Enthusia Professional Racing

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Konami
  • Release Date: May 3, 2005
Enthusia Professional Racing Image
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 25 Ratings

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  • Summary: Enthusia steps away from the norm in the racing genre, opting to focus on the driving experience rather than the time spent "under the hood." Winning requires superior driving ability, establishing Enthusia as a true racer for driving enthusiasts who appreciate the details of car physics,Enthusia steps away from the norm in the racing genre, opting to focus on the driving experience rather than the time spent "under the hood." Winning requires superior driving ability, establishing Enthusia as a true racer for driving enthusiasts who appreciate the details of car physics, performance and motion. The realism of the game is bolstered by the innovative and proprietary Visual Gravity System which conveys a true sense of G-forces experienced by high-speed driving and maneuvering around a race track. This innovative feature is a first for the racing genre and gives gamers the ability to see and "feel" the pressure exerted on a car during racing. Enthusia includes hundreds of cars from more than 40 real manufacturers ? each car driven and captured in real life by the development team. Photo-realistic graphics stand out as players race on dozens of real and fictional tracks around the world. Multiple camera views, including both a first- and third-person orientation, allow for players to either get behind the wheel or on top of the action. Variable weather conditions pose additional challenges that require players to stay on their toes. [Konami]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 43
  3. Negative: 1 out of 43
  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. 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.
  3. Game Informer
    80
    This isn't a game for the faint of heart or the heavy of foot. [June 2005, p.129]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. DarkStation
    70
    A quite decent and demanding racer.
  5. Pelaaja (Finland)
    70
    With its first game, Konami’s franchise-hope doesn’t quite match up to the game it is trying to challenge, "Gran Turismo 4." Still, the more realistic driving model and extremely well balanced challenge level bodes well for the sequel. [May 2005, p.68]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. NTSC-uk
    60
    Though the many tracks on offer (which amusingly take inspiration both from reality as well as other racing games), varying weather conditions and racing styles (including rallying, desert-crossing and touge racing) offer a lot of variety, the Enthusia Life format itself proves to be a little too simple and short, as reaching higher ranks does not involve as long a road as possibly it ought to. [JPN Import]
  7. AltGaming
    40
    The simple fact is Enthusia is simply a simulation of life, but has little life itself.

See all 43 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. Ángel
    Apr 1, 2005
    10
    I think this game is better than GT4 because the control and the physic of the cars are very real. This game has a better velocity sensation I think this game is better than GT4 because the control and the physic of the cars are very real. This game has a better velocity sensation and has many new things in the genre. The graphics are photo-realistics and the natural efects are very nice. Is the best sim-racing game.… Expand
  2. JamesE.
    Jan 1, 2006
    9
    Amazingly addictive and stunningly fresh, this game is easily as good as every Gran Turismo, if not better. Unfortunately, this game is Amazingly addictive and stunningly fresh, this game is easily as good as every Gran Turismo, if not better. Unfortunately, this game is destined for oblivion, as very few people who hear of it will bother to try it. And most of the people who DO try it will play it for five minutes, and being used to the controls of other racing sims, they will jump to the conclusion that this game is way too hard when it really isn't. It's too bad really, as this game could have had a future, if it weren't for Gran Turismo 4. As I play this game, I pray that Konami will make a sequel, but I am fairly sure that they won't. It's a shame.… Expand
  4. AstemirE.
    Apr 27, 2005
    9
    I like the cars un this game. More specialy bmw mersedes and wvo taureg.
  5. 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.    … Expand
  6. Kei
    Mar 25, 2005
    8
    Great driving experience, real pro car physics but graphics not good as in Gran Turismo 4.
  7. ChesterField
    May 8, 2020
    7
    Good racing game, but not even close to the level of gran turismo 4. Still, recommended.
  8. XERO
    Jun 1, 2005
    3
    What a tremendous disappointment.....rent it just to see how bad it is....sorry it's back to GT4 and MC3.

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