Project CARS 2 PlayStation 4 Review

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

Project CARS 2 PlayStation 4 Review

This article was published by Kyle Patrick (@SlipZtrEm) on September 27th, 2017 in the Product Reviews category.

 

[oneloops]

I find physics very different in comparison with PCars1 ones, in a very good way. My headache is with force feed back and wheel settings... I haven't found the good ones for me yet...

Tyres model simulation with Road cars is amazing, realistic and fun as it is in real life, that's the best part for me. Even if racing cars simulation is very fine and fun too.

Great camera effects while changing gears or going through bumps or with G forces etc ... it's very inmersive and accurate.

I only miss a bit more slipping in accelerations, maybe there is too much grip in the acceleration phase.

 

[VBR]

An excellent review, highlighting all the good, & not holding back from mentioning the bad. I swore I wouldn't pre-order P CARS 2 after the bugfest that was P CARS 1, once bitten twice shy, & I'm so glad I didn't buy it. A mate of mine cancelled his pre-order for GT Sport & got this game instead. All he's had are bugs, glitches, & issues; he's decided to sell it & Pre-order GT Sport again.

I give SMS 10/10 for their concept of crowd funding & crowd development, but they just can't seem to pull it off enough for my liking as regards the spit & polish, & for me that ruins the experience. I really wanted to like this game, after all it has so much going for it, but for me it's a big fat NO! After seeing it running on PS4 Pro round my mates, I'm confident that I will not be buying it (at least not until most of the issues have been addressed & it's in a bargain bin sale on PS Store).

An excellent concept, poorly implemented, but with moments of sheer awesomeness; pretty much the same as P CARS 1.

 

[mattikake]

Nice review.

But "What the game doesn’t mention is that the first two require calibration time on-track. You’ll head out and wonder why the wheel has gone numb, but feedback will slowly fill in over a few laps. It’s an interesting sensation, but should be mentioned somewhere. Plus, since the Control menu is saved every time you exit, make sure you don’t accidentally modify anything in there, or you’ll need to run the calibration laps again."

What? I had no idea about this! It explains a lot. I mean with the FFB doing FA for tyre slip I was changing this on the fly every lap to notice a difference. It still doesn't explain the total lack of tyre slip feel compared to PC1 though.

 

[Cowboy]

Love the picture with the XJ220 LM.

 

[GordonS]

Thank you GTPlanet for this honest review.

 

[GrandPrix]

Great write up.

I'm enjoying the game but it's pretty frustrating some of the bugs present, mostly because they were known issues in PC1. I'm currently using a pad and it was laughable how out of whack the controller settings were but after making the changes recommended it feels much improved. I'll be eagerly awaiting a patch for some of the more common issues and hope the online racing gets a little attention but overall it is a really enjoyable package. G29 coming soon too so that should transform the game in a great way.

 

[FuriousDemon]

A bit harsh. I guess fair, but I’d rather take pCARS with it’s bugs than a polished turd like Forza or GT. Don’t get me wrong, those games are good when you are just getting into racing, but they don’t have much “soul”.

 

[Corsa]

That was a good read, thank you.

I haven't had any problems, or needed to restart the app.
It's ran very smooth on the PS4 for me, I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

The only bug I can report is fuel while racing online. I set my tune to 25L, when the race starts I'll have 66.3L or some other random number.

 

[lancia delta hf]

Anyone come across the bug that suddenly cuts out all steering inputs during a race? That's not a good bug at all. This game should have her released 6 months later, or just built on a new engine entirely.

 

[Corsa]

Anyone come across the bug that suddenly cuts out all steering inputs during a race? That's not a good bug at all. This game should have her released 6 months later, or just built on a new engine entirely.

Not with T150. What wheel are you running?

 

[BuckFly]

The most important question wasn't answered:

How in the world is GTPlanet not on the list of reviewers/ or reviewer copies for this game?

 

[sems4arsenal]

Great review @SlipZtrEm Very informative.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Anyone come across the bug that suddenly cuts out all steering inputs during a race? That's not a good bug at all. This game should have her released 6 months later, or just built on a new engine entirely.

It is a shame there is nowhere to post a bug report and you have to come to the review thread to do it.

 

[GTSeriesVids]

I’d rather take pCARS with it’s bugs than a polished turd like Forza or GT. Don’t get me wrong, those games are good when you are just getting into racing, but they don’t have much “soul”.

I have to disagree i think GT has more "Soul" than both forza and PCars combined

 

[RacerDude08]

I have to disagree i think GT has more "Soul" than both forza and PCars combined

I absolutely do not share your opinion but everyone is entitled to their own.

 

[LPlates]

Anyone come across the bug that suddenly cuts out all steering inputs during a race? That's not a good bug at all. This game should have her released 6 months later, or just built on a new engine entirely.

I've had my T300rs blip and send me off track twice in the days since launch. It's rare but does happen.

