Going back to Project Cars 2...

[englishbob]

As a purely PS4 owner as my gaming machine (I have a Switch too though), I recently thought I'd give Pcars 2 another spin. It came out just before GT Sport, so thought it would be good to compare.

I'd also point out that I am a controller player, no steering setup in my house, and I prefer to use the in-car cockpit view.

The first thing that struck me about the difference between GT Sport and this was the presentation. PCars2 is really lacking in the menus and general polish. GT Sport isn't perfect as it has too many menus, but it has a flow to it and general experience is high.

Secondly no matter what I have tried on the controller, any car (using the In-car view) I try it seems to steer like a hovercraft. It seems to just move from side to side, like its on a middle axis and you have two wheels and not four. Its also incredibly hard on grip. Almost impossible to do a lap out of the pits due to cold tyres, but then even heated up its not very forgiving.

On the plus side the in-car view is a lot more visceral in PCARS2 than it is on GT Sport.

Does anyone else flit between these two games on a regular basis, or since GT Sports release have you left Pcars2 on the shelf. Or even the other way around?

 

[polizei]

After the disappointment of pcars 1 I won't give them money for pcars2

 

[Tidgney]

I race on both and both have their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Bricks50]

PC2 is ridiculously hard to drive compared to GTsport. I was very disappointed after loving the 1st one.

 

[Jamie Bbbbb]

Try motion controls

 

[kusi18]

I like the amount of Settings you can do in PC2. You can nearly set Everything you want. Weather, HUD, Car Settings, Wheel Settings and many more. BUT... Its usless if you dont have good Races. IMO its boring to Race against the AI without a reward system.
Online no need to talk about because its a Divebomb Festival without a Penalty System like GTS.

Only my two cents...

 

[quentin1974]

I have tried PCars2 and I just don't like it. maybe if I had a wheel setup it would be different story but I don't. For controller users GTSport is superior to PCars2. I sold my PCars2 right after I got GTSport. I also had Asseta Corsa but that didn't feel right to me either. For Controller users GTSport is the way to go. You can actually enjoy the game.

 

[KingFrog]

Even of it was good game , the performance on the base ps4 is awfull .

 

[Latosius]

I bought Pcars 2 after a good experience on Pcars 1 (honestly) and was so disappointed with it, it’s like they intentionally made things difficult to drive, certain cars were great but others were over done and it left them like they had jelly suspension

Still.... I really enjoyed the wet and snow weather events, it looked amazing, even if I drive quicker in the snow than the dry lol

 

[CodeCmdr]

After the disappointment of pcars 1 I won't give them money for pcars2

Smart. It's got a lot of strengths, but also lots of weaknesses that make it incredibly frustrating to play. Unfortunately SMS didn't bother improving their quality assurance processes/personnel, and they also don't have any good game designers (SP campaign is dull, MP system is very badly designed, UI is terrible...)

The driving physics are much better than GTS, but nearly everything else is worse.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

I race on both and both have their strengths and weaknesses.

This, though with the addition of a few other titles in the rotation too (Assetto Corsa, FM7, DiRT Rally, SLR Evo). 👍

It's fascinating to move between them all and almost constantly have the "I wish x's feature was in y" thoughts. As @Tidgney says, they all have their own pros and cons. Practicing for the Canadian GT Sport Contest was the most serious I'd been with GT Sport in terms of lap times since launch (and probably since GT4 in terms of the series in general), and it was a lot of fun. But I also got deep into PCARS1 last summer in preparation for the sequel and really enjoyed that too.

Agreed that the menu polish of GT is hard to beat. It just feels like such a small game, since the track roster makes for plenty of "been there done that" moments in Sport Mode. But familiarity can be a good thing when I just want to knock out a few quick races. Each game has its purpose. 👍

 

[steph280]

I run PC2 on PC with HTC Vive and the experience has been excellent with steering wheel. I also run PC1, Assetto Corsa, and Dirt Rally but I keep coming back to PC2. Specially with the latest update a lot of the annoyances are gone. To me it just seems more realistic than any of the others I've tried, PC or console.

