Extensive Review Writting

[RoccoNut16v]

Ok, seeing as how this forum is dead by my standards, I thought I might liven it up a bit. A lot of people write reviews for different cars right? But you have to search or ask a lot of questions if you want to know what everybody thinks about a certain car, and lets face it, if you're anything like me, you don't care enough to ask. Well, I think it would be quite cool if we selected a car every TWO days, and everybody wrote a short-long review of it.

It'd be best if you gave your preference (wow that's a lot of e's, can't be right) of drive train. Grading will be on a 0-100 scale (with a textual explaination) on each of the following: looks, handling, acceleration, brakes, and the likeliness of your grandmother to drive it.

IMPORTANT: AFTER ALL OF THOSE SCORES, ADD THEM UP, DIVIDE BY 400, AND MULTIPLY BY 100 TO FIND THE AVG OF THE SCORES, THIS WILL BE USED TO FORM YOUR OVERALL OPPINION OF THE CAR.

Short essay's would be great, though I'm surprised I'm asking for that as long as most reviews I've read have been.

If response to this is fast, maybe we can bump it up to a car a day, dunno.

Up for first review: The Dodge Viper GTS-R

 

[RoccoNut16v]

Alright, first off I'm a FR guy, I'm just a big fan of drifting around corners, even if I'm no pro at it yet. Let's face it, it looks and feels soo cool.

So guess what? You think I'll blast the first car I review, which I put up for review? Nope.

I love this car. 690 HP, 2749 lbs. Coming in right under 4 lbs per hp, it's got one of the best ratio's in the game. "Well, that's a lot of torque RoccoNut," you say. Yes, it is!!!

BODY:

90/100

It's pretty bad a$$. I mean, what's not to like? Aggressive, I mean even the head lights seem to have a blood lust. Long hood makes it look like the cab is being left behind because this car is so quick, which isn't hard to believe. But then the spoiler kills me, what the heck are those tabs on the ends? Women repellers? Maybe it's supposed to keep this car from being perfect.

HANDLING:

80/100

What? It turns? Really though, if you don't tweak this thing, it will eat you alive. There's only 613.3lb-ft at 3500 rpm, that's right, 3500 rpm. You know that's right there where you start out, might just be why she spins so much. This spinning though, gives you an ability to do something fantastic. Spinning...good? Yes, it can be. You know how good it feels to drift sideways squeling your tires and passing your best friend? Very good indeed, and that is what this car lives for. If you try to take a hair pin in it, with the tires stuck to the ground, you need to slow down to about 5mph, and coast. If ya give this little beast a drop of gas, you lose the tires, so give it lots of gas, anticipate and control the slide. I've taken off some points simply because even when mastered, drifting is not THE BEST way to drive, as it's inefficient. It'd be cool if this car was sticky, but then it wouldn't be a Viper. The handling character though, so theres not that big of a subtraction.

ACCELERATION:

90/100

It's D@mn fun, I mean you've got more power than you need. But in the end that's a curse, because most of the power goes into making those cool tire squeeling noises while the vw bug passes you for a couple seconds. (Man is he in for a surprise though)!

BRAKES:

80/100

I just feel like if I am able to do 180, I should be able to stop from 180mph. These brakes do the job if you give them sticky tires and down force, but they leave a lot to be asked for in the corners.

LIKELINESS OF MY GRANDMOTHER TO DRIVE IT:

10/100

Too loud, too fast, too low, and it has a manual transmission, which she's convinced she can't drive anymore. I could see her ridin' in it though .

AVG OF 4 MAJOR SCORES (BODY, HANDLING, ACCELERATION, and BRAKES): 85

Cool car, but the heads up driving kind of kills it after a little while, maybe I just need more practice?

 

[TMM]

I haven't driven any Vipers in GT2 but in GT1 they are certainly fun to drive. I love the fact that you have to concentrate to drive it, that you can't just jump in and away you go at full speed, it's nearly as fun as the Cerberra LM.

I'm not sure about this forum being dead though. OK there's not hundreds of people in here posting lots of threads but then the GT4 & 5 forums feel cramped to me. Every day I go in there are loads of new threads and I can't follow up any of the old threads that I have posted to.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I feel the same: the GT3 and 4 forums are huge...overwhelming. I like GT2 & 1, plus if I start visiting the GT3 & 4 forums, it would be a huge spoiler for me since I don't even own those games yet.

There's already a thread like this btw, but I like this one, it's got a more definite feel. I'm a big car reviews guy. So what are we supposed to do next? You want me to review the Viper? Or am I supposed to choose my own car to write about/?

