Street Racing Syndicate

About

In Street Racing Syndicate, experience the thrill of illegal street racing with pseudo-realistic graphics and customization of over 40 licensed cars from 15 manufacturers. Compete in races across the USA, wagering cash, reputation, and even your opponent's wheels. Impress 18 real-life models to increase your street cred. However, be cautious of errors as they may lead to penalties or damage.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,086 reviews

graphics80 positive mentions

music40 negative mentions

graphics
228 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
49%
16%
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, reflecting its 2005 release, with many reviewers noting that while they may not hold up to modern standards, they are acceptable for their time. Some players appreciate the nostalgic early 2000s aesthetic, highlighting decent car models and environments, but others criticize the low resolution and lack of widescreen support. Overall, the visuals are seen as a mixed bag, with some enjoying the retro charm while others find them lacking compared to contemporaries like the Need for Speed series.
- “If we ignore the graphics used to represent human beings who only appear at the beginning and end of races, the game looks great for its age; the shiny city roads make the game look like it is remastered.”
- “For an older game from the PlayStation 2 era, it still holds up as a fun and fairly in-depth racer with good controls and decent graphics as far as the terrain and lighting go.”
- “Graphically, Street Racing Syndicate has good car models and decent environments.”
- “The graphics are outdated even for 2004 standards, the sound is awful and the gameplay is painful.”
- “This game feels like eating a mountain of doo doo and sucking it up with 2002 graphics.”
- “The graphics to me feel like this should've been kept at GameStop and not sold online.”
music
190 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
64%
21%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of variety and repetitive tracks that detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the nostalgic early 2000s vibe and find a few standout tracks, the majority criticize the soundtrack as mediocre or low-quality, often opting to mute it in favor of their own playlists. Overall, the music is seen as a weak point, failing to enhance the gameplay and leaving players wanting more.
- “Nice handling model and peak 2000s custom car era with its vibes and music.”
- “Fun, engaging and great music selection of its time!”
- “Great breakbeat/hip-hop/nu-metal soundtrack, totally catches the 90s early 2000s street racing vibe.”
- “The soundtrack contains less than 20 tracks in total, which doesn't seem too bad until you hear the same mediocre songs over and over.”
- “Now the other features of the game, starting with the big bad, the music, which is basically SoundCloud garbage, and I had to mute it as soon as I started the game for the first time.”
- “The music, however, gets repetitive, and eventually it's best to turn it off, or play your own music on the side.”
gameplay
150 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
67%
12%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the realistic driving mechanics and extensive car customization options, while others criticize its repetitive nature and clunky controls. The inclusion of a "girlfriend" mechanic has drawn both amusement and disdain, and overall, the game is seen as a nostalgic throwback to simpler racing titles, albeit with dated graphics and sound. While it offers enjoyable arcade-style racing moments, many feel it lacks the polish and depth found in more modern racing games.
- “Gameplay mechanics are realistic, manual transmission feels better to control than most other car sims.”
- “One of the finest old racing games with really good gameplay and cool old school cars.”
- “This game was so much fun when it first came out and took me back to the simpler times when the gameplay was more important than the graphics at the time.”
- “Women are sexualized, physics are messed up, gameplay is repetitive, the overall quality is bad and the stock Supra A80 has only 220 hp.”
- “The graphics are outdated even for 2004 standards, the sound is awful and the gameplay is painful.”
- “But the gameplay is horrid, the graphics are fine, the sound is somewhat bad.”
story
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
64%
27%
The game's story is generally perceived as minimal and lacking depth, often described as a simple backdrop to the racing mechanics rather than a central focus. While some players find humor and charm in its narrative elements, many criticize it for being boring and poorly executed, with a significant emphasis on car customization over storytelling. Overall, the story is seen as an afterthought, with players spending more time on gameplay than engaging with the narrative.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “A cheesy version of Need for Speed Underground, driving is super arcady on borderline terrible; the story is funny and right from the start you can tell where it goes.”
- “The game's depth is found in street mode, which starts out with some inkling of a story but quickly boils down to a fairly standard career mode.”
- “Graphics and presentation are very dated, along with a very boring story that desperately tries to get your attention with tasteless scantily clad women and cheesy early 2000's dialogue.”
- “There's no story whatsoever; the necessity to run the game in a 4:3 screen ratio is pretty annoying, and when in pursuit, expect cops to be spawning right in front of you out of thin air.”
optimization
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
71%
8%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting it runs well aside from resolution issues, while others report frequent crashes and poor handling. Performance tuning is available but lacks clarity on how upgrades affect cars, and players must repeatedly pay for parts and repairs, which can be frustrating. Overall, while there are decent customization options, the optimization experience varies significantly among users.
