Capcom's first foray into the racing simulation genre is bitter sweet. Auto Modellista manages create a unique new style reminiscent of Japanese manga comics that videogames haven't yet seen. But underneath the visual flair is a gameplay system that's neither arcade nor simulation based, and never manages to excel in either.

Despite the cell-shaded graphics, Auto Modellista is a racing simulator like Gran Turismo or Sega GT. There are tons of real life cars to choose from, all cell-shaded out in a perfect comic book rendition of the actual vehicle. All cars are from major car manufacturers like Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Dodge, and Shelby to name a few. The overall car selection contains favorites like the RX-7 and Skyline GT-R, but also includes some obscure cars like the Daihatsu Copen and Honda Beat. The added classic vehicles like the Skyline 2000 GT-R and the Honda S800 round out a fantastic car selection.

The vehicles can be customized and tuned in a Garage Life mode. Like a career mode, Garage Life lets you tweak your vehicle out, from custom stickers to engine upgrades. But AM handles all customizations differently. Instead of racing, getting money, and buying new parts, AM lets you customize a good deal of parts from the get go. Tires, breaks, suspension, turbine, body kits, and even hood design can all be chosen before you start your first race. AM's tracks involve a variety of different real life courses, from dirt tracks to mountain pass racing, thereby allowing you to tweak for each of the races without having to earn every upgrade first. However computer chips, engine tune-up, final-gear ratios, and weight reduction are level-based upgrades that will appear as you win more races.

Players will be able to customize their garage layout and decorate it with items won after races. Most items like the Castrol oil can and standard oil can are trivial, plus collectable fanatics won't be able to zoom into their items for further inspection. Players can customize stickers to be placed on the hood, doors, or other areas via a Paint-type program.

There are a number of different race tracks that emphasis different race styles and techniques. There are city based circuits in Shinjuku and Hanshin Highway (one with rain), mountain pass roads (uphill and downhill), U.S. Speedway and dirt track, and the famous Suzuka race circuit. Each kind of circuit offers a different racing experience and will require appropriate tuning. For players that don't feel like customizing every part of their car, they can choose Easy Tune-Up before the race and select options like +/- acceleration, or +/- grip.

The core of a race simulator is the depth of gameplay, and this is where Auto Modellista doesn't shine. The racing is strictly guided by a sliding system that nearly spins out the car on most turns. Like any simulator each car will vary in its ability to attack corners at a certain speed, but the basic slide gameplay that governs the gameplay is apparent in every vehicle. Halfway through a turn you'll find yourself constantly adjusting left and right to balance the car. Even when driving in a straightaway, the car will glide towards the left or right at touch of the analog pad. Adjusting suspension or tire type to remedy the situation doesn't help much. Many times it's easier just to go full speed, take a bounce off the wall, and complete the turn. The result is a non-fluid race experience that doesn't provide the simulation depth found in other GT titles, and gameplay that's too twitchy for a fast, arcade experience.

An area where AM doesn't slack is in its visuals. The style is the most unique seen in a racer, with dark-outlined vehicles, fully representative of their real-life counterparts, that pop out above the solid, vibrant backdrops. The tracks are well realized and solidly constructed, with zero to no pop-up and appropriate eye-candy. Environmental effects are fully detailed as rain blotches on car models, water and dirt are kicked up by tires, and leaves are blown into the air. The car sounds are very distinct, as are the music tracks, which range from techno to pop rock tunes. AM's AI is better than either GT3 or Sega GT 2002. They're smart, not-cheap, don't drive on the same lines, and mess up on difficult turns. Split-screen two-player mode is rock solid at 60fps.

AM also features one of the best replay systems seen. Players can rewind, fast forward, and pause any part of their replay from a variety of camera angles and car perspectives. The game even features a replay edit mode where you can add custom visual effects to coincide with a music track.

After a short registration process players can log into AM's network mode via the PS2 network adapter. The broadband-only network mode allows up to eight players to race simultaneously. Races took a bit long to load even with everyone on broadband. Be warned that races are divided by race circuits and not classes, so if you don't have a souped up vehicle, you might get burned bad. Also, the on-screen keyboard is horrendous. Think about text-messaging to talk online and you get the picture.

It's a shame that Auto Modellista's gameplay isn't up to par with the rest of the game. Had the developers stuck with an arcade racer style that had been apparent at last year's E3, or held it back to fine-tune its gameplay, the title could have came out on top. Still, it's a cohesive if flawed racer that's worth a try.