''TOCA Race Driver 3'' is a

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic raci ...

developed and published by

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer and former publisher based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts and managed under the EA Sports ...

for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

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PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

and

OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

. It is the sixth game in the ''TOCA'' series. The game features several fully licensed championships, including the

DTM DTM may refer to: Sport * Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000 * Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995 Computing * Data Transfer ...

series and

V8 Supercar The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...

championship. This is the last in the series to have TOCA in its title as following on from this TOCA was dropped in favour of just ''Race Driver'', which later became the ''Grid'' series. Despite featuring the name TOCA in its title, the game did not feature the

British Touring Car Championship The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...

. The game received positive reviews, frequently being compared favourably to ''

Gran Turismo 4 ''Gran Turismo 4'' is a 2004 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth main installment and the sixth overall in the ''Gran Turismo'' series. It was ...

'' and ''

Forza Motorsport ''Forza'' ( , ; Italian for "force" and "strength") is a racing video game series for Xbox consoles and Microsoft Windows published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise has sold 16 million copies as of December 2016 and has garnered critical ac ...

'', in the aspects of cars on track, collision and wear damage.

Gameplay

''TOCA Race Driver 3'' includes 120 Championships and 35 types of racing through the Championship in World Tour, Pro Career, and Free Race. Also, it has Bonus Championships in different disciplines. They take place largely in the UK and Germany, though many more tracks are unlocked by winning cups in Pro Career, or by setting a lap time record on a course within Pro Career mode. Open-wheel, GT, Oval racing, Rallying and Off-road racing were all featured and can be raced in either a detailed Pro Career mode or an open-ended World Tour. The game features many real-life competitions, including British GT, DTM, IRL and V8 Supercars, as well as a Vintage series, other GT series, and Rally. The Formula Williams FW27 is the featured car of the Formula 1 series in the game. The career mode progresses with various cutscenes featuring the player character's crew chief providing driving tips and general commentary. Settings for racing are largely customisable. Players can adjust the number of laps and difficulty level. Race rules such as wrong way, corner-cutting, and careless driving penalties, and

racing flags Racing flags are traditionally used in auto racing and similar motorsports to indicate track conditions and to communicate important messages to drivers. Typically, the starter, sometimes the Grand Marshal, grand marshal of a race, waves the fla ...

can also be turned on or off. Players can choose to qualify for races, which allows them to secure a position on the starting grid rather than being placed at the back. Online play allows 12 and 8 players on PlayStation 2 and Xbox, respectively. It is the only racing simulator for PlayStation 2 with an online racing mode. For the PC up to 12 players could race together with the built-in GameSpy Server or by using a LAN. When GameSpy closed in 2014 online multiplayer was subsequently made possible using the Free Tunngle Network but was shut down in April 2018 due to pending requirements of the new European

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. The game supports the use of a

racing wheel A sim racing wheel, also known as racing wheel, is a control device for use in racing games, Sim racing, racing simulators, and driving simulators. They are usually packaged with a large Paddle (game controller), paddle styled as a steering whe ...

. For

consoles and

players can utilise wheels such as the Logitech Driving Force GT and the Driving Force Pro. Other wheels are also supported, such as the

Mad Catz Mad Catz is an American manufacturing gaming brand of interactive entertainment and PC products, currently produced by Hong Kong–based company Mad Catz Global Limited. It was formerly produced by the original Chinese Mad Catz company until its ...

MC2, which supports multiple platforms.

Development and release

''TOCA Race Driver 3'' was unveiled on 26 May 2005 under the title ''TOCA Race Driver 2006''. The name ''

Race Driver 2006 ''Race Driver 2006'' is a racing video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Codemasters exclusively for PlayStation Portable. It is the expanded US release of TOCA Race Driver 2. Features * Featuring 15 different motorsports—inclu ...

'' was later used for a PlayStation Portable ''Race Driver'' game. A single player demo was released in December 2005. It was released in February 2006 for Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. A

version entitled ''TOCA Race Driver 3 Challenge'' was released in February 2007. A Mac

port was released on 24 October 2008. The game was part of the early GOG.com lineup. The damage model from '' TOCA Race Driver 2'' is improved. Codemasters added additional damage elements for engine, suspension, axle and steering. Tyre modelling has also been improved. Tyres are affected by being cool or hot and wear over time. The developers wanted to improve the single-player racing experience. Johnathan Davis, designer on ''Race Driver 3'' felt that in too many games "you start on the grid and either get left behind or your overtake the AI and go on to win. We really wanted people to battle all the way through". Codemasters interviewed real racing drivers to learn what challenges they would face on the track, such as judging braking distances. These were then implemented into the game's AI. It supports

Introversion Software Introversion Software Limited is a British video game developer based in Walton-on-Thames, England. History The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay, Mark Morris, and Thomas Arundel, who met as undergraduates at Imperial ...

's amBX gaming lights.

Reception

The game received "generally favourable reviews" on all platforms according to video game

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, with scores ranging from 76/100 for the PlayStation Portable versions to 84/100 for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox versions. In Japan, where the PS2 version got a port on 24 January 2008, ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' gave it a score of all four sevens for a total of 28 out of 40. It was the second highest-grossing title in the UK in February 2006, and the sixth highest grossing the following month.

References

External links

Gameplay

Development and release

Reception

See also

References

External links