- 29,156
- Glasgow
- GTP_Mars
Someone beat you to it... Loads of great new information, though 👍 Hopefully kekke2000 will add the new details to the first post 💡
Official Ferrari Challenge Thread
- Thread starter kekke2000
- 1,184 comments
- 129,574 views
- 4,004
- Croatia
Also have just found out official details regarding wheel support:
- game should probabably be compatible with all PS3 wheels (says the guy from PR that I've caught-up-with),
- the "Official Ferrari Wheel" is the one made by Guillemot AKA Thrustmaster,
- that wheel is already in sale
Have found few Ferrari PS3 wheels on Thrustmaster site, so clikDAlink if you want to know more:
http://www.thrustmaster.com/product.aspx?ProductID=84&PlatformID=12
http://www.thrustmaster.com/product.aspx?ProductID=93&PlatformID=5
None of these have true FF though.
And baby below is more serious, but it's not PS3 compatible - at least by specifications on the site:
http://www.thrustmaster.com/product.aspx?ProductID=8&PlatformID=5
Still waiting for full confirmation about "other PS3 wheels".
Yes, that's no problem. At least I'm playing NTSC games on my Europe PS3.Adam West
Anyway. PAL / NTSC are terms from Standard Definition. HD is the new "standard". So if you're playing from 720p upwards it's definitely not a problem. Don't know if the realease is just for Europe though.
- 4,004
- Croatia
And here is the TRAILER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMNgsntzzsY
Nice sound, that sure brings back memories.
Time for Kekke to do some compling here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMNgsntzzsY
Nice sound, that sure brings back memories.
Time for Kekke to do some compling here
kekke2000
Premium
- 1,936
- Sweden
- kekke2000
kekke2000
Premium
- 1,936
- Sweden
- kekke2000
Physics in f355 FAR from perfect, it was my favorite DC game by far, but to say it was perfect when there was sooo much room for improvement is just silly.
the handling of the car, as good as it was could still use a lot of work, the proof was in the pudding.
you could run much faster laps in F355 than in real life.
There's plenty of room for improvement just in the sim department alone.
Graphicwise there's obviously lots of room for improvement.
Man, i would just LOVE to see AM2 do a true sequel of f355 challenge with modern graphics and more acurate physics, i'd play something like that forever and ever.
This game looks ok from what i've seen, but untill we can tell how true the simulation is, i think it's better to reserve our judgment.
GT5 looks amazing, but once again it seems PD is putting graphics first, then simulation.
Seems pretty obvious to me that the physics engine is still based on GT4 tech, and amazingly so does the graphics engine (seems like the GT4 engine on steroids, lots of improvements, but still seems to be a derivative of the same graphics engine.)
So while GT5 does look amazing, it's obviously not entirely new, and while i don't think it will be too big of a deal THIS time around, one can only hope that for GT6 they truly come out with something revolutionary not based on their old assets. (and i hope they ditch 1080p too while they are at it, just think... if they can make it look THAT good in 1080p, just think of how much more photorealistic it would look if that fillrate was used for more realistic lightning, higher res shadows and really accurate weather effects.)
McLaren
Premium
- 45,402
- Texas
Those Ferrari wheels are nice, but I'd love to see some G25 action.
Awesome seeing System 3 has also added the amazing 333SP.
This game REALLY needs to deliver on its physics. I mean, Forza, GT, and Enthusia are terrific, but I really want to see this game go all out. Hopefully, and if I am understanding this correctly, with Ferrari backing it, they'll truely deliver.
Awesome seeing System 3 has also added the amazing 333SP.
This game REALLY needs to deliver on its physics. I mean, Forza, GT, and Enthusia are terrific, but I really want to see this game go all out. Hopefully, and if I am understanding this correctly, with Ferrari backing it, they'll truely deliver.
