z28*	A	325HP	FR	3.5 / 5	3 / 5	4 / 5
* Chevrolet	Corvette*	A	350HP	FR	3.5 / 5	3 / 5	4 / 5
Ford	Mustang GT*	A	260HP	FR	3.5 / 5	3 / 5	3.5 / 5
* Ford	GT-40* (LOCKED)	???	???	???	???	???	???
Dodge	Viper GTS*	A	450HP	FR	5 / 5	3 / 5	5 / 5
Hyundai	Tiburon GT V6*	B	173HP	FF	3 / 3	3 / 3	2 / 5
* Hyundai	LOCKED	???	???	???	???	???	???
Toyota	Supra RZ	A	276HP	FR	4 / 5	3.5 / 5	5 / 5
* Toyota	MR2 GT-S	B	242HP	RMR	2.5 / 5	3 / 5	2 / 5
* Toyota (Lexus)	IS 200	B	207HP	FR	2.5 / 5	3 / 5	3 / 5
* Toyota	Celica GTS	B	187HP	FF	2 / 5	4 / 5	2 / 5
* Toyota	2000GT (LOCKED)	???	???	???	???	???	???
* Toyota	MR2 Spyder	C	138HP	RMR	3 / 5	2 / 5	2 / 5
* Toyota	Levin 1600GT APEX	C	128HP	FR	1.5 / 5	2 / 5	2 / 5
* Toyota	Trueno GT APEX	C	128HP	FR	1.5 / 5	2 / 5	2 / 5
* Toyota	LOCKED	???	???	???	???	???	???
* Toyota	Vitz RS	C	108HP	FF	2 / 5	2 / 5	2 / 5
* Toyota	Sports 800	C	44HP	FR	1 / 5	1 / 5	1 / 5
Nissan	Skyline GT-R Vspec II R34	A	276HP	F4WD	3.5 / 5	2 / 5	4 / 5
* Nissan	Skyline GT-R Vspec	A	276HP	F4WD	3.5 / 5	3 / 5	4 / 5
* Nissan	Skyline GT-R Vspec II	A	276HP	F4WD	3.5 / 5	2 / 5	4 / 5
* Nissan	350Z	A	276HP	FR	3 / 5	3 / 5	5 / 5
* Nissan	300ZX Twin Turbo	A	276HP	FR	3.5 / 5	3.5 / 5	4 / 5
* Nissan	Silvia Spec-R	B	247HP	FR	3.5 / 5	3.5 / 5	3 / 5
* Nissan	Silvia K's	B	202HP	FR	3 / 5	3 / 5	3 / 5
* Nissan	240SX SE	B	155HP	FR	3 / 5	3 / 5	3 / 5
* Nissan	Skyline RS-X	B	202HP	FR	2.5 / 5	2 / 5	3 / 5
* Nissan	LOCKED	???	???	???	???	???	???
* Nissan	LOCKED	???	???	???	???	???	???
* Nissan	LOCKED	???	???	???	???	???	???
Honda	NSX typeS Zero	A	276HP	RMR	4 / 5	4 / 5	5 / 5
* Honda	S2000 typeV	B	276HP	FR	3.5 / 5	3.5 / 5	3 / 5
* Honda	Integra Type-R	B	217HP	FF	2 / 5	3 / 5	2.5 / 5
* Honda	Civic Type-R	B	212HP	FF	2 / 5	4 / 5	3 / 5
* Honda	Intergra Type-R DC2	B	197HP	FF	2.5 / 5	3 / 5	2 / 5
* Honda	Civic Type-R EK9	B	182HP	FF	3 / 5	4 / 5	2 / 5
* Honda	Civic SiR-II	B	168HP	FF	2.5 / 5	4 / 5	2 / 5
* Honda	CR-X SiR	B	158HP	FF	3 / 5	3 / 5	2 / 5
* Honda	Civic Si	C	133HP	FF	2.5 / 5	4 / 5	2 / 5
* Honda	LOCKED	???	???	???	???	???	???
* Honda	BEAT	C	63HP	RMR	1 / 5	3 / 5	1 / 5
Mazda	RX-7 FD	A	276HP	FR	3.5 / 5	3 / 5	4 / 5
* Mazda	RX-8	B	247HP	FR	5 / 5	2 / 5	4 / 5
* Mazda	RX-7 FC	B	202HP	FR	3 / 5	3 / 5	3 / 5
* Mazda	RX-7 SA22C	B	163HP	FR	3 / 5	2 / 5	2 / 5
* Mazda	Miata MX-5	B	158HP	FR	2 / 5	3 / 5	3 / 5
* Mazda	LOCKED	???	???	???	???	???	???
* Mazda	Miata MX-5 NA	C	118HP	FR	2.5 / 5	3 / 5	2 / 5
* Mazda	6	B	176HP	FF	3 / 5	4 / 5	3.5 / 5
* Mazda	LOCKED	???	???	???	???	???	???
Mitsubishi	Lancer Evolution VII GSR	A	276HP	F4WD	4.5 / 5	3.5 / 5	3.5 / 5
* Mitsubishi	Lancer Evolution VI - Tommi Makkinen Edition	A	276HP	F4WD	4.5 / 5	3.5 / 5	3.5 / 5
* Mitsubishi	Lancer Evolution III GSR	A	276HP	F4WD	4 / 5	3.5 / 5	3.5 / 5
* Mitsubishi	LOCKED	???	???	???	???	???	???
* Mitsubishi	GTO	A	276HP	F4WD	5 / 5	4 / 5	5 / 5
Subaru	Impreza WRX STi	A	276HP	F4WD	3.5 / 5	4 / 5	3.5 / 5
* Subaru	Impreza 22B STi Version	A	276HP	F4WD	4 / 5	4 / 5	3.5 / 5
* Subaru	Young SS	C	35HP	RR	1 / 5	1 / 5	1 / 5
Daihatsu	Copen	C	63HP	FF	1 / 5	3 / 5	1 / 5
* Daihatsu	MOVE Aero Down Custom	C	63HP	F4WD	1 / 5	3 / 5	1 / 5
* Daihatsu	Mira TR XK Avanzato-R	C	63HP	FF	1.5 / 5	4 / 5	1 / 5
Suzuki	Cappucino	C	63HP	FR	1.5 / 5	3 / 5	1.5 / 5
* Suzuki	Alto WORKS RS/X	C	63HP	FR	1 / 5	3 / 5	1 / 5
Tommykaira	ZZ-S	B	197HP	RMR	2 / 5	3 / 5	3.5 / 5

