Concerning the game's playability, the Japanese release was judged "impossible to play" by GameSpot and IGN, which both felt the Western versions were an improvement, even though the game was still "far more sensitive than it ought to be". Still, Game Revolution found the car default settings unbalanced and hard to re-adjust properly, and criticized the game's inconsistent AI, like Allgame and IGN. "Famitsu" reported long load times and a high difficulty level, noting that the game was aimed more toward fans of sim racing than fans of arcade-style gameplay, due to the difficulty of steering. "Game Informer" and GameZone echoed "Famitsu"'s review, stating that the load times quickly become a "game-ending nightmare", and calling the game's handling "touchy", "intense" and "revolutionary", but acknowledging that most players would simply find it too challenging and frustrating to be fun. While "Game Informer" alleged that "there is a masterpiece for driving simulator buffs buried in here", Allgame was much more negative, stating that the cars "seem overly light on their tires" and that it "feels like you're driving on ice".