- 4,004
- Croatia
Try to get a PS2 version and play it with the FF wheeel. Poor excuse for a controller for racing games - AKA Dreamcast controller - just can't do the justice
Back to the subject. This is official rooster for 2007 season of Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Calendar and below are F430 Chellenge car tech specs. So, we can pretty much expect these circuits in the game. Also notice that here is "just" 14 circuits - so, we can expect up to 2 additional circuits in game, one of them should probably be Ferrari test-track in Fiorano. I just love the fact we'll finaly get Paul Ricard in virtual form on consoles.. Blue-Red-White stripes - here we come
Monza - Italy
Misano - Italy
Silverstone - Great Britain
Spa - Belgium
Le Castellet Paul Ricard Circuit- France
Hockenheim - Germany
Vallelunga - Italy
Mugello - Italy
Homestead - Florida USA
Infineon Raceway - California USA
Virginia International Raceway USA
Circuit G. Villeneuve - Montreal CAD
Mont-Tremblant - Quebec CAD
California Speedway Fontana USA
from the official press-release of the RL championship:
F430 Challenge
An intensive series of development tests held at Fiorano have honed the F430 Challenge's talents. In fact, it offers a stunning series of features sure to meet with the approval of its drivers. As ever, the transfer of technology from Formula One is significant, particularly with regard to the braking system. It uses carbon-ceramic material (CCM) - a first for a Ferrari sports competition car.
Gearbox
The electronic gearbox is also Formula One-derived. It works in exactly the same way as the one used aboard the Grand Prix car. Thanks to a two-plate clutch and specific software, it also offers the same gear-changing times as the road-going F430 (150 ms) in the much more extreme track conditions.
Tyres
19-inch slick tires were also developed specifically by Pirelli for the F430 Challenge. They are designed to comply with the very strict racing regulations that demand endurance while still delivering blistering performance.
Weight
The F430 Challenge boasts a weight of just 1225 kg (excluding fuel). Weight has been reduced in every area of the car, from the engineering to the bodywork. Of particular note are the Lexan® windscreen, the all-carbon fibre intake plenum cover, and the specific exhaust system. To ensure that drivers get the full benefit of the car's sporty prowess on the track, the E-Diff has been replaced by a mechanical differential and the EBD has been replaced with a mechanical system.
F430 Specifications
Dimension and Weight
- Overall length 177.64 in
- Overall width 75.7 in
- Height 46.6 in
- Weight 1225 kg
Tyres
- Front - 235/645 19"
- Rear - 295/680 19"
Engine
- 8 cylinders V8 90 degree
- Total displacement: 262.9 cu in
- Maximum power: 490 bhp (360 kW) at 8500 rpm
- Maximum torque: 343 lb ft (465 Nm) at 5250 rpm
Try to get a PS2 version and play it with the FF wheeel. Poor excuse for a controller for racing games - AKA Dreamcast controller - just can't do the justice
I think i gave a wrong impression
I've played i think all versions of f355, and in some areas it's still my favorite sim of all time.
The ps2 version i played with a momo force waaay back, it had problems though, it didn't support it well. I might try it again with my current steering wheel, maybe it will work fine with the gtforce pro.
Man, this sucks. my nick looks like i'm a newbie, i hadn't posted here in years. but before GT4 was released i used to post all the time here, somehow my account got reset.
- 4,004
- Croatia
Do not bother man, great you've come back
F355 Challenge was a great siimulation in my POW in many ways - physics, the best sense of speed I've ever had in video-game, great tyre simulation, "Magic Waether" option, animated pit-crew, nice replays, beautiiful graphics.. and all that made in the same year as first GT. F355 is a legend. And you shoud try to drive it with Logitech FF wheel, it's closest you can get to an original cabinet feel.
Also, great post about your view to GT physics there 👍
F355 Challenge was a great siimulation in my POW in many ways - physics, the best sense of speed I've ever had in video-game, great tyre simulation, "Magic Waether" option, animated pit-crew, nice replays, beautiiful graphics.. and all that made in the same year as first GT. F355 is a legend. And you shoud try to drive it with Logitech FF wheel, it's closest you can get to an original cabinet feel.
Also, great post about your view to GT physics there 👍
- 5,051
- Labounti
The game looks great, and if it seems like GT4 on steroids thats a good thing. There's no reason to change the art style if it looks fantastic and realistic . All 2K sports football games had similar looks, topped madden in visuals from day one and hasn't changed. I do think they take a graphics first approach. They set their standards first with 1080p/60fps and tweak the physics for a game everyone can enjoy. Until someone has played a final build of GT5 we won't know how it handles. 16 cars on track is first for this type of racing game.