I've had the menu pop up ( I guess due to lack of controller) once.

Each time it has resolved itself but not useful and if it happens while online...race over!

 

[Brend]

A bit harsh. I guess fair, but I’d rather take pCARS with it’s bugs than a polished turd like Forza or GT. Don’t get me wrong, those games are good when you are just getting into racing, but they don’t have much “soul”.

I wouldn't say 3.5 stars is 'harsh' personally! I think that's a good score for a game with buckets of potential like pCARS 2 but still very rough around the edges.

 

[Lord Kacperov]

A bit harsh. I guess fair, but I’d rather take pCARS with it’s bugs than a polished turd like Forza or GT. Don’t get me wrong, those games are good when you are just getting into racing, but they don’t have much “soul”.

I think GT has always had a soul, and that includes GT5 and GT6. GT5 had such a charming menu, despite it being slower than a McLaren Honda (haha, very funny overused joke, mate). And I still felt that soul when playing GT6, especially when playing the Senna Tribute. The menu wasn’t that charming though in my opinion.

Anyways, thank you for another awesome article and review, @SlipZtrEm!

 

[FuriousDemon]

I wouldn't say 3.5 stars is 'harsh' personally! I think that's a good score for a game with buckets of potential like pCARS 2 but still very rough around the edges.

Hm...I would say 70% pretty much means a game is a pass. I’m going to see what GT and Forza get, but I sure hope not more than that.

Some areas I thought were rated lower that I expected: Content I would rate 4.5 or 5, physics I would rate 4.5 or 5, sound I would rate 4.5 or 5. Again, if Forza and GT get 2.5 or 3 I’m those areas, I will say pCARS was rated fairly. We shall see

 

[Johnnypenso]

It is always nice to read reviews on GTPlanet. You know they are being thoroughly vetted by someone who is familiar with the genre and they always read as in-depth and comprehensive. One of the few reviewers you can trust to go beyond the surface and the talking points that many of the other popular review sites focus on.

I think 3.5 is about right for the game as it sits. I would expect it to raise up to at least a 4 or better after a couple of months of patching out the resolvable issues.

 

[marcvic]

I agree with @lancia delta hf --- A few more months of optimization would go a long way.

I suppose that would forfeit the advantage of releasing before FM7 and GTS, as well as miss out on holiday sales though.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

I find physics very different in comparison with PCars1 ones, in a very good way. My headache is with force feed back and wheel settings... I haven't found the good ones for me yet...

Tyres model simulation with Road cars is amazing, realistic and fun as it is in real life, that's the best part for me. Even if racing cars simulation is very fine and fun too.

Great camera effects while changing gears or going through bumps or with G forces etc ... it's very inmersive and accurate.

I only miss a bit more slipping in accelerations, maybe there is too much grip in the acceleration phase.

Yeah, the road cars I've tried have been pretty great — the Evo VI is far more exciting than I remember it being in other games. And yep, immersion is really great in the game. It's going for a different part of the market than GT and Forza, and in many ways, it succeeds.

A bit harsh. I guess fair, but I’d rather take pCARS with it’s bugs than a polished turd like Forza or GT.

A bit harsh, indeed. One is the best-selling simulation racer on consoles, the other is the best-selling this generation (and, outside of one title, the most consistent in terms of highest critical reception).

Don’t get me wrong, those games are good when you are just getting into racing, but they don’t have much “soul”.

I feel like people ascribe this "soul" thing to whichever game they prefer. That's fine, but it's not quantifiable.

Hm...I would say 70% pretty much means a game is a pass. I’m going to see what GT and Forza get, but I sure hope not more than that.

Some areas I thought were rated lower that I expected: Content I would rate 4.5 or 5, physics I would rate 4.5 or 5, sound I would rate 4.5 or 5. Again, if Forza and GT get 2.5 or 3 I’m those areas, I will say pCARS was rated fairly. We shall see

You'd give it a perfect score in 3/5 of the categories? Er, okay then.

It is always nice to read reviews on GTPlanet. You know they are being thoroughly vetted by someone who is familiar with the genre and they always read as in-depth and comprehensive. One of the few reviewers you can trust to go beyond the surface and the talking points that many of the other popular review sites focus on.

I think 3.5 is about right for the game as it sits. I would expect it to raise up to at least a 4 or better after a couple of months of patching out the resolvable issues.

Cheers Johnny. Google shows the score as the actual average (3.7), but since our system deals with half-stars, it sits at 3.5. I agree, it'll be a solid 4-star (or even higher) after there's some post-launch fixing, but as is, it's a very compromised package. That we can all see the potential says something!

The jump from launch day PCARS1 on XB1 to the GOTY edition I've been playing on PS4 all summer was huge. I'm very interested to see how the game evolves from here.

