Vanishing Point for the PlayStation has every facet that a gamer could want when it comes to graphics. What do I mean? I mean the colors are rich, the textures are smooth, the lighting is brilliant, the frame rate is perfect, the game runs clean, and the image is clear. I wouldn't call it sharp, but clear will do fine. Naturally, it's not as good looking as a higher end console, but for the PlayStation, it is a true gem. Not only does it look good, but it also has a great 3D engine. There is no way to miss any of the action in this racer.

Vanishing Point is not your typical racer. You get to race fancy, expensive European cars against other fancy, expensive European cars while negotiating traffic from more -normal- vehicles that have the unfortunate luck of getting in your way. Vanishing Point is a race against time as well as your opponents and innocent bystanders. With many modes of play - both single and multi-player, loads of cars, lots of tracks, and unique play style, Vanishing Point stands out from all of the other racing sims. The three modes of play (Arcade, Head 2 Head, and Multi-player) offer tons of fun.

In Arcade mode, you can play Tournament, Single Race, Time Trial, Stunt Driver, and CWG Rally. While playing the Tournament, you try to beat all of your opponent's lap times. This is unique, because you are racing against a group of people who start at different places and laps and all you have to do is be the fastest. The faster you go, the more points you get. Get enough points and you get to move on. Single Racer offers traditional racing; win the race, and move on to the next one. Time Trial is nothing more than a training mode. In Stunt Driver, you are given a -stunt- to perform. You will get points awarded for your presentation. Get enough points, and you continue to advance to more challenging stunts; CWG Rally is like multiple Time Trials. You run the track as fast as you can over a series of tracks. You want to rank among the top times to continue to advance. In Head 2 Head mode, you race a friend in split screen action. There is a simple race as well as a race where you have different balloons to break as you run the track. To play with up to 7 other people, you have Multi-player Mode. The party can race in Knockout (a bracket style competition that sets two players at a time against each other), League (random tracks, random arrangement, highest score wins), and Winner Stays On. There is also a Tune-up Shop to play around with the cars.

When it comes down to it, the game is just fun - especially fun when playing with a group of people. The controls are somewhat difficult, but it's still fun nonetheless. If you enjoy high speed racing, you have to try Vanishing Point out. I also enjoy the uniqueness of the game. You race against the clock, while trying to slow down you opponents. It's not a typical 'cross the finish line and win' stuff.

Okay, the game is a little difficult. Because of the nature of this high-speed racer, control is difficult and the learning curve is steep. There are varying degrees of difficulty in the single player modes, but in multi-player, you are at the mercy of your friends. All in all, the game is hard, but manageable once you get the hang of it. Once you learn how to -slide- your car along the track, the game gets a little easier. This is not a game for the kart fans. Expect high-speed sliding and dangerous collisions.

I like the way the Vanishing Point plays. I assume that if you run a BMW Roadster at nearly 200 MPH on a crowded city street, it would slide over the road and be a challenge to maintain (I'm sure not going to try it for real). Well, the game plays like I'm sure it would for real. That does make it harder, but infinitely more fun. The analog controls are laid out perfectly and are changeable. The vibration effect is subtle, and the game does consume your entire memory card. One of the best features is the fact that you can play with the whole gang and only risk having 2 controllers broken. Vanishing Point is great fun, great graphics, and great play, all wrapped in one little package.