As far as ditching 1080p I've seen signs of slow down in the GT5P videos and I would not be surprised if they did. GT5 P is said to have upgrades in the future, good if its free.
355 was the best arcade game I've ever played and would still play it if can find one. My top times stayed on the same machine at the movie theater for a year. I have a small amount of interest in this game thanks to its future DLC.
McLaren
Premium
- 45,402
- Texas
You're going to find almost any sim racer allow faster times than in real life. The fear isn't there.
I'll agree they weren't perfect but back then in its first years out in arcades, it was awesome. Was an easy game to keep playing since a lot of folks apparently didn't like the challenge of it (it somehow got poor reviews for being too hard....). Hopefully, all that room for improvement has been taken into account with System 3.
IMHO, though, it needs the most realistic physics available. Games that focus on 1 or 2 manufacturers just don't deliver much fun because the cars will rarely show any difference in performance besides power thanks to being arcade. But with real physics, you'll be able to tell between the different cars, and better yet, (hoping) be able to adjust them for the race.
- 971
- Bomberang
So are you limited to the F430 until you unlock other cars? I would like to race in the F50, Enzo etc... I like the thought of racing Ferraris and I will probably pick up this game once it is released.
- 4,004
- Croatia
Well, it can harldy be more official then this - I asked the PR gyus the question, they asked the Producer of the game. Thank you guys, you rule
ABOUT THE FORCE FEEDBACK USAGE AND WHEEL SUPPORT FOR THE FERRARI CHALENGE PS3 GAME
Directly from the Producer on the game, Mark South
"We have developed the game with the Logitech G25 wheel, and will fully
support all of its functionality.
The safe thing to say is we are supporting any wheels that Logitech
gives support for. This does include wheels like the Logitech GT
wheels.
The only wheels which we may not support (and this is because they will
not perform well physically) is the older wheels that can't do atleast
450 degrees of turn, since it would take away from the game experience.
We are using a full force feedback library, it calculates the self
aligning torque of the tires (tires wanting to align to the direction
of which they are sliding) and feeds that back through into the steering
wheel. That gives you a true feeling of over/understeer Any bumps,
knocks on the surface or surface changes are felt. This is very
realistic."
ENDS
@Kekke2000 - please notice that System3 is not developer, they're only publsher. Ferrari Challenge game has been developed by EUTECHNYX guys (anyone rememmbers great PSone LeMans game form 1998?) - which made my expectations up for another 100%..
This game starts to itch so much at this very point
ABOUT THE FORCE FEEDBACK USAGE AND WHEEL SUPPORT FOR THE FERRARI CHALENGE PS3 GAME
Directly from the Producer on the game, Mark South
"We have developed the game with the Logitech G25 wheel, and will fully
support all of its functionality.
The safe thing to say is we are supporting any wheels that Logitech
gives support for. This does include wheels like the Logitech GT
wheels.
The only wheels which we may not support (and this is because they will
not perform well physically) is the older wheels that can't do atleast
450 degrees of turn, since it would take away from the game experience.
We are using a full force feedback library, it calculates the self
aligning torque of the tires (tires wanting to align to the direction
of which they are sliding) and feeds that back through into the steering
wheel. That gives you a true feeling of over/understeer Any bumps,
knocks on the surface or surface changes are felt. This is very
realistic."
ENDS
@Kekke2000 - please notice that System3 is not developer, they're only publsher. Ferrari Challenge game has been developed by EUTECHNYX guys (anyone rememmbers great PSone LeMans game form 1998?) - which made my expectations up for another 100%..
