Cheats-Area.com

   The Race Driver series took an interesting turn today, when Codemasters announced the first entry for Nintendo's DS handheld, called Race Driver: Create & Race. As if that alone wasn't interesting enough, they say the game will be radically different from previous titles the series, by allowing players to create their own circuits with a full track construction kit. So if the pre-made circuits aren't good enough for you, you'll be free to layout as many twists and turns as you see fit, and even race on them in multiplayer.

   Slated for release in summer 2007, Race Driver: Create & Race is currently in development at the British studio Firebrand Games, self-proclaimed "specialists in handheld driving games" (no, we never heard of them, either). Some of its raw features include 32 real-world circuits - from Silverstone and the Nûrburgring to Bathurst - and 25 officially licensed race cars, including the Koenig GT, the AMG Mercedes C Klasse DTM, and the Chevrolet Silverado Truck.

   Some screenshots are now available locally, and here's a bit more about the game's track editor, and its promising multiplayer functionality:
"Using the Nintendo DS stylus, the game's track editor lets players select and place race track elements, such as hairpin corners, long straights and chicanes, to design unique circuits. Once all the pieces are placed to perfection, players can take to their track and experience exactly what it's like in aggressive multiple car races.

Making use of the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi connection capabilities, players can challenge others to races on the game's official tracks as well as the circuits of their creation. Race Driver: Create & Race also enables up to four players to go head-to-head in races gamesharing from only one cartridge. Further championships and cars can be unlocked from the World Tour Mode and then raced in realtime online and ad hoc multiplayer modes."    As tradition would have it, the game will have slightly different titles throughout the world, according to the most popular touring car championships in each region. For instance, in Germany it will be called DTM Race Driver: Create & Race, and V8 Supercars 3: Create & Race in Australia, while the rest of the world will mostly reffer to it as Race Driver: Create & Race (no more Pro / ToCA prefixes, it seems).

   It sure wouldn't hurt to include a track editor in the series' future PC / PS3 / Xbox 360 iterations.