"Bad artists copy. Great artists steal." -Pablo Picasso

After a handful of mediocre to terrible games made under the Ford name, Razorworks had a chance to redeem the series. Make some "bold moves," as it were. But, the game has none of that--in fact, it even omits the "bold moves" tagline in-game. Whether that's due to the relative newness of the campaign or a product that had been rushed due to time and/or budget constraints, the world may never know.

Outside of the rather minor problems with ad copy, the rest of the game suffers from a myriad of problems that lie under its pretty exterior. Car models are nearly next-gen in quality, with cities that look acceptable for the small time you take to look at them. Sadly, the faux "next gen" effects are in full force here, as Razorworks has turned up the bloom lighting to points wherein ocular oncology starts to become a crucial sidetrack in my critical career.

The gameplay fares just a little better. Although automobiles are slow to move, slow to turn, and slow to make any sort of realistic adjustments, the tracks are forgiving enough to allow that. That's not really a compliment, I guess, but the racing action is just below average. Then...you get into the team racing aspect.

Yes, team racing. A concept that's barely new to the genre, having found popularity in NASCAR games recently. You have to finish first, as per usual, but your teammates count too. If you finish first and your teammate last, it goes against the reasoning for teamwork. So, with the tap of a couple of buttons you can influence the team and switch control from car to car. It's a solid concept that works fairly well, if not for the AI.

Poor AI, thine name is pain. With a penchant for something between rubberbanding and just plain dumb driving, the AI is oftimes infuriating. This goes doubly so for your AI teammates. Every race becomes a headache of babysitting the AI who always lets off of the gas too early and runs at a pace that makes his predestination sixth place. Of course, they're also perfect at cornering, so a quick switch between cars can create a situation wherein both cars are horrifically fast on the straightaways, but perfect on the curves: an unbeatable combination.

By this point, you're probably wondering what the significance of the leading quote is. Razorworks has essentially cobbled together some of the more notable parts of the most famous racing games to make Ford Street Racing: the unforgiving nature of Gran Turismo (plus a few notches of difficulty due to the wonky physics), the styling of Project Gotham Racing, and the team racing dynamic that's become a standard in NASCAR games. Because of this, Ford Street Racing looks like a AAA game, has the features of a AAA game, but plays like a budget title that doesn't know its audience. With a little more time put into AI and physics, Ford Street Racing could easily be a game worth $30-$40. At its current pricepoint, especially given that so many of the greatest racing games this gen are nearing $20 anyway, it's a hard pill to swallow.