This game starts to itch so much at this very point
Well, it can harldy be more official then this - I asked the PR gyus the question, they asked the Producer of the game. Thank you guys, you rule
Since you have a direct line to the PR Guys, why not ask them for more official screens and some gameplay footage? The lack of coverage on this title in the gaming press is appalling! Here is one decent article I found that I did not see referenced in this forum. I connected with the author and he said he had some media, what I am not sure, that he would be posting at some point.
http://gaming.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=9672
KSaiyu
(Banned)
- 2,822
http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/driving/...topslot;title;1&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot
Gamespot:
"No car manufacturer invokes a passion quite like Ferrari, and the outfit's video game history holds a similar prestige. Yu Suzuki is a notorious fan of the Italian designers, placing their cars in starring roles with the amazing Outrun and F355 Challenge games. There hasn't been a dedicated Ferrari game since Sega's three-screen arcade classic was released in 1999, and another development studio is now ready to take the famous horse to the latest generation of consoles. We went to Italy to see how System 3, a British company with relatively little pedigree, aims to bring the famous racing stallion to Sony's PlayStation 3.
The game itself is called Ferrari Challenge, and it's aiming to offer nothing less ambitious than the entire Ferrari production line since 1947. There's one rather large caveat there, in that it will ship with 30 different models at launch, but System 3 hopes to fill out the rest of the catalog with monthly update. There's no solid information yet on pricing, but System 3 seem keen to take the microtransaction route via the PlayStation Store.
The same will go for tracks in the game, with the 13 available in the boxed copy being expanded with new ones each month (and Monaco as soon as the game launches). In the meantime, there'll be seven from Europe and six from America available at the start, four of which were available in the demo that we played at Ferrari's very own Mugello track in Italy. Sadly, that particular track wasn't on offer this time (it was last seen in Forza Motorsport 2), but Monza, Silverstone, Misano, and Paul Ricard all looked to accurately represent their real-world equivalents.
Graphically, Ferrari Challenge doesn't look to offer the eye-melting detail of Project Gotham 4, nor will it offer the 60 frames per second of Forza 2. What it does offer are some impressively modeled, authentic-looking cars and a smattering of vortex effects such as swaying trees, flags, and leaves that are moved by the same wind that's buffeting you on the track. This is the first Ferrari game in which cars suffer damage, although the bumps and dents we saw were only noticeable up close. Predictably, the damage is only superficial--it won't affect car performance, so there'll be no early retirements from a race.
Clearly, System 3 has aimed to create a realistic driving game, and it hired the services of Formula 2 racing driver Bruno Senna--nephew of the Formula One great Ayrton--to assist in this end. Senna has driven the majority of the game's cars around test tracks, and then fed back detailed information about individual handling differences. The result is a game that sets out to accurately match the feeling of driving each of its cars in real life, something which will be important to both wannabe and actual Ferrari vehicle owners.
While the vehicles undoubtedly feel realistic, the game itself is still highly playable, and it's a game that demands concentration while still being fun to play. The realism can be ramped up further if you remove the driving aids; ABS, traction, and steering assists can be adjusted midrace by selecting one of the five variable settings in each category. Like Forza, Ferrari Challenge also features a racing line that can be used to show the optimal position on the track, as well as when to brake and accelerate.
No realistic racing game is complete without a host of camera views, and Ferrari Challenge offers the expected selection of in- and out-of-car perspectives. The most striking view is in-car, as the dashboards are modeled right down to the correct stitching. You can look around the interior by moving the right analog stick and admire details as the mirrors and air conditioning vents, although at this point the image in the mirrors featured low-resolution textures. However, those looking for authenticity can admire the Ferrari-logoed gloves that grip the steering wheel in the proper position, as well as the sponsor logos around the track, including those of Ferrari collaborators Puma and Acer.
The final game is set to support 16 players over PlayStation Network and LAN. We can't comment on how this is progressing as there was a technical issue with the code we saw, but the online support at least promises to be comprehensive. When racing online you will be able to put decals on your cars and then let friends borrow them from your virtual garage. There'll also be support for two player split-screen games, although the number of AI opponents might have to be reduced in this mode compared to the single-player mode because of the extra workload on the CPU. The PS3 version will support steering wheels and custom soundtracks, and while there will also music packaged with the game, it is yet to be decided which genre this will be and if it will be turned off by default.