 

[Pearl Jam]

Gone back to playing Driveclub again..the challenges and TT are just the best, until GT gets around to having TT where you can compete against your friends times and others around the world then it’s just not appealing enough for me

 

[englishbob]

Gone back to playing Driveclub again..the challenges and TT are just the best, until GT gets around to having TT where you can compete against your friends times and others around the world then it’s just not appealing enough for me

Couldn't get on with DriveClub at all. Disastrous first few months aside, its track limits where far too strict to have any fun with the game. A lot of white lined borders around the track which means hitting the sides a lot of the time.

 

[sumbrownkid]

I wanted to like PCARS2 like the first game, but SMS really fudged the controller settings. Even with settings that are tolerable, the cars still more or less feel like wet spaghetti.

Which is surprising because didn't GTP preview the game before release and say the controls were improved? They felt worse than the first game.

Main reason why I play PCARS2 here and there is just for the Ford GT LMGTE and Ferrari 488 GTE, and once PD gets around to getting those by the time I can get social security benefits, PCARS2 will be collecting e-dust (digital copy).

 

[ChevapBH]

I just don't enjoy it. Same with AC. BUT these games have A LOT more options I wish were in GTS. On the other hand, Dirt Rally is phenomenal so I switch between Dirt and GTS. Interestingly, I don't like Dirt 4 one bit. It looks like it had a much bigger budget than Rally but it just isn't as fun. It's some middle ground between arcade and simulation which I don't find fun at all.

 

[KingFrog]

Goes to show that better physics =/= better game. Honestly it's the worst racing Game Iv played recently . I really wanted to like it since the physics are great ( until they start acting up ) and the cars move like the suspension is made lf jello , it doesn't reflect the actual physics well . Honestly they could have made the best SIM to date but instead put out another muddled mess

 

[Sander 001]

I played the PC2 demo many times and can’t get over how scripted the physics can be. Like on the 488 race at the esses, if you even breathe on the kerb you will spin no matter what you’re doing. It’s kind of hilarious.

I’ve read other impressions about the scripted physics and so I’m waiting for a sale because otherwise the game seems good.

 

[KK78]

I had a lot of time with PCars 1 and really enjoyed it (it was a cluster on launch mind) even got the Platinum. So I jumped straight in on PCars 2 and it just felt, well numb and many of the cars and classes I enjoyed in the 1st were just overtly difficult to get the hang of, there's a weird dead zone with a lot of cars where you are on a split hair between cornering cleanly or spinning off into the hedgerow, the 'feel' was really off for me so I ditched it after about 15 hours. I do agree though that the in-car view was far better than in GTS.

It might not have helped coming straight off Dirt 4 with its zippy feel but a big disappointment.

I agree with the fella above about DriveClub though, I had over 700 hours on it and loved it, nothing comes close to time trial challenges with friends and the weather effects are yet to be beaten imo. Can't believe Polyphony didn't nick the challenges idea, that would be awesome in GT Sport.

 

[Corsa]

I played the PC2 demo many times and can’t get over how scripted the physics can be. Like on the 488 race at the esses, if you even breathe on the kerb you will spin no matter what you’re doing. It’s kind of hilarious.

I’ve read other impressions about the scripted physics and so I’m waiting for a sale because otherwise the game seems good.

You're calling Project Cars 2 physics hilarious?

To each their own opinion and I'm the extreme minority over here but physics is the one and only reason I was turned off by GT Sport.
The UI, menu music, livery editor, and polish is all my kind of dance but damn that tire model, or lack there of.

 

[DesertPenguin]

I wanted to like PCARS2 like the first game, but SMS really fudged the controller settings. Even with settings that are tolerable, the cars still more or less feel like wet spaghetti.

Which is surprising because didn't GTP preview the game before release and say the controls were improved? They felt worse than the first game.

Main reason why I play PCARS2 here and there is just for the Ford GT LMGTE and Ferrari 488 GTE, and once PD gets around to getting those by the time I can get social security benefits, PCARS2 will be collecting e-dust (digital copy).

Message @Wolfe for controller settings. Apparently he's come across something that's been really good for a lot of people so give it a shot.

 

[Satomiblood]

Been thinking of picking up PC1 to get my feet wet. Is is really that much better than PC2? Might pick up AC as well.

 

[LordDrift]

After the disappointment of pcars 1 I won't give them money for pcars2

How do I like this post multiple times?

