So recently the long awaited and repeatedly delayed racing sim from Slightly Mad Studios was released…among a fanfare to those who have been following the game for…well quite a while.
So what has the game brought to the table, aside from over 60 cars, over 100 tracks and a simulation experience? Not much, but is that a bad thing? Definitely Not!
The basis of the game is in 4 different areas, career, solo, online and community, all of which offer distinctly different experiences.
The career mode is based around an 8 tier racing legacy, allowing you to start right at the beginning where many present racing drivers started their long arduous journey to the top…KARTING. If you dont want to start there, then the game gives you the option to start wherever you like, want to jump straight into Formula A racing…no problem, want to take on the GT series…not a problem. YOU have the freedom to choose where you start. Once you have chosen your route you get some offers from race teams, this is a downpoint…there are no objectives depending on which team you choose to race for…a downpoint see!
The solo section, allows you to fuel up your engine and race around a track in free practice, or to take on a single race weekend, taking in free practice, qualifying, warmup and the race. Take on a full track of competitors and see how you cope.
Online mode gives you the freedom to create your own race weekend, give yourself a 10 minute practice session to get used to the specific car before taking yourself into the qualifying round. Or go and join an online race against a number of randoms, this is where the game gets interesting. What good is a racing game, if you cant judge your skill based on other people around the world. The races are fair…sometimes…you do get the odd nudge and paint scrape and unfortunately the odd sideswipe, but this is mainly due to being left unsighted of people diving up the inside.
There are a number of race challenges under the community section, allowing you to take on a race, post your best time and then possibly win prizes. These are quick, simple and non time consuming to take on, giving an extra dimension to the usual racing around a track. Eek out your best time in a Formula A car around Barcelona De Catalunya.
Now onto the actual track…the driving experience…the main selling point of all racing games is how the thing drives, and in the case of Project Cars…this is very very good. Each car feels difference, depending on drive train, size, weight. Taking a GT car around the track is highly different to taking a Le Mans car around. The feeling of grip when you come out of the corner and put the power down is incredible. Its such a great feeling when you brake late, diving into the corner and have enough grip to power out the corner, although the complete opposite can be said when you are trying to take a Ford GT around the track, which its wobbly backside preventing you from getting the power down straight away. Causing you to squeeze the accelerator. Then is the confidence, this game has a great way of building your confidence in your car and then snatching it away when you get too bullish! Keep taking time out of your sector times and the game will be rewarding, but push yourself beyond the limits of the car and you will end up in the dirt.
Whilst all the reading so far is good there are a few gripes with the game, but I’m sure that these can be patched in at a later date. Not being able to have an online league with your friends is a big downside. Although each race becomes great fun when you add your friends. The penalties and flags are annoying, if you dip your tyres on the dirt you will be greeted with a message stating your time has been invalidated…do it again on the same lap and the next lap time will not count. It becomes frustrating when you just want to get a time on the board.
So all in all…the game is great! One of the best racing games I have had the pleasure of playing. It is not without its flaws but still, the feeling of speed is amazing. If you are on the edge of buying this game or not and you are a racing fan, then what are you waiting for. Go out now and buy this game, and maybe i will see you on the track!
Back when Days Gone Remastered was announced, many fans were squinting to see the differences between the excellent original PS4 version and its PS5 re-release.
But now with the game readily available – and our 8/10 review declaring it the “definitive version of a fan favourite” – we’re beginning to get some meaningful tech analysis.
And according to Digital Foundry, this is not just the bare-bones resolution upscale some had anticipated – “a lot of effort has gone into it”, according to the tech experts.
TheXboxHub writes - "Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn isn’t a bad game, however it is lacking the magical X factor that will ensure you miss it when you’re not playing."
"The London-based (the UK) indie games publisher Curve Games and Brighton-based (the UK) indie games developer Runner Duck, are today very happy and excited to announce that their roguelite sim “Badlands Crew” (which is the third installment in the popular Crew games franchise), is now available for PC via Steam" - Jonas Ek, TGG.
You should include the word "simulator" in the title. Maybe I'm an exception, but I dont like racing simulators, so... no. Not for me.
DriveClub already here buddy.
I think overall, this is a really great game for those who enjoy sim racing. It has the most complete real world track list I've seen in a long time, maybe ever. I am bummed oval tracks were removed but have heard they will be added in the future. The physics are fantastic and force feedback is solid. Graphics are solid as well. I am playing this on PC just to be clear. I am not aware of how the game runs on ps4 or XB1. I'm running this game at max graphical settings at 60fps with a Logitech Driving Force GT.
I only have a few gripes about this game.
1. You cannot edit any game settings within an event.
2. I kind of get lost in career mode with what series I'm racing in and those that I'm not. I have a notepad open to remind me which series I'm taking the time to race in. Maybe its just me, but a list of series I've already raced in would be nice.
3. The wheel rotation settings are okay, but I wish there was a way to make the turning radius a little shorter so I could take turns sharper with the older cars.
4. IN STEAM - sometimes when I quit the game, steam thinks I'm still playing and I can't exit steam or play another game until I open the Task Manager to manually close steam.
5. Multiplayer is epic when it works. Its a lot of fun. But, when it doesn't work, its insanely frustrating. They need to fix this.
Like I said, overall, this may be the most complete racing title I've played in ages upon release. Its a lot of fun for those who love racing sims.
Out of a 10, I'd give an 8. It has a few issues and is missing oval tracks, but aside from those things, the game is a ton of fun.
I agree with some of your gripes, although being a UK player i dont get the same enjoyment out of oval races, i prefer corners.
The game isnt perfect, there are issues, i guess that they will get fixed in the long term.
Is is frustrating that you cant edit settings in game, like taking off the racing line or the corner indicators.
Whilst the game is for the purist its not just solely for those, a beginner who enjoys racing games can take the game around a track quite easily. put on the racing line indicator and you have a Grid style game.
I didn't try online yet and I think for online I will stick with iRacing, but for offline it's one of the best sim racer out there currently. What I have a small gripe with is the AI. When I set them to a level where they are a challenge they seem to lack a lot of spacial awareness and frequently hit me.
What I would have liked for the FFB settings is a more userfriendly way to set it up. A system where it simulates the FFB and let's you tweak it on the fly, like a setup wizard.