Smash Cars is a pretty basic game when it comes to the design. Just like their real-world counterparts, the game’s vehicles can race, jump and tumble around the track, all with a very squirrelly, almost uncontrollable, feel to them. For fans of racing sims, the handling for the RC racers can be tough to come to grips with, since these little plastic buggers are too light to maintain a real grip on hard surfaces and tend to oversteer in just about any sharp turn. When playing Smash Cars, expect to spend a lot of time getting the handbrake wired, as it’s your only hope of making it through some of the tighter turns.

The RC racers in the game have a turbo boost, which can be useful when you inevitably fall behind the rest of the racers, but once you kick in the turbo, expect to learn to meaning of "uncontrollable." And with just about any tap sending you spinning out of control, you’ll frequently be frustrated in your attempts to catch up with the pack. Along with the boost, there’s a so-called trick system that allows you to flip and roll the car in the air to earn a few extra points. The problem is, the trick system is too basic and too flaky to really add anything to the game.

The AI racers are quite vicious, and unfortunately they’re also a little too good. While you’ll be swearing and screaming as your car bounces off of every rock or misses a tight turn, you’ll be yelling just as loud at the unwavering AI that somehow never does likewise. The AI also never fails to successfully clear a jump, and it somehow manages to never skip a shortcut. After playing solo for a while, you’ll probably end up grabbing a buddy for some multiplayer gaming. That way you’ll at least stand a chance against the competition.

While graphically they aren’t eye-popping, the cars and tracks are fun to look at with their bright colors and interesting details (like the UFO flying through the Roswell-inspired track). All 13 vehicles are designed to look like a 13-year-old boy went nuts with a kit of spare parts and a box of decals. That’s not to say the cars are ugly, though; they’re actually a lot of fun to look at, and you can even see the suspension springs bouncing after a massive jump.

Outside of the sewing machine-inspired buzz of the engines and the 80’s arcade soundtrack, there’s just not that much to the audio in Smash Cars. The soundtrack changes on a per-track basis, and it doesn’t reflect changes of pace during the game, which keeps the game feeling frantic and frenzied but lacks any real flavor.

With its heavy focus on realistic physics, vehicles and tracks, Smash Cars is probably the most successful recreation of RC racing to hit the PS2 in years. Ironically, though, the game’s realism can, and often does, make the game frustrating for those of us who are its target market: gamers used to "big car" racers. If you’re an RC racing fan, this game will make a good purchase, but everyone else should rent it first.

See more screens on the Smash Cars media page