The final piece of the game that we saw on our track day was the card game mode, which is basically an elaborate version of Ferrari Top Trumps. You collect new cards by playing through tracks in the main game, then create a custom deck of 33 cards to battle other players. These players can be either the computer artificial intelligence, or another person on the same console or online. The idea behind the game is to choose from categories on each card, such as brake horsepower, value, or top speed, and hopefully beat the equivalent value on the other player's card to steal it. Once one player has accrued all 66 cards, the game is over. You'll be able to collect more cards by downloading the four or five that are planned for release--you can guess this bit, I'm sure--each month after the game's release. And thanks to the storage space of Blu-ray, expect a few video documentaries to be included that were originally made to celebrate Ferrari's recent 60-year anniversary.
Set for a November 23 release in Europe and a Q1 2008 release in the US, the build we saw of Ferrari Challenge on PS3 was supposedly 60 percent of the way through development. A lot has been promised of the game that we didn't get to see, and System 3 will certainly have a hard time reaching their goals in the relatively short time until release. Having said that, the game has definite potential, not to mention a highly prestigious licence at its centre. With more versions rumoured to be in the pipeline, expect to hear more on Ferrari Challenge in the very near future."
I was wondering why his F430 at the 60th anniversary races at Silverstone was sponsered by the publishers! Seeing as he won and podiumed in his races (which were his first and only so far in the F430 series) he should be a valuable tool in the development of the game. As for the cars in real life, they sound gorgeous in the pit garages being warmed up, although out on track they were surprisingly quiet - nothing like the monster FXXs which seem to be in this game too!
Gamespot:
"No car manufacturer invokes a passion quite like Ferrari, and the outfit's video game history holds a similar prestige. Yu Suzuki is a notorious fan of the Italian designers, placing their cars in starring roles with the amazing Outrun and F355 Challenge games. There hasn't been a dedicated Ferrari game since Sega's three-screen arcade classic was released in 1999, and another development studio is now ready to take the famous horse to the latest generation of consoles. We went to Italy to see how System 3, a British company with relatively little pedigree, aims to bring the famous racing stallion to Sony's PlayStation 3.
The game itself is called Ferrari Challenge, and it's aiming to offer nothing less ambitious than the entire Ferrari production line since 1947. There's one rather large caveat there, in that it will ship with 30 different models at launch, but System 3 hopes to fill out the rest of the catalog with monthly update. There's no solid information yet on pricing, but System 3 seem keen to take the microtransaction route via the PlayStation Store.
The same will go for tracks in the game, with the 13 available in the boxed copy being expanded with new ones each month (and Monaco as soon as the game launches). In the meantime, there'll be seven from Europe and six from America available at the start, four of which were available in the demo that we played at Ferrari's very own Mugello track in Italy. Sadly, that particular track wasn't on offer this time (it was last seen in Forza Motorsport 2), but Monza, Silverstone, Misano, and Paul Ricard all looked to accurately represent their real-world equivalents.
Graphically, Ferrari Challenge doesn't look to offer the eye-melting detail of Project Gotham 4, nor will it offer the 60 frames per second of Forza 2. What it does offer are some impressively modeled, authentic-looking cars and a smattering of vortex effects such as swaying trees, flags, and leaves that are moved by the same wind that's buffeting you on the track. This is the first Ferrari game in which cars suffer damage, although the bumps and dents we saw were only noticeable up close. Predictably, the damage is only superficial--it won't affect car performance, so there'll be no early retirements from a race.
Clearly, System 3 has aimed to create a realistic driving game, and it hired the services of Formula 2 racing driver Bruno Senna--nephew of the Formula One great Ayrton--to assist in this end. Senna has driven the majority of the game's cars around test tracks, and then fed back detailed information about individual handling differences. The result is a game that sets out to accurately match the feeling of driving each of its cars in real life, something which will be important to both wannabe and actual Ferrari vehicle owners.
While the vehicles undoubtedly feel realistic, the game itself is still highly playable, and it's a game that demands concentration while still being fun to play. The realism can be ramped up further if you remove the driving aids; ABS, traction, and steering assists can be adjusted midrace by selecting one of the five variable settings in each category. Like Forza, Ferrari Challenge also features a racing line that can be used to show the optimal position on the track, as well as when to brake and accelerate.
