The Italian Job - PC

When SCi produced The Italian Job video game on PlayStation, anticipation of its release was high. But now, one year on, the little racer is headed for PC in full graphical splendour. Small car racing never looked so much fun!

The game is a third-person mission-based driving game. The player is required to complete a diverse range of missions that result in the player being faced with the final part of the game: to raid a the security van and convoy containing $4,000,000 in gold bullion and escape to safety with it.

The single most notable improvement to the PC conversion is undoubtedly the enhanced visuals. Where the PlayStation version looked disappointing due to being held back by 1994 technology, the PC version, although reliant on individual graphics cards, has the potential to look stunning. Higher resolutions and anti-aliasing techniques make startling improvements to The Italian Job. On the downside, there isn’t a PC controller available that rivals the quality of Sony’s Dual Shock creation, but it beats keyboard control any day.

Players are able to take control of 13 different vehicles throughout the game. Each vehicle has unique handling attributes and abilities. Once the player has unlocked vehicles, he will be able to use them in the free ride game mode. There are also a wide variety of non-player vehicles created for use in the missions and set pieces.

The game begins in England where the player must complete a wide variety of objectives in order to recruit the necessary talent needed to do the big job in Turin. The Turin environment map has miles of road to drive on, lined with suitable Italian architecture. Each area provides its own challenges and landmarks.

The final section of the game is set in the Alps where the player drives the coach containing the gold in an attempt to escape to safety.

So, we’ve got hi-octane racing action with a decent story to match. Sounds good to us!
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