THQ part 3: Baja

I don't really care one way or the other about driving games. I loved the Burnout series until, in my opinion ruined it when, they took what was a simple concept and tried to turn it into something it was never meant to be. The key words were simple concept, something that game developers seemed to have forgotten to do since we have added added a few extra buttons on to our controllers. Baja from THQ takes us back to a simpler time. This game looks pretty impressive, and the game play is tight and fun. It takes place in what is to be the Baja area of Mexico and California. It is a racing game; the more you win, the more you race, the more you race and win the better your car can get. This is nothing new to the genre. This is also right about the part where I loose interest, I really don't care about what kind of tires I can get on my video game car, or how the front hood scoop added to my drag coefficient. I like the fast car or the strong car, and sometimes something in between.

Call me crazy but I don't like hitting things in driving game, I like jumping and flying through the air. The game is being made by Rainbow Studios who are out of Phoenix and they must know what is like to have some wide open spaces. For a guy that is generally not into racing games as a whole this might fill the void that Burnout Paradise has yet to fill.

All of that aside, this game might have the coolest multilayer feature ever. According to the THQ representative you will be able to play a 4 hour 1000 mile Baja race. I think it is pretty cool that they want to make a race that long and since it is over a off road/on road terrain it could make for a fun experience. There will also be an option to have the game run by itself for a period of time with out you drivng, so if you have to go to the bathroom, or make a sandwich, or get a soda, you can, without having to pause the game, and loose you track positioning.