No realistic racing game is complete without a host of camera views, and Ferrari Challenge offers the expected selection of in- and out-of-car perspectives. The most striking view is in-car, as the dashboards are modeled right down to the correct stitching. You can look around the interior by moving the right analog stick and admire details as the mirrors and air conditioning vents, although at this point the image in the mirrors featured low-resolution textures. However, those looking for authenticity can admire the Ferrari-logoed gloves that grip the steering wheel in the proper position, as well as the sponsor logos around the track, including those of Ferrari collaborators Puma and Acer.
The final game is set to support 16 players over PlayStation Network and LAN. We can't comment on how this is progressing as there was a technical issue with the code we saw, but the online support at least promises to be comprehensive. When racing online you will be able to put decals on your cars and then let friends borrow them from your virtual garage. There'll also be support for two player split-screen games, although the number of AI opponents might have to be reduced in this mode compared to the single-player mode because of the extra workload on the CPU. The PS3 version will support steering wheels and custom soundtracks, and while there will also music packaged with the game, it is yet to be decided which genre this will be and if it will be turned off by default.
The final piece of the game that we saw on our track day was the card game mode, which is basically an elaborate version of Ferrari Top Trumps. You collect new cards by playing through tracks in the main game, then create a custom deck of 33 cards to battle other players. These players can be either the computer artificial intelligence, or another person on the same console or online. The idea behind the game is to choose from categories on each card, such as brake horsepower, value, or top speed, and hopefully beat the equivalent value on the other player's card to steal it. Once one player has accrued all 66 cards, the game is over. You'll be able to collect more cards by downloading the four or five that are planned for release--you can guess this bit, I'm sure--each month after the game's release. And thanks to the storage space of Blu-ray, expect a few video documentaries to be included that were originally made to celebrate Ferrari's recent 60-year anniversary.
Set for a November 23 release in Europe and a Q1 2008 release in the US, the build we saw of Ferrari Challenge on PS3 was supposedly 60 percent of the way through development. A lot has been promised of the game that we didn't get to see, and System 3 will certainly have a hard time reaching their goals in the relatively short time until release. Having said that, the game has definite potential, not to mention a highly prestigious licence at its centre. With more versions rumoured to be in the pipeline, expect to hear more on Ferrari Challenge in the very near future."
I was wondering why his F430 at the 60th anniversary races at Silverstone was sponsered by the publishers! Seeing as he won and podiumed in his races (which were his first and only so far in the F430 series) he should be a valuable tool in the development of the game. As for the cars in real life, they sound gorgeous in the pit garages being warmed up, although out on track they were surprisingly quiet - nothing like the monster FXXs which seem to be in this game too!
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=171615 Go to the link for the video clip
Usually, this is the point when you might expect us to say this is the nearest we're ever going to get to ing around in a Ferrari, but System 3 took us to Italy to drive real Ferraris so that one's out the window.
System 3 has high hopes for Ferrari Challenge, the company CEO, Mark Cale, determined to create the best racing game yet for PS3. Surrounded by lush Ferrari 360s in the garages of Mugello race course in Italy, CVG got stuck into an early build of the PS3 and DS versions of the game.
The agenda of the day was to have a bit of a thrash around in the real car, then play the PS3 game to see how well it replicates the handling. Our conclusion? We can confirm that playing a racing game - any racing game - feels nothing like being thrown around corners at silly speeds in a 500bhp super car. You're not afraid of dying, and your eyes don't feel like they're about to pop right out of your head. On a more serious note though, FC is coming along nicely.
Dreamcast or arcade fans may remember Sega's Ferrari 355 Challenge; an ultra-realistic racing sim that tried to be so real its extreme difficulty made it a notoriously tough game to play. It was great for complete petrol heads, but not much fun for anyone else. Despite System 3's game being a spiritual successor to Sega's effort, it's nothing like that.
