Well, I finally splashed out and got it. And I'm happy to say I'm not disappointed. I have, however, made the following observations:
The handling, combined with the G25 FFB, is the best I've ever experienced, it feels more like real-life driving than GT5P. It would be nice if there was some "rumble" on the road like F1:CE, then it would be spot-on. Seriously, this is an incredible physics engine. This should be licensed for many more sim-style games, it's a gem.
I drove a real F360 Spider around Bruntingthorpe in Leicestershire a few weeks ago, and this is the closest feel I've experienced yet (GT5P doesn't convince me that I'm not playing a game, it feels too "sterile").
The bumper cam is too low, the bonnet cam is a little too low but much better, the in-car view is too hard to see out of. Why do these games never make a windscreen view without the cockpit?! And why not keep the engine noise consistently loud if you choose an external view? Also, you can sometimes see a tiny bit of the road through the bonnet when using the bonnet cam view (my view of choice).
The AI ... oh, where do I start. When I first played the AI, I actually considered taking the game back. As I've played it more, I'm getting wiser with regard to avoiding it. There's a strange "magnetic AI" thing where the car drives back onto its line, even if you're in the way. It "sticks" to the side of your car and travels at exactly the same speed as you. It completely ruins the experience, and you're thinking "stupid game". The AI makes no attempt whatsoever to avoid you, in fact it frequently does the opposite.
The AI brakes too early on many corners, meaning you can't try to drive fast through them. In fact, the biggest challenge in the game is NOT hitting the AI. Plus, they're PSYCHOTIC. They will ram you any chance they get. They particularly like to force your back end out and leave you facing in the wrong direction. And in the "Challenge" game mode, there is no Restart function. Why on Earth not?! So you end up resetting your PS3 just so it doesn't save your 16th place. Just give us a Restart option, it's plain common sense.
Of course, you wouldn't have to start in 16th place if the qualifying times weren't so ridiculous. Seriously, how does anyone hit those times?! I skip qualification every time, it's pointless. When you actually get to the race, the cars don't drive anywhere near those times. They just get on with the job of trying to kill you.
The graphics aren't bad, I can convince myself I'm really racing. The colours are quite bright, but not off-putting. The framerate is noticably slower than GT5P, this is a real pity. A bit of antialiasing on the cars wouldn't go amiss. Again, GT5P has spoiled us with regard to the interiors, I stick to external views.
The sound could be much higher fidelity, especially the sound effects such as the gear changes. The crash sounds are really not good. The crash graphics ... I haven't really noticed any "damage". I don't think they should be pushing that as a feature of the game, I don't call this damage at all. GRID was damage, this isn't. Of course, GRID was also rubbish so...
The one thing I was worried about, the G25, isn't actually a problem. There may be a tiny deadzone, but I haven't really noticed it.
That's the best part of the game, the driving engine. It's the most important part, so it's the game that I'll be playing for a while to come. That's the hard part - the annoying little issues should actually be the easiest to fix (to my mind). I hope the developers stick with this game and get it 100% right. It's an investment for the future, because it will ensure that a sequel will take off.
The handling, combined with the G25 FFB, is the best I've ever experienced, it feels more like real-life driving than GT5P. It would be nice if there was some "rumble" on the road like F1:CE, then it would be spot-on. Seriously, this is an incredible physics engine. This should be licensed for many more sim-style games, it's a gem.
I drove a real F360 Spider around Bruntingthorpe in Leicestershire a few weeks ago, and this is the closest feel I've experienced yet (GT5P doesn't convince me that I'm not playing a game, it feels too "sterile").
The bumper cam is too low, the bonnet cam is a little too low but much better, the in-car view is too hard to see out of. Why do these games never make a windscreen view without the cockpit?! And why not keep the engine noise consistently loud if you choose an external view? Also, you can sometimes see a tiny bit of the road through the bonnet when using the bonnet cam view (my view of choice).
The AI ... oh, where do I start. When I first played the AI, I actually considered taking the game back. As I've played it more, I'm getting wiser with regard to avoiding it. There's a strange "magnetic AI" thing where the car drives back onto its line, even if you're in the way. It "sticks" to the side of your car and travels at exactly the same speed as you. It completely ruins the experience, and you're thinking "stupid game". The AI makes no attempt whatsoever to avoid you, in fact it frequently does the opposite.
The AI brakes too early on many corners, meaning you can't try to drive fast through them. In fact, the biggest challenge in the game is NOT hitting the AI. Plus, they're PSYCHOTIC. They will ram you any chance they get. They particularly like to force your back end out and leave you facing in the wrong direction. And in the "Challenge" game mode, there is no Restart function. Why on Earth not?! So you end up resetting your PS3 just so it doesn't save your 16th place. Just give us a Restart option, it's plain common sense.
Of course, you wouldn't have to start in 16th place if the qualifying times weren't so ridiculous. Seriously, how does anyone hit those times?! I skip qualification every time, it's pointless. When you actually get to the race, the cars don't drive anywhere near those times. They just get on with the job of trying to kill you.
The graphics aren't bad, I can convince myself I'm really racing. The colours are quite bright, but not off-putting. The framerate is noticably slower than GT5P, this is a real pity. A bit of antialiasing on the cars wouldn't go amiss. Again, GT5P has spoiled us with regard to the interiors, I stick to external views.
The sound could be much higher fidelity, especially the sound effects such as the gear changes. The crash sounds are really not good. The crash graphics ... I haven't really noticed any "damage". I don't think they should be pushing that as a feature of the game, I don't call this damage at all. GRID was damage, this isn't. Of course, GRID was also rubbish so...
The one thing I was worried about, the G25, isn't actually a problem. There may be a tiny deadzone, but I haven't really noticed it.
That's the best part of the game, the driving engine. It's the most important part, so it's the game that I'll be playing for a while to come. That's the hard part - the annoying little issues should actually be the easiest to fix (to my mind). I hope the developers stick with this game and get it 100% right. It's an investment for the future, because it will ensure that a sequel will take off.
They always cling to the driving line & seem to be completely unaware of your presence. Is there any improvement in this behaviour at the higher difficulty levels?