 

[bloodyboyblue]

The only serious bugs I've encountered are the aforementioned online race fuel load (where it's always way higher than you set it), the loading screens on invitational events can last more than 5 minutes, every time I start the game and every time I go back to the main menu I have to wait a minute or more on the "race central" screen for the game to load up how the menu itself works (or something), and often when my tires are set "automatic by weather" I start on wet tires even when there's no rain forecast whatsoever, so I have to always set the tire type manually. Also we attempted an online rallycross race in the snow and it was completely unplayable, the cars wouldn't move.

Minor gripes are the lack of lap number estimation with fuel load like the first game, now you have to calculate your own mileage by practicing, and the fact that AI opponents never seem to have to change their tire type in short races with changing weather. I've encountered the opposite situation than you though, opponents are painfully slow and cautious in heavy rain and on snow tracks and I often end up lapping them quickly (strength set at 80, aggression at 70).

It is a travesty that the Caterham 7 Classic was omitted, but I don't really miss any of the other cars they jettisoned. I don't really see the point of the SLS GT3 still being there though since it's about the only older GT3 car left, and they got rid of the old R8 and 12C.

The physics model feels completely different from the first game to me, braking especially. The controller is perfect right out of the box except on ovals where it can be too twitchy to maintain a consistent line through the corners. With the controller at least there's a massive difference in feel and grip when I touch the rumble strips or grass, I can instantly tell when I've gone too far off track, but yeah more rumble sound like GT has would be helpful. Graphics are a downgrade (like from GT1 to GT2) but it's understandable considering the added content. At least the colours are more saturated now though.

Bottom line is I haven't encountered anything that I would consider a bug that would turn me off of this game. I never played the original PCARS until almost a year after release but this feels about the same level of polish to me. It's a hell of a lot better than anything made by Bethesda. If you held the original release of Skyrim to the same standard as this review it would get 1 star.

 

[sems4arsenal]

Several people told me that members were begging to beta test the console versions but SMS wouldn't do it. Baffling decision to not do QA for consoles (or ignore it). They burned so many people because of this and they still didn't learn their lesson.

Fool me once.

 

[FuriousDemon]

You'd give it a perfect score in 3/5 of the categories? Er, okay then.

If comparing it to GT and Forza, I would rate pCARS 2 at 5 for sound and handling/physics and maybe 4.5 for content (quality is great, quantity is worse than Forza). Other areas I think are rated fairly (as it stands right now).

Comparing it to PC sims, I think 4 would be correct for sound and physics. Like I said, if GT and Forza get a 3 for those categories, I would agree this is quite fair.

Anyway, I think the text overall is well written, just not sure about the numbers, but maybe the best parts of PC sims are taken as a gold standard and then it's quite fair.

 

[jake2013guy]

I'd say the first category is a bit far too expansive. Content would be assumed it would be for the actual content in game regarding cars and tracks and a separate category for an Offline Campaign mode would be far more useful and I'd say it would represent the game more accurately for each reviewed game. I'd say what will highlight this most is Forza. Massive amount of cars and a reasonable amount of tracks. But most likely not the world's greatest career mode.

 

[RaceFuchs]

I think this is a well writen review, but yeah, the rating is a bit harsh. The game has flaws right now, i'm certain they will be adressed. Lets be honest here, this is most likely the racing game we will spend hundreds of hours with. Maybe it deserves another review three months from now? Lets see how it has developed then.

Its sad you had to review it on the base PS4. I really want to point out that the game looks significantly better on a 4K TV / PS4 Pro. Its a different league then PCars 1.

 

[Benny44]

Maybe it's because I'm a controller user, but I'm probably about 20+ hours in and no bugs. Absolutely loving the game.

 

[NLxAROSA]

This game should have her released 6 months later, or just built on a new engine entirely.

What makes you think either would produce better quality? PC1 had an entirely new engine, which everyone agrees is inferior to PC2. And 6 months of extra QA, knowing that the current issues also passed QA? (Not to mention that you have a whole dev team that needs something to do too, a.k.a. adding more code) Better release now, have short communication lines and patch cycles and weed out any issues in a couple of weeks/months.

I think SMS is handling this just fine (though an open/closed beta for consoles is a really good idea next time). People make this sound like a bugfest, but it really isn't (if I recall correctly Ian mentioned 5 blocking issues and 20 others), most people are playing quite happily. And yes, if your personal copy doesn't work that sucks big time, doesn't mean it sucks for everyone else.

Funny thing is that most of the people I speak that play a lot of AC/PC1/iR/rF/etc. don't really see the current issues as a huge problem, they've been there before and know things will be addressed. As long as the base is solid they're in it for the long run, not just the first two weeks.

Maybe it's because I'm a controller user, but I'm probably about 20+ hours in and no bugs. Absolutely loving the game.

Same here, no game-breaking stuff. Still, people who do have major issues have valid complaints. 👍