Striking a balance
FC goes for a more playable, fun approach. It maintains a reasonable level of realism without being overly punishing or technical. Sitting somewhere between PGR and Gran Turismo, it's easy to play but feels more on the realistic side than Bizarre's all-out arcade racer, with GT-like technical options such as traction control, ABS, and other such things that PGR refuses to deal with.
System 3 is taking the handling very seriously, and has even gone to the effort of drafting in the help of race driver Bruno Senna (F1 driver Ayrton Senna's nephew) to help them genuinely nail the true feel of a Ferrari.
"I have a lot of experience with the real cars," Senna told CVG. "I help to make the game feel as real as possible without losing the enjoyment. The real objective is to make a game that everyone can play, but still represent how the physics really are."
He seems to be doing a great job. The cars have a convincing feeling of weight - they feel heavier than the cars in PGR, which can be thrown around at ridiculous speeds. Just like in real life, balancing this weight is necessary for the best cornering, and you can see the cars leaning as they're thrown into turns and chicanes at high speed.
This heaviness means you have to break far earlier than you think. This can be deceiving; just like in Forza, FC doesn't use any optical tricks to amplify the illusion of speed (most racers stretch the edges of your view to achieve this), so you feel like you're going a lot slower than you really are. It takes some getting used to.
Technicalities aside, FC succeeds on feeling convincing enough while maintaining a level of forgiveness. So, you won't spin out instantly for putting one wheel on the grass (as you would in real life), you won't have to fight with stubborn handling as you turn corners (we're looking at you, Forza) and even though there's visual damage (a first for Ferrari), there's no technical crash damage, so no totalling your car after one crash.
The fact that there are 16 cars on the course is also a bonus in the fun stakes. Eight cars in Forza is cool enough, but with twice that number these races feel like a proper grand prix battles. The AI-controlled cars are competitive and convincing enough to actually make mistakes from time to time. But we did find them occasionally frustrating when they would pull in front of us on a long, high-speed straight and slam on their breaks to slow us down which, of course, slows them down, too. That's just cheap.
But this number of opponents is carried over to both LAN and online play, which will surely be awesome. Unfortunately a technical fault with the demo units meant we couldn't get stuck into a multiplayer game. Online tournaments and extra download content is also planned, and well as full support for PS3 Home.
Outside of the multiplayer, the full game will pack the usual arcade, quick race and time trial modes, as well as a the main Ferrari Challenge Season mode, which gets you playing challenge weekends in different venues.
In these weekends you set times in qualifying rounds then hit the course to claim victory and earn new Ferrari Battle Cards. These card, most importantly, unlock a new car for you to drive, but they also double up as part of a quirky little battle card mini-game, which is basically a multiplayer top trumps game.
A right looker
Just like the real cars, presentation is clearly a priority of the game, too. Even from the title screen, high-res renders of the shiny red cars whoosh around in the background, before kicking you into in-game visuals, which are equally as slick. The cars are, as you'd expect, absolutely spot-on, with acute detail in the car interiors and wheel arches, and that shiny red paint with the over exaggerated shine common in the current generation of racers.
It's impressive to see the game render 16 of those bad boys on the track, maintaining 30 frames per second even if you're at the back of the pack and all the cars are on the screen at once.
The courses look great, too. The cars in Forza look excellent, but these are offset with bland, boring-looking environments that are clearly sacrificed to allow the game to run at that silky 60 frames-per-second rate. But FC's lower (but still sufficiently smooth) frame rate means it frees up the PS3's processors to churn out far more environmental prettiness, and it does, with a considerable number realistic trees lining the course, leaves falling onto the track and spectator stands filled with cheering people.
The DS version of the game, which took a bit of backseat to the shiny PS3 version on the day, was just as impressive given the hardware. Games that try to look too realistic on DS usually end up blocky and running at CCTV-like frame rates, but FC DS looks just as good if not better than Codemaster's Race Driver: Create and Race, runs silky smooth, and handles pretty well, too.
The feeling of weight from the PS3 version isn't there on the DS - in fact it feels more like go-kart racing with breaks that stop you almost immediately and punchy, sometimes over reactive steering. But that seems to be the ethos with racing games on a screen so small - the philosophy being that you can't see too far into the distance so you need to be able to make quick adjustments to your car.
