Ever wanted to design your own car and see how it competes with real life exotics and concepts? Well, Atari has finally answered your prayers, albeit somewhat incompletely. In Apex, you are the head of your own car company and the key here is getting recognition for your company by racing and winning so it can sell more, per the old "Race on Sunday, Buy on Monday" philosophy. Furthermore, you also get invited to test drives and such, where the outcome is equivalent to more sales volume.
The game, in and of itself, presents a great concept. The idea of running your own car company is most appealing to any one of us. The reason why? Because we know we can make better cars, right? I mean, seriously, all cars should come stock with 3-inch exhausts, twin turbos, a big ass intercooler, killer body kit, and any other fixings your sick little mind can cook up, right? Unfortunately, Apex doesn't provide that. In fact, you are pretty much forced to choose a design that the game presents to you.
No biggie, because you're a good racer. And good racers can make Yugos handle and perform like Porsches. Well, maybe not. As with real life, you're stuck with proving yourself until you're successful. Don't panic: The controls are there to help you, and the customary setup helps get you on your way. Easy enough, but the real trick is getting used to the physics.
To me, it seems like the physics are a strange hybrid of Project Gotham and Sega GT 2002. Both games have their strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, Apex isn't able to shed all of the weaknesses and retain the strengths effectively. It feels like an arcade racer trying to attain sim physics. But don't let this put you off. As with many other racers, the physics engine is something to get used to and once you do so, the game progresses nicely.
Needless to say, the graphics are well done (well, duh, it's on the XBox) and the sound executed nicely. Anyway, the main thing to bring away from this is that Apex offers something that no other racer has offered to date on a next generation console. With that in mind, don't let this one pass you up. It's well worth it to give Apex a spin and maybe end up building your automotive empire.