Garage Life garage customization unlocks

Posters

Gulf Oil Poster
Snap-on Poster
TOMY Poster
elf Poster
Bridgestone Poster B
DUNLOP Poster
ADVAN Poster
ENKEI Poster
OZ Poster
WORK Poster
SSR Poster
Watanabe Poster
RAYS Poster
RECARO Poster
FALKEN Poster
TAMIYA Poster
Steering Wheel A
Steering Wheel B
Steering Wheel C
Castrol Retro Poster A
Castrol Retro Poster B
Castrol Retro Sign
Michelin Retro Poster A
Michelin Retro Poster B
Michelin Retro Poster C
Michelin Retro Poster D
Michelin Retro Poster E
Michelin Retro Poster F
Michelin Retro Poster G
Michelin Retro Poster H
Michelin Retro Poster I
Michelin Retro Sign A
Michelin Retro Sign B
Michelin Retro Sign C
Auto Modellista Poster B
Auto Modellista Poster C
Auto Modellista Poster D
Auto Modellista Sign
ALPINE Poster
Snap-on Metal Sign A
Snap-on Metal Sign B
Snap-on Metal Sign C
Snap-on Metal Sign D
Snap-on Metal Sign E
Snap-on Small Frisbee
Dunlop Retro Poster A
Dunlop Retro Poster B
Dunlop Retro Poster C
Dunlop Retro Sign A
Dunlop Retro Sign B
Dunlop Retro Sign C

Floor Items

Triple Shelf
Battery
Gas Tank
Snap-on Hydraulic Jack
Triple Shelf - Small
Horizontal Tire Stand
Snap-on Top Chest A
Drum Can
Mountain Bike A
Mountain Bike B
RECARO Seat
Radio
Stereo
Surfboard
Director's Chair
Dolly
Weight Training Set
Snap-on Seat Creeper
Portable Air Compressor
Tool Roll Cab B
Snap-on Battery Charger
Steel Cart
Parts Washer
Snap-on Blast Cabinet
Air Compressor
Snap-on Roll Cart
Snap-on Parts Washer
Snap-on Modular Workbench
Snap-on Top Chest B
Snap-on Top Chest C
Snap-on Roll Cab B
Snap-on Adjustable Creeper
Snap-on Metal Box
Snap-on Waste Oil Drain
Bibendum Figure S
Bibendum Figure L
Servbot Figure A
Servbot Figure B
Full-face Helmet
Rally Helmet
Racing Gloves
Wooden Triple Shelf
Wooden Triple Box Shelf
Low Board
Castrol Retro Oil Tank L
Castrol Retro Oil Tank M
Castrol Retro Oil Tank S
Castrol Retro Oil Can A
Castrol Retro Oil Can B
Castrol Retro Oil Can C
Castrol Retro Oil Can D
Castrol Retro Oil Can E
Castrol Handy Oil Can
Pennzoil Oil Can B
Pennzoil Oil Can C
Gulf Oil Can B
Gulf Oil Can C
elf Oil Can B
elf Oil Can C
elf Oil Can D
Dunlop Retro Oil Can
Large Championship Plaque
Small Championship Plaque
Gorgeous Trophy
Large Trophy
Small Trophy
Large Championship Cup
Small Championship Cup
Special Championship Plaque
Special Trophy
Special Championship Cup

Trivia

In the PAL and American version, although the cars are the same as found in the original Japanese version (aside from the cars added to the US-Tuned version), the names of certain car models were change to their respective names as sold in the European/American market.
In Garage Life, the player is given the ability to add stickers to their cars. Several of these stickers feature famous capcom characters and game series, such as Street Fighter and Devil May Cry.

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