 

[RoccoNut16v]

Basicly, everybody reviews the same car, using the critera stated above. That way we get a feel of what everybody thinks about the car.

I noticed the other thread, but I like to know why you think it sucks ya know.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

That other thread doesn't suck, I was just saying that this one has more structure to it.

BODY

I'm biased towards the Viper and I agree; besides the fact that it's a true sports car (and not a coupe with 4 seats) it's simply a good-looking car...one of Dodge's best efforts. It was my fave car in GT1. I was never a fan of the prize version though...too heavy. The dealer-bought car in the first game can be lightened down to just over 2,100 lbs. which makes it incredibly agile. In GT2, all the rules are different. The Viper GTS can only be knocked down to 2,881 pounds but can also accept a lot more power. So I'd give it a perfect score here except for the weight.

90/100

ACCELERATION

A stock Viper can get to 60 mph in 5 seconds in the game, and that's without dropping the clutch! The quarter-mile whizzes by in 13 seconds @114 mph and 1 kilometer takes 22.789 @ 152. In my test, the car topped off at just over 190 mph...and this is all before any upgrades are added to the engine. In a pure credit to power comparison, the $75,000 Viper actually comes off as being well-priced. I mean, there's not much to criticize here, is there? The only thing I can think of is: at times there is too much power and the car simply can't handle it...but that's also part of the fun!

95/100

HANDLING

Um. Okay, this is not for those who want an easy win! Yeah the car is fast and stuff but you'll have to master it. This is no 4-wheel drive Skyline or Escudo....this is a snake, after all, and it behaves like one as it slithers thru the corners, biting pavement with snap-neck throttle response. I learned to drift in a Viper quite by accident in GT1. In my opinion, the Viper gets sideways easy but also can be controlled almost as easily, which makes it a great car to learn drifting. It's just not perfect and not for everyone (even some advanced drivers won't touch the Viper I've noticed).

70/100

BRAKES

How many of you have tried for a gold medal in IB-10? Enough said. In racing situations the brake controller is highly recommended. I'd recommend brakes and suspension work on this car long before I'd recommend engine upgrades!

65/100

LIKELINESS OF MY GRANDMA BEHIND THE WHEEL

Basically, my grandma wouldn't feel comfortable behind the wheel of a Demio!

0/100

TOTAL: 80

 

[Pupik]

The "Rate A Car" thread is fairly good if people actually give more than a numerical representation for rating the car.

I usually give a little run-down on what I like and dislike about the car. But some people just kill these types of car reviews because it's not eligble for the GT500 series, or on the basis of it having less inital power than an R34.

About half the ratings are helpful, a lot are three-word answers, and the rest don't actually have a rating (I dunno...never drove it!) that means nothing.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Plus, not everyone is into writing long essays on cars. Not all of us are novelists. But I agree, if someone just goes: 2/100 Lame. Next car: then it kinda loses steam. We all have an opinion, after all.

 

[TMM]

Plus, not everyone is into writing long essays on cars. Not all of us are novelists. But i agree, if someone just goes: 2/100 Lame. Next car: then it kinda loses steam. We all have an opinion, after all.

I agree.

BODY

I like the look of this car, both in GT1, GT2 and real life. It has a fast appearance, like it's waiting to go somewhere and with the long bonnet it looks like some of the historic cars before in-line engines were born.

95/100

ACCELERATION

Yes it can!!! In first gear off the line with plenty of revs the rear tires are burning so much that you blind the cars behind you. Not really good for a racing start but very spectacular and probably a crowd pleaser. It is difficult to get this car off the line without burning the tires, if you are using a manual gearbox then you can select 2nd or 3rd, otherwise try not to rev to fast when the countdown stops. Also when driving through or away from corners, if the car isn't heading in a straight line then you can spin, so a little caution is needed to get the best from the car. However heading down a straight and hitting the red line in 7th gear, knowing that the engine is giving as much as it can as you speed towards a bend or a braking point hopefully, must be one of life's pleasures and hearing the engine ticking over can bring a smile to many a grown mans face.

99/100

HANDLING

Yes this car is a handful and should not be for the faint hearted. As described before this car is a snake and slithers it's way round corners, great for drifting but maybe not for slicing that 1000th of a second off a lap time.

75/100

BRAKES

Does it? Also mentioned before, brake controller and suspension is a must before any engines mods.

50/100

LIKELINESS OF MY GRANDMA BEHIND THE WHEEL

She doesn't drive and she's over 90!!!!????

0/100

TOTAL: 79.75

I'm surprised, I thought it would be higher than that.