Mustangs have been around barely longer than I have. Ok; now that I have shown my age, take a second to recall a time when Ford Mustangs didn't take your breath away. Except for Chevy-lovers and that period of the 70s I won't talk about, the Mustang is as American as ... a wild mustang. 2K Games just gave us Ford Motor Racing which provided a wide arsenal of Ford legends to race. Now, they're back with a specialized version for Mustang lovers. There are a lot of them out there, so that's a decent demographic.

There are the usual racing modes of play: Career, Arcade and Challenge. Career, as it sounds, allows you to create and add to a crazy racing vehicle of your choosing and beat out the competition for cash and prizes. Well, mostly the cash. The cash allows you to upgrade parts of your car to ensure longevity in the circuit. In arcade, your enemy is mostly the clock as you compete in various races and try to place well enough to be invited to the next one. It's pretty addictive to race this way, as your success is immediately rewarded by continued play. Then, the Challenge mode allows you to combat other drivers in timed events or a crazy version of Olympic skiing - in that you must burn rubber through a course laden with gates through which you must traverse without crashing. Tricky to do when others are making you swerve about the road.

New to racing games is the art of "Drifting." Ok kids, this is a fancy term for sliding around in cars with poor traction. This, being a popular spectator sport in hidden venues across the country is very funny looking, but hey - it's here to try without the legal ramifications! For the sake of Style Points, you can skid and slide your tires away. Me, I stick to racing, where the ability to drive a car FORWARD is kind of important.

Street racing your fantasy ponies is a dream come true for 'Stang fans. I started with a classic, premiere 64 Mustang. Or, was that  64 1/2? In any case, it was sweetly poignant to have my scale model of a 64 Mustang sitting atop the TV as I took the cyber version to the streets for some arcade play. After a while of that, and earning some decent points, I jacked in the steering module and got down to some Career action. I usually don't spend too much time on these options, but my need to see what was out there, and how far I could tweak my Pony was pushing me. I really enjoyed the experience.

2K Games had some major physics issues in the previous Ford Racing game. They're back here, though not as bad. The cars drift (not in a good way) and sway quite a bit. I tried to compensate by keeping the suspension beefy, but there is a inherent flaw in the movement and I never got it comfortable, so just had to drive with special caution. Like with the Ford Racing game, it is not overly challenging. I actually appreciate that. There are several games out there that waste your dollars showing you just how bad a driver you really can be. It's nice to play a game that appreciates the fan's desire to explore a niche line of machines without being punished for it. If you want to see lots of great cars unlocked, and pimp out a car with your winnings, it's no fun to try when the game is constructed to be more effort than reward.

The sounds are pretty good. Through a deep, balanced sound system, the cars rumbled or purred as they should. I may not own them, but I have been around plenty of nice Ponies, and these sounded like the real deal. The music was standard "I wanna be a star" rock quality that fit just like it should. Loose enough to ignore but just undertone enough to make it enhance the experience. As always, you can turn it down, and crank up the car sounds and listen to whatever you want. Nothing like grinding the gears while cranking up your personal Sinatra collection!! Seriously ...  I'm kidding. No, really.

The graphics stand out very nicely. Lamp-lit roads at night, and nice sun effects during dusk/dawn races. The cars looks great, which is the point of the whole show. The color options are nice, and authentic to the schemes. You cannot create your first car as a 64 Ford Mustang - in purple. Sorry. That's some other 2 lame, 2 silly, game. What you do to a newer Mustang is your own business. I don't want to know about it.

It's a decent game with a niche collection of interesting tweaks for the Ford Fan. The nose-thumbing Chevy crowd can go busy themselves with other ventures, but this one will keep Mustang fans happy for quite some time. It's not the most dazzling racing genre out there, but a low price point and consider it is a niche game, I think it delivers its intentions with surprising ability. Aside from at your local Ford Car Club, it won't win any awards for excellence, but that doesn't mean its not worth checking out. I'm proud of The Pony, and I'm glad someone took a chance to make a specialty game for "us." I hope the GM crowd get theirs as well. Like Superman vs Spider-Man, it's an age-old debate that no one will win. Oh yeah ... Spider-Man's better.

Gameplay: 7.0
The game is easy to learn and take off with. The learning curve is short and allows you to just get in there and drive. If you want to try the more challenging (i.e. goofy) Drifting and such, read up on the tips and go for it. For straight racing, there isn't much to learn. Squeeze the trigger (gas pedal) and go. I think there's a Brake, but those are so overrated.

Graphics: 7.5 
The look and feel of the cars is nice. The colors are well done, and the bodies are nicely designed after their full-scale inspirations. Lights, gleaming windshields, burned rubber and other nice touches help boost the otherwise low-key attitude of the game. It's missing some of the "gut" of the other (higher-priced!) racing games, but the point here is to show the Mustang aficionado their favorites cars in action. They do that well.    

Sound: 7.5
The sound is a mix of good, real-life motor sounds, with generic rock that's easily forgotten. I can't vouch for the authenticity of some fantasy-cars in other games, but I do think they did a fine job with the horses under these hoods. With some specific adjusting of the audio options, you can make this a pleasant game to play. Just avoid the grunge meets hair-band stuff if you want to remain seizure-free. Hey - a band's gotta start somewhere!!   

Difficulty: Easy
Whether you play the challenging "Shift my own gears" mode or the hybrid, partial shifting where you don't have to concern yourself with the downshift, it's pretty easy to get a handle on the ... handling. I chose "automatic" transmission, as I'm a wimp and just want to drive. The steering is pretty forgiving, and with the physics of drafting enabled in this game, you can stay up tight with the leaders fairly well until you're ready to make your move. The focus is more on the cars, which is why I like it. Leave the knuckle-whitening stuff to different games. Some of us just want to have a nice race with cars we like - and can see on the road - for real. 

Concept: 7.0 
Though they did a Ford-only racing game just months ago, this still feels nice. Racing is racing ... and this does not offer much to differentiate itself from the others. One tweak is the Drifting mess, which you just have to enjoy - to enjoy it. But, I appreciate that there is that populous that wants to experience that. I like the diversity of courses and places to take my Pony. It kind of makes it easier to finish the fantasy "If I had a Mustang, I'd like to go ..." In addition to the Drifting, there is a Catch-up race feature that I have not tried before. That was fun and unique, but for multiplayer mode ...

Multiplayer: 7.0
There isn't a lot to separate this from other racers as a multiplayer game. There's the expected head-to-head, which you have to incorporate in all racing games, then the lesser-known Catch-Up Race. This is a game that pits you against an opponent to see how far (and long) you can outrun each other. Once you get 100 meters ahead of your foe, and keep the lead for 10 seconds without the other car catching up, you get a point. It's kind of like a Skins game of mini golf. Unique! 

Overall: 7.5
This racing game is made for lovers of all things GM. No, I'm lying to see if you're paying attention. If you don't love Mustangs, you won't like this game. It's a niche game for a special group of fans. Like my type. I love an old Nova, Chevelle or taunting 'Vette, but since I was a tot and wrecked one by releasing the emergency brake (it was my aunt's fault for not having it in gear, I swear!), I have wanted my own Mustang. I want a 1966 Classic red mustang. Or ... about anything else as long as its not from the mid 70s. Like them or not, they're factually a good car. They've had ups and downs, but this game offers a "all's-well" look at the past and present. Keeping in mind it's for a select group, and not trying to break your gaming budget, its an above-average title with some fun and thrills with a nod to the history of one of America's premiere muscle cars. Ride 'em cowboy!!!