GT Advance 2: Rally Racing
Encyclopedia
GT Advance 2: Rally Racing (known as Advance Rally in Japan
) is a rally racing game
developed by MTO
and published by THQ
for the Game Boy Advance
. It was released in Japan on December 7, 2001, in Europe
on June 28, 2002, and in North America
on June 30, 2002. It is the sequel to GT Advance Championship Racing
.
ese companies such as Subaru
, Suzuki
, and Mitsubishi
. Upgrades are not available for the cars, but it is possible to fine-tune them to fit personal preference.
mode, a single race mode, a practice mode, and a navigator
mode, in which the player directs the driver of the car through button and d-pad
presses instead of driving themselves.
was pulled from the game and was replaced with a password (video games) system instead of the one included in the Japan
ese version of the game. Critics cited this as the chief problem with the North American release of the game. GT Advance 2: Rally Racing addressed the problem by putting the normal save system back in, garnering the game higher scores than its predecessor.
gave the game an 8.1 out of 10, .8 points higher than the previous installment of the game. IGN
rated the game an 8.4 out of 10, citing the improved save system, and said, "It's a very good thing THQ learns from its past mistakes." GameSpy
gave the game an 80 out of 100, reporting, "GT Advance 2 will keep you entertained for quite some time." GameSpy also brought out the refreshing realism aspect of the weather conditions that pop up from time to time in the game and require the player to tune their car before a race. "It's a nice little feature that adds a measure of depth to the arcade-racing experience, and yet is simple enough for anyone to understand."
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) is a rally racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
developed by MTO
MTO (video game company)
MTO, which stands for Motorsports Software Technical Office, is a Yokohama-based video game developer and publisher founded in May 1996. The company is most known for the GT series of games that it has released and the more recent pet games such as Dogz and Catz.-Games developed:-Games published:...
and published by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. It was released in Japan on December 7, 2001, in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on June 28, 2002, and in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on June 30, 2002. It is the sequel to GT Advance Championship Racing
GT Advance Championship Racing
GT Advance Championship Racing is a racing game developed by MTO and published by THQ. It was a launch title for the Game Boy Advance, and was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, and in Europe on June 15, 2001...
.
Gameplay
GT Advance 2: Rally Racing is a racing game and the cars and environments hold true to a rally racing format. The game contains fifteen cars from JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese companies such as Subaru
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...
, Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
, and Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
. Upgrades are not available for the cars, but it is possible to fine-tune them to fit personal preference.
Game modes
The game has several different modes. The main part of the game, "world rally", moves the player through fourteen courses found in various locations in the world. The game also has a head-to-head mode against a friend with a system link, 15 different license tests that familiarize the player with the controls of the game, a time trialTime trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
mode, a single race mode, a practice mode, and a navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
mode, in which the player directs the driver of the car through button and d-pad
D-pad
A D-pad is a flat, usually thumb-operated directional control with one button on each point, found on nearly all modern video game console gamepads, game controllers, on the remote control units of some television and DVD players, and smart phones...
presses instead of driving themselves.
Save system
The game includes a major enhancement in the save system from the previous installment. In GT Advance Championship Racing, as a cost-saving measure, the battery RAMRam
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
was pulled from the game and was replaced with a password (video games) system instead of the one included in the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese version of the game. Critics cited this as the chief problem with the North American release of the game. GT Advance 2: Rally Racing addressed the problem by putting the normal save system back in, garnering the game higher scores than its predecessor.
Reception
GT Advance 2: Rally Racing garnered more critical acclaim than its predecessor mostly thanks to the re-insertion of the save system. GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game an 8.1 out of 10, .8 points higher than the previous installment of the game. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated the game an 8.4 out of 10, citing the improved save system, and said, "It's a very good thing THQ learns from its past mistakes." GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
gave the game an 80 out of 100, reporting, "GT Advance 2 will keep you entertained for quite some time." GameSpy also brought out the refreshing realism aspect of the weather conditions that pop up from time to time in the game and require the player to tune their car before a race. "It's a nice little feature that adds a measure of depth to the arcade-racing experience, and yet is simple enough for anyone to understand."