- “You need to find what combinations of parts give the best performance, and each comes with tradeoffs.”
- “Besides the resolution problem, this game is pretty well optimized.”
- “You can tune your car's performance with turbos, nitrous, exhaust systems, flywheels, better ignition, weight reduction kits, etc. You can also tune your car's visual side too.”
- “Poorly optimized, constant crashes, difficulty ramps artificially, 3 lap tracks and 1 lap tracks demand the same amount of stunt points making the 1 lap tracks almost impossible, cars handle poorly, upgrades are unclear as to how they'll affect the car, you don't get to keep parts you purchase (every time you switch you must pay again).”
- “Applying upgrades to your car is a chore due to multiple categories of the same items and a performance graph that must refresh every time you pick a new part.”
- “While you can go in depth with performance parts, the visual customization is limited to body kits and spoilers.”
humor
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this 2000s racing game is characterized by its cheesy and over-the-top elements, including the amusing interactions with the girlfriend character who serves as a flag girl and the unlockable, hilariously bad videos featuring real-life import models. While some may find the portrayal of women and the game's physics to be outdated or tasteless, many players appreciate the game's charm and find the humor to be a significant part of its appeal, making it a fun and entertaining experience overall.
- “The girl you're currently 'hooked up' with serves as the flag girl when you race, and she can be lost if you drive poorly, but if you drive well, you can unlock hilariously awful videos featuring these real-life import models.”
- “All jokes aside, Street Racing Syndicate is a cheesy, funny, charming, and overall fun game to play.”
- “A cheesy version of Need for Speed Underground, driving is super arcady and borderline terrible; the story is funny, and right from the start, you can tell where it goes.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it enjoyable and immersive enough to return to after years, others note a lack of variety and repetitive gameplay that diminishes long-term engagement. Customization options and police pursuits are seen as mediocre, contributing to a general sentiment that replay value is limited, though it may still appeal to newcomers.
- “But forget graphics, this game is super fun and replayable for the immersive and fun driving experience. It looks really good for what it is, and I managed to run the highest graphics settings on my regular laptop.”
- “I love this game and the fact that it still has replay value for me today after ten years is a testament to its core quality.”
- “It's not as immersive or as replayable as, let's say, Need for Speed: Underground 2, but for those who are playing it for the first time, it'll likely keep you occupied for quite some time before you move on to the next game.”
- “Also, there is little to no replay value here.”
- “The races are playable, customization is somewhat decent, but mediocre. Police pursuits are unplayable; you will get busted going 60 mph, there's no escape.”
- “Replay value: 6/10 (can get repetitive doing circuit and point to point, though I don't mind).”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
71%
The stability of the game appears to be inconsistent among users; while some report a smooth experience on older hardware with low settings, others encounter significant issues such as crashes, screen glitches, and failure to launch. Overall, the game is described as buggy, with varying performance depending on the system configuration.
- “If you are on a 15+ year old HP 530 notebook like I have with a T7200 Core Duo CPU, 4 GB DDR2 memory, and Windows 10, putting all the settings to the lowest allows it to run great!”
- “Game won't even launch despite extensive technical efforts to try troubleshooting absolutely everything.”
- “How do I get the random stuff off the screen? While I played the game, I experienced screen lags (glitches, slices) or whatever, and it's really annoying.”
- “No, it's still a piece of buggy crap.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is often described as tedious and frustrating, particularly when it comes to earning respect points and navigating challenging driving mechanics. Players note that the experience can become monotonous after completing the race series, leading to a recommendation to explore more popular racing titles instead. Overall, while some appreciate the grind reminiscent of RPGs, many find it ultimately unfulfilling.
- “Grinding for the respect points is tedious. Doing drifts and leading the race without hitting anything, even when you're driving a rear-wheel drive car, is an absolute nightmare, as the physics suffer from input lag. Cars like the AE86, RX7, RX8, MR2 Spyder, and 350Z are examples of this.”
- “I recommend you just get and play Need for Speed Underground 1/2 or other racing games that are more popular on Steam instead, because this game can wear out pretty swiftly after you complete the race series across Los Angeles and grind for cars and respect; it's rather pointless.”
- “Just find some good music to listen to and get ready for a grindy experience.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive import tuner vibe, comparable to classics like Juiced 1 and Underground 1. Players appreciate the ability to progress at their own pace, enhancing the overall experience.
- “Great atmosphere; it's up there with Juiced 1 and Underground 1 in terms of providing a real import tuner feel.”
- “Move at your own pace in this atmosphere, and you will truly enjoy this game.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players express a nostalgic emotional connection to the game, recalling the joy of childhood experiences. However, this sentiment is overshadowed by criticism of the outdated graphics, lackluster story, and reliance on clichéd elements that detract from the overall emotional impact.
- “It has that old school taste, and the feeling I had playing this game made me feel like I was 4 again.”