Auto Modellista (アウトモデリスタ, Auto Moderisuta)[1] is a racing game developed and published by Capcom, first released on PlayStation 2, later ported to GameCube and Xbox. Auto Modellista distinguished itself from other games of the same genre with cel-shaded graphics, which gave a hand-drawn and cartoon-like appearance. The game plays similarly to games like Gran Turismo, with the player picking a vehicle which they can modify and customize. There are six tracks in the default game, including the real-life Suzuka Circuit and the Mt. Akagi mountain pass. After middling initial reception, with criticism mostly centered around its short overall length and general lack of content, Capcom modified the game for its North American release. In Japan, the game was rereleased with these changes as Auto Modellista: US Tuned. This version featured additional cars from American manufacturers, such as the Dodge Viper and Ford GT, two new oval tracks, various UI improvements and a different handling model which saw cars having significantly less grip, resulting in slower acceleration and more loss of speed when cornering.[2] The US Tuned version of the game was especially criticized for its floaty handling model and subsequently more difficult gameplay, though the improved car and course list were well received. The US Tuned changes were present in every following release of the game starting with the North American PlayStation 2 release in early 2003, evidenced by the new cover art featuring the Dodge Viper. Many distributors predicted that sales of the game were going to be poor, and generally refused to carry it.[citation needed] In 2003, Auto Modellista received a followup in the form of Group S Challenge for the Xbox, though it lacked any of Auto Modellista's visual style and is generally not considered to be a direct sequel. Capcom has not been involved with driving games since, although it did publish some games based on MotoGP developed by Milestone srl, and included Mega Man Battle & Chase, a racing game based on the Mega Man franchise, in the Mega Man X Collection. Auto Modellista attempts to be a technical racing game, with an immense amount of available parts and settings for the selection of cars provided to the player. Various aspects of each car can be tuned, allowing the player to tweak the performance of the car. In the Garage mode (the main single-player mode), the player is granted the ability to select one of four tire types which affect road grip in regard to the weather conditions on the race track (for example, the "Semi-Slick Tires" provide maximum speed and grip in dry weather, but suffer in rain). Other options include Brakes (which determine braking efficiency), Suspension, Turbines, Mufflers, Computer (determines the car's ability to accept upgrades later in the game), the engine, "Final Gear", and Weight Reduction. Auto Modellista's customization options also extend to visual enhancements, allowing the player to choose from many different color combinations, hood and spoiler types, plus the ability to add badges, stickers and even create license plates. Engine swaps are also available, for example, the Subaru 360 can have EJ20T in place of its EK32. Swapped engines cannot be re-tuned in the game. A large aspect of the game was its online mode, with online races supporting up to 8 players. This functionality was not available on the GameCube and European PlayStation 2 versions. The online mode of Auto Modellista has since been discontinued however, Auto Modellista is now playable online again on the revival Xbox Live servers called Insignia.
