Drift Racer screens, info

While we'd guess it's going to be tough for any driving game to knock Gran Turismo 4 off it's perch in the coming months, Sammy's new street-racing title Drift Racer: Kaido Battle does at least seem to be taking a bit of a different approach.

Coming exclusively for PS2 in February 2004, and developed by Genki, the same guys who previously worked on the little known, but engrossing racer Tokyo Highway Battle, Drift Racer appears to be a continuation of that title but better, natch. The whole raison d'etre for this game's racers is the thrill of the powerslide, y'see?

Players race across streets and roads where real life drivers take part in actual drift race championships, and there are 150 fully licensed cars to gain access to as you play through the title.

Motors include Nissans, Subarus and Volkswagens, and players with an urge to get under the bonnet will be delighted to learn you can also tinker and tune up your motor. And with nearly 200 races to take part in, longevity wouldn't seem to be a problem. As an alternative to GT4's track-based demands, Kaido Battle seems, on the face of it, to be an interesting alternative. Hopefully we'll get our mitts on some code soon.