 

[tofuhero]

Gone back to playing Driveclub again..the challenges and TT are just the best, until GT gets around to having TT where you can compete against your friends times and others around the world then it’s just not appealing enough for me

I could never get used to the handling in Driveclub, but the presentation, the gorgeousness of tracks and weather, the SP events, and multiplayer features are just head and shoulders above GTS. PD should have taken some big lessons from DC when creating GTS, but they didn't. DC seems like a game made from the ground up for online racing and social components, while GTS feels like a game where they started to make GT7 and then decided mid-production to do an online-focused, esport game instead. It's a tribute to GTS's handling (mostly) and to Sport mode (despite its many flaws) that it's still so enjoyable.

 

[killerjimbag]

Been thinking of picking up PC1 to get my feet wet. Is is really that much better than PC2? Might pick up AC as well.

I've been a GT fan since the beginning. Sport is beautifull looking. AC is the benchmark for physics. PCars 2 is actually good for tracks, cars and weather Livetrack 3.0" If we could have Sport graphics, AC physics and Pcars 2 tracks and weather. That would be the best thing ever.

 

[TheGeologist]

I can't get into PC2. I preordered it and everything, and I hate it. I don't know why, but it's just too hard for me. All the data the game sends to my wheel overwhelms me and I crash. :/ Meanwhile on GTS, I'm a DrB / SrS driver who is a win away from 10 races.

I love GTS so far. I just wish it had the content Forza and PC2 had. Their car and track lists are amazing!

I'm actually thinking of getting an XBOX 1 (Regular, not S or X), and Forza 7. Do they have a season pass for it? I wanna grab all the DLC for it if I get it. Tracklist and car list look amazing. Is F7 as hard as PC2?

 

[Sentry87]

Two wildly different games. Gt sport on one hand good matchmaking online play and pretty graphics. Pc2 on the other, better physics, More cars, tracks, dynamic weather add track, multiclass racing etc etc.

Gt sport is a casual online racer, pc2 is the nerdy racing simulator, and I'm all about the racing simulator

 

[Nando deBem]

I like PCars 2. I think it has a better feel on road surface, but curbs and grass are really flat. It felt strange. That said, what made me comeback to GT: Sport:

1- online
2- I know how everybody says that all the other sims are better, and usually it has something to do with how “dumbed down” the physics in GTS are. Like it’s easier or something. The way I see it though, when you get the right setup in PCars 2, you can do pretty much the same thing. So I think GTS has actually better default setups that let us experience the game in a better way. If we were pro drivers, I doubt that we would get bad setups to begin with. Like the “default Monaco” setup would make you adjust the whole thing again and again just so you can not crash the car into the barriers.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

I'm actually thinking of getting an XBOX 1 (Regular, not S or X), and Forza 7. Do they have a season pass for it? I wanna grab all the DLC for it if I get it. Tracklist and car list look amazing. Is F7 as hard as PC2?

Without dragging this even further off-topic (and it's really quite out there to begin with in the GTS section):

• To my knowledge, it's only the S and X now, unless you're buying used.
• There's an FM7 Season Pass (er, Car Pass) that covers the first six car packs. There may be more (there usually is), but it's still a discount. The fourth pack will be revealed in a few days.
• Physics-wise, it's not terribly far off GTS. It does a handful of things better, while GT does the same with other aspects. Both are amongst the absolute best in terms of controller optimization. The XB1 controller has far better shoulder buttons, which makes playing driving games that much more enjoyable if you're on pad, IMO.

Which is surprising because didn't GTP preview the game before release and say the controls were improved? They felt worse than the first game.

As the person that took care of that preview, allow me to explain:

I was comparing my PS4 GOTY version on DS4/CSLE against a pre-release version on PC with an XB1 controller and the same CSLE. In terms of out-of-the-box feel, the pad was indeed better than what PC1 managed. It still isn't as forgiving as GT or Forza, but I was able to actually lap cars without them spinning. The main issue I had with the wheel was a lack of FFB (and no way to turn it up if so desired, accuracy be damned).

I was under the impression it was a fairly old build when I tried it — unfortunately, since the Namco/SMS guys never responded to us after the preview, that was never made clear.

 

[BSDShoes]

Been thinking of picking up PC1 to get my feet wet. Is is really that much better than PC2? Might pick up AC as well.

TBH PC1 is a waste of time, SMS kind of messed up with that (but I still played the living crap out of the past couple years), PC2 is a huge improvement but still not quite there with physics.