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E3 03:

News: Italian Job:

It has to be said that expectations for Paramount's forthcoming Italian Job re-make are not exactly high in this office. The American tendency to re-shoot European classics for the US market has, more often than not, resulted in films that can hardly hold a candle to the originals. We might be pleasantly surprised, but we're expecting the Italian Job (which is set largely in, um, LA) to do what Roxanne did for Cyrano de Bergerac, or what The Assassin did for La Femme Nikita. Given our reservations about the film, we were therefore pleasantly surprised to find that the game of the re-make of the 1969 classic is shaping up very nicely indeed. The PS2 game mirrors the new Italian Job's plot very closely. Following one of the biggest gold bullion heists in history, Charlie Croker and his gang are double-crossed and left for dead. To get even, Croker and crew engineer the biggest traffic jam in LA since the 1992 riots and make good their escape with the bullion in a fleet of super-charged Mini Coopers. Lovely job. The action is set across 15 levels, which include all of the film's locations recreated in minute detail. There are three basic modes on offer: the self-explanatory Story Mode, Circuit Racing (competitive racing around the film's locations for one to two players) and Stunt Driving, a series of checkpoint based obstacle courses. Although there's a total of 15 vehicles, including muscle cars, lorries and SUVs, the Mini is undoubtedly the star of the show, and very dapper it looks too, with a detailed vehicle model nicely complimented by lens flare and on-camera raindrop effects. Handling is very much arcade-oriented and somewhat reminiscent of the original Driver (which can only be a good thing). The nimble little Mini can be popped onto two wheels, which is a nice touch, and objects in the environment can be smashed for additional points. The courses featured in Circuit Racing are riddled with shortcuts, Midnight Club II style, which AI opponents will use to sneak an advantage. In keeping with the film's outrageous vehicular manoeuvres, the Mini can just about go anywhere; rooftops, ledges, sewage pipes, the works. The excellent Stunt Driving mode, which is somewhat reminiscent of Atari's Stuntman, gives you a potted tour of some of the game's more outlandish routes.

Updated Every Month With A New Game.

• Italian Job: E3 03
• New movie with the new Minis!