Street Racing Syndicate on the other hand, takes that same Tokyo Xtreme formula and improves on it in almost every way, and then puts it all in one very solid racing package. That is not particularly a bad thing, because the Tokyo Xtreme series had some truly groundbreaking features for its time, it’s just that the execution and presentation were off.

And by closer, I mean that many aspects are nearly identical. While the comparisons to Need For Speed: Underground are inescapable, Street Racing Syndicate’s gameplay is really closer to that of Crave’s Tokyo Xtreme Racer series of titles, which have been kicking around since the Dreamcast days. As it stands however, Street Racing Syndicate is coming up against some very strong competition in the likes of Burnout 3: Takedown and Need For Speed: Underground 2, and it just can’t cut the mustard against those two powerhouses. It’s a shame, because had Street Racing Syndicate been released a year ago, the press would have been all over it. Now, just over a year after Namco took over, and nearly two years after its initially scheduled release date, we finally see Street Racing Syndicate hitting the shelves – a game that while technically solid and wonderfully deep, is no longer all that unique in the sea of racing games, street or otherwise. There was little-to-no news from the Street Racing Syndicate camp for nearly six months, where it was presented at this year’s E3 – but by then, the excitement was already gone – the public having already seen their fill of Fast and Furious styled street racing many months before in EA’s blockbuster hit Need For Speed: Underground.

The quick release did not arrive – which came as no surprise – Namco was probably too busy trying to figure out how to keep afloat after the dreary release of Evolution. Namco quickly snagged the title and promised a quick release – a risky maneuver at the time considering Namco already had R: Racing Evolution waiting in the wings. Street Racing Syndicate was on the cusp of release – a guaranteed hit – when it’s publisher, 3DO, suddenly declared bankruptcy and collapsed.Īll was on hold until Street Racing Syndicate was eventually auctioned off in the 3DO bankruptcy. Its unique and fresh street racing features were highly publicized in the press, and highly anticipated by the gaming community.

Sadly, that’s not the real case here, as Street Racing Syndicate had been in development for quite some time prior to the release of Underground.

When examining Street Racing Syndicate, it’s nigh impossible to avoid drawing comparisons to EA’s Need For Speed: Underground since from a distance, many aspects of Street Racing Syndicate appear to mimic last year’s Underground epic.

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