The game offers several modes of play, including Training, Single Race, Missions, Free Ride, and Race Schedule. It can be quite confusing as to what mode is allowed at any given time, but most users can probably stumble through the game, finding something interesting to do.
Not only does Mercedes Benz World Racing offer what is essentially a lackluster selection of cars, but it doles them out in small quantities, a sedan or station wagon at a time. Cars are unlocked as you progress through races, but given the unexciting nature of the vehicles, there isn't really much incentive to race at all.
Races take place on lifeless environments that hope to trick you into believing that lots of moving aircraft will make you feel like you are in the real world. During any given race you will see planes, helicopters, and even alien spacecraft zooming all about the tracks. This is essentially a gimmick and it gets old awfully fast.
The AI of your opponents isn't bad, and track layouts are fairly interesting, but without the provided on-screen indicators to guide you, it can be difficult to tell where to turn on some tracks, or even which direction to go. Although there's an option that allows you to choose the level of Simulation or Arcade style handling you wish your car to possess, its effects are minimal, and the cars handle unrealistically.
An especially frustrating aspect of World Racing is the way collisions are simulated. There are some neat things, like allowing you to roll cars over the sides of mountains, but basic things, like how a car impacts a curb, or how differently it handles over gravel versus asphalt, just don't make sense at all. It's these sorts of details that are overlooked consistently, and they reduce the game to sheer tedium.
