Of course tested on the PS3, recently I decided that I
wanted another (yet another) racing game on file, and having rally, F1 and even
radio controlled cars it was time for something a little more normal.
The real swing to this game though is the cars. Not only V8 supercars but
also Touring Car Legends (E30, RS500 etc), a fine collection indeed, even if
the latter is an extra purchase.
So, the cars. It is an eclectic mix and no mistake, GT40 to
F1 wannabe there’s a little of everything in there. But it is a little. Only a
few cars per class and whilst there are many classes each race is with only a
few differing makes. A few paint options makes for a full and varied field but
think one make races etc and you’re going to be pleasantly surprised rather
than thinking GT6’esq garages.
The tracks are good too. A few well known tracks (Bathurst!)
and many not so well known tracks which seem real enough appear in the game. There’s
also short courses, street courses and road courses (more on them in a minute). Of Bathurst, some reviews say the track isn't up to the reality of GT6, and I suppose it's not. But it's close enough to make the racing great.
Physics and game play – the former – well, relaxed is how it’s
touted. Odd is how I’d describe it. There’s enough settings to dial out most of
the oddness, and a smooth driving style is well rewarded, but there’s certainly
something vaguely not right in the way cars wander on track. Hard to pin down,
maybe the tyres aren’t gripping like GT6 or something. But then this never
pretends to be GT6.
But the game play. This is the greatness of this game.
Certainly the AI is aggressive, but it’s refreshing to see a car barrel roll to
a stop in front, or have the car block you. I find that if you’re polite it’s
not so bad. If you’re rough, expect to get punted out at some point.
There’s the main career of course, with seasons that last a
few races (in the early stages that I’m in), easily doable in an evening’s
racing. Then there’s time trial which is limited to track and car combinations
(open it up!) and custom cup.
And this, I think is the saving grace of this game – In custom
cup I can race any car class (not including DLC - boo!) on any track, and that includes
what would normally be limited to a few cars – Sprint Racing.
Sprint racing is great. Not because it’s great racing as
such, but because I have an insatiable appetite for bitumen hill climb racing,
so fast cars (any car actually) on short road courses. You could call this a
tarmac rally but in this game the choice of cars are all race cars in the main.
And it’s great fun.
I’ve been choosing various classes and doing my best to be
the fastest, and after a few runs on the short (2-3 minute stages) I'm
generally up there. I don’t think that’s going to be to everyone’s taste, but it most certainly is mine!
Online? I’ve
joined but don’t utilise racenet, not sure I will – it has drive club style
racing, I need a race mate! Looking at forums, I think I'm 35 years to old to race in any public forums, and the Grid version of seasonals just don't appeal for some reason.
If you think of this as Dirt3 physics in the most part, with
some juicy road cars (and skip drift events please!) then you’ll be in the
right ballpark for this game. Oh and it works fine with a DFGT wheel, very well
in fact.
Finally, here’s some in-game replay stuff. I’ll record a
whole race using the same mechanism I’ve done Dirt3 and GT6 with at some point,
these aren’t great and I’m sure the sound is out…
The sound is out of sync here, not in game - and actually sounds much better in game. Check the "physics" of wheel on road though....
And this, if you like this you should get the game. If you're cringing at how this compares to a 787B in GT6. Stay well away...
