Enthusia Professional Racing

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Konami
  • Release Date: May 3, 2005
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 43
  3. Negative: 1 out of 43
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  1. My Gamer
    86
    The true disaster here is the likelihood that nobody will really play Enthusia. "Gran Turismo 4's" massive popularity is destined to overshadow it even though both games rank at the top of the genre.
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    86
    A solid, enjoyable driving game with great graphics. The controls are good and the RPG-ish level system makes the experience feel fresh. [July 05]
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  3. Play Magazine
    85
    A very nice alternative to "GT4." Though its physics engine provides a proper challenge, the game itself is simpler and easier to pick up and make make progress. If you haven't got time for "GT4," play this instead. [May 2005, p.40]
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  5. Gaming Target
    84
    Built for those who want a bit more 'pick up and play' in their racing simulations, and it does that fairly well.
  6. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    83
    The concentration required to go six or so laps without hitting walls or A.I. cars is incredible but also really rewarding. [June 2005, p.100]
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  7. Gaming Age
    83
    Is Enthusia the Gran Turismo killer? Nah, but it is a nice standby for those who want something more after playing it, or are just sick of the GT series and want something fresh.
  8. BonusStage
    83
    While it’s an excellent entry in the crowded racing genre, your overall enjoyment of Enthusia Professional Racing is dependent on a number of things: patience, persistence, and practice being the three most pressing.
  9. Worth Playing
    82
    There are some shortcomings, but Konami can take pride in its realistic physics model. It's the heart of the game, and the main source of challenge, satisfaction, and fun.
  10. GamePro
    80
    The most obvious problem is that the system is far too forgiving of dragging a wheel or two off-track. Do that in real life, and you'll easily lose control almost instantly. In Enthusia, you'll barely even feel the car pull in that direction.
  11. RewiredMind
    80
    Thankfully, you can turn off the VGS display completely and never see it again. Manabu Akita's system is a clever one, certainly, but did the developers really need to find the most annoying place on the race screen for it to live in? I don't think so. Rant over.
  12. Game Informer
    80
    This isn't a game for the faint of heart or the heavy of foot. [June 2005, p.129]
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  13. Computer Games Magazine
    80
    Brilliant career mode. [July 2005, p.85]
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Awards & Rankings

90
#90 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2005

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 31
  3. Negative: 4 out of 31
  1. KusiPaskaPerse
    May 31, 2022
    7
    Decent for its time but the "realistic" handling is very realistic but rather stiff and slippery.
  2. RageN
    Jan 13, 2017
    9
    This is not a game about graphics and casual racing fun. Only hardcore racing game fans will appreciate this hidden gem of a game. NothingThis is not a game about graphics and casual racing fun. Only hardcore racing game fans will appreciate this hidden gem of a game. Nothing comes close to its driving realism and physics (on consoles at least) even to this day. Make sure to have a racing wheel before trying it,it's almost unplayable with the controller. It has a huge roster of cars (211 to be specific.and every single one of them handles and feels unique),many tracks to choose from,both fantasy and real life ones(including Tsukuba and Nordschleife) and most of them have rain weather-night driving and mirrored versions. AI is pretty good too. Savage if you play with a controller,easy most of the time with a steering wheel (crank the difficulty up to hard if you find normal easy with a steering wheel,it really is a whole new level,you'll have epic races if you are good enough). Career mode is also a good experience which would be an amazing one with a few additions. Enthusia's career mode (Enthusia Life) is an innovative experience which focuses more on actual driving skill and winning races than fiddling with menus or cheesing your way through tournaments with an 1500HP OP Nissan Skyline. At first the game gives you a garage with 12 starting cars and you are free to choose anyone of them at anytime. There are only single race events to choose from in your career which consist of 6 car circuit racing-1on1 duels and offroad racing duels. There is also a number of different skill groups in which you progress by earning ranking points in races. Every skill group has a different opponent car level (higher skill group=faster opponent cars) and you are free to enter any race with any car you fancy (you can race against Nissas Micras with a Dodge Viper for instance), however every race gives you a standard amount of ranking points (a very small one) which gets multiplied according to odds. If you enter a race with an equal or slower car than the average level of your opponent's cars you will get a big multiplier and score many ranking points by winning. If you enter a race with a faster car than the average level of your opponent's cars you get much less ranking points. This way the game pretty much forces you to really earn your wins and be competitive rather than picking the fastest car you own and cheesing every race. The game also has a "collector's" type of car acquiring system rather than the "classic" earn money-buy cars formula. There's no economy system in the game. Every time you finish 3rd or better in a race you enter a random pink slip lottery in which you get a chance to earn one of your opponent's cars. There's also a chance to earn nothing if the marker stops outside the car grid. This system keeps the career mode fresh everytime you go through it because you end up with a different roster of cars in every playthrough. Also,in case you are a completionist the game doesn't end your career when reaching rank 1 so you can stick with your main playthrough until you earn them all. Career mode also features a car improving system in which your cars get improved by earning XP points the more you use them. If you stick with a car for long and win many races with it it gets automatically improved to a higher tuning level which consists of 3 categories (weight-power-tyres). And of course,you can also tune your cars to your liking adjusting everything from ride height and tyre pressure to gearbox and downforce. In the end career mode is a very good experience but unfortunately gets a bit repetitive with its single races only formula. Adding more variety to the events such as multitrack tournaments or thematic races such as specific manufacturer races or "only 90s cars" restricted races for example would have made it an amazing experience. There's also a challenge mode called driving revolution in which you compete in certain car challenges much like Gran Turismo's license tests. There are only 3 downsides in this game which make it not earn the 10/10 rank.
    1) The sound is mediocre. Game music consists of pretty much 4 original instrumental songs (drum&bass and smooth jazz) that play on a loop in menus. And also the car engine sounds are mediocre too. Much better than Gran Turismo's vacuum cleaner engines that's for sure but still not great. Although props for using a different engine sound in every car. Every car sounds different.
    2) Career mode gets a bit repetitive after a while because of its "only single races" formula.
    3) Graphics are not the best in it's category. The car models are great and every car looks 100% like it's real life counterpart but the overall style of the game has the "japanese game" trademark on it with graphics being both photorealistic and a slight bit cartoonish.
    If you love driving simulation games fan like me I 100% recommend to try this game if you haven't. It's a remarkable realistic experience even for today's standards. + by far the most realistic racing game on the PS2. A proper simulator.    … Full Review »
  3. Emilnier1
    Aug 1, 2023
    0
    since people really think this game was amazing or something back 2-5yr ago its actually a straight piece of **** except for the soundtrack
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