| GT Advance 2: Rally Racing | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | MTO[1] |
| Publisher(s) | THQ |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E[2] |
GT Advance 2: Rally Racing (known as Advance Rally in Japan[2]) is a rally racing game developed by MTO and published by THQ for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan on December 7, 2001, in Europe on June 28, 2002, and in North America on June 30, 2002.[2] It is the sequel to GT Advance Championship Racing.
Contents |
GT Advance 2: Rally Racing is a racing game and the cars and environments hold true to a rally racing format.[3] The game contains fifteen cars from Japanese companies such as Subaru, Suzuki, and Mitsubishi. Upgrades are not available for the cars, but it is possible to fine-tune them to fit personal preference.[3]
The game has several different modes. The main part of the game, "world rally", moves the player through fourteen courses found in various locations in the world.[3] The game also has a head-to-head mode against a friend with a system link, 15 different license tests that familiarize the player with the controls of the game, a time trial mode, a single race mode, a practice mode, and a navigator mode, in which the player directs the driver of the car through button and d-pad presses instead of driving themselves.[3]
The game includes a major enhancement in the save system from the previous installment. In GT Advance Championship Racing, as a cost-saving measure, the battery RAM was pulled from the game and was replaced with a password (video games) system instead of the one included in the Japanese version of the game. Critics cited this as the chief problem with the North American release of the game.[4][5] GT Advance 2: Rally Racing addressed the problem by putting the normal save system back in, garnering the game higher scores than its predecessor.
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 77%[6] |
| Metacritic | 77%[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7/10[8] |
| GamePro | 3.5/5[8] |
| GameSpot | 8.1/10[3] |
| GameSpy | 80/100[9] |
| IGN | 8.4/10[10] |
| Nintendo Power | 4/5[8] |
GT Advance 2: Rally Racing garnered more critical acclaim than its predecessor mostly thanks to the re-insertion of the save system. GameSpot gave the game an 8.1 out of 10, .8 points higher than the previous installment of the game.[3] IGN rated the game an 8.4 out of 10, citing the improved save system, and said, "It's a very good thing THQ learns from its past mistakes."[10] GameSpy gave the game an 80 out of 100, reporting, "GT Advance 2 will keep you entertained for quite some time." GameSpy also brought out the refreshing realism aspect of the weather conditions that pop up from time to time in the game and require the player to tune their car before a race. "It's a nice little feature that adds a measure of depth to the arcade-racing experience, and yet is simple enough for anyone to understand."[9]