As for gameplay modes, much of the PS3 game has been carried over to the portable, although the multiplayer racing, which includes both on and offline, is cut down to four players, like in Mario Kart DS. We've got no arguments with that.
So that's impressive turnouts for both versions of the game, but they're not without stiff competition in the run up to Christmas. Race Driver and its brilliant track editor will be gunning for top spot on DS, while Sony is expected to unleash the mighty Gran Turismo 5 Prologue before the end of the year, too.
While you contemplate where your money's going, check out our videos of both the PS3 and DS games below. The off-screen camera footage will give you a suitable enough peak at the goods until we get direct-feed videos, which should be with us very soon, so sit tight for that.
Usually, this is the point when you might expect us to say this is the nearest we're ever going to get to ing around in a Ferrari, but System 3 took us to Italy to drive real Ferraris so that one's out the window.
System 3 has high hopes for Ferrari Challenge, the company CEO, Mark Cale, determined to create the best racing game yet for PS3. Surrounded by lush Ferrari 360s in the garages of Mugello race course in Italy, CVG got stuck into an early build of the PS3 and DS versions of the game.
The agenda of the day was to have a bit of a thrash around in the real car, then play the PS3 game to see how well it replicates the handling. Our conclusion? We can confirm that playing a racing game - any racing game - feels nothing like being thrown around corners at silly speeds in a 500bhp super car. You're not afraid of dying, and your eyes don't feel like they're about to pop right out of your head. On a more serious note though, FC is coming along nicely.
Dreamcast or arcade fans may remember Sega's Ferrari 355 Challenge; an ultra-realistic racing sim that tried to be so real its extreme difficulty made it a notoriously tough game to play. It was great for complete petrol heads, but not much fun for anyone else. Despite System 3's game being a spiritual successor to Sega's effort, it's nothing like that.
Striking a balance
FC goes for a more playable, fun approach. It maintains a reasonable level of realism without being overly punishing or technical. Sitting somewhere between PGR and Gran Turismo, it's easy to play but feels more on the realistic side than Bizarre's all-out arcade racer, with GT-like technical options such as traction control, ABS, and other such things that PGR refuses to deal with.
System 3 is taking the handling very seriously, and has even gone to the effort of drafting in the help of race driver Bruno Senna (F1 driver Ayrton Senna's nephew) to help them genuinely nail the true feel of a Ferrari.
"I have a lot of experience with the real cars," Senna told CVG. "I help to make the game feel as real as possible without losing the enjoyment. The real objective is to make a game that everyone can play, but still represent how the physics really are."
He seems to be doing a great job. The cars have a convincing feeling of weight - they feel heavier than the cars in PGR, which can be thrown around at ridiculous speeds. Just like in real life, balancing this weight is necessary for the best cornering, and you can see the cars leaning as they're thrown into turns and chicanes at high speed.
This heaviness means you have to break far earlier than you think. This can be deceiving; just like in Forza, FC doesn't use any optical tricks to amplify the illusion of speed (most racers stretch the edges of your view to achieve this), so you feel like you're going a lot slower than you really are. It takes some getting used to.
Technicalities aside, FC succeeds on feeling convincing enough while maintaining a level of forgiveness. So, you won't spin out instantly for putting one wheel on the grass (as you would in real life), you won't have to fight with stubborn handling as you turn corners (we're looking at you, Forza) and even though there's visual damage (a first for Ferrari), there's no technical crash damage, so no totalling your car after one crash.
The fact that there are 16 cars on the course is also a bonus in the fun stakes. Eight cars in Forza is cool enough, but with twice that number these races feel like a proper grand prix battles. The AI-controlled cars are competitive and convincing enough to actually make mistakes from time to time. But we did find them occasionally frustrating when they would pull in front of us on a long, high-speed straight and slam on their breaks to slow us down which, of course, slows them down, too. That's just cheap.
But this number of opponents is carried over to both LAN and online play, which will surely be awesome. Unfortunately a technical fault with the demo units meant we couldn't get stuck into a multiplayer game. Online tournaments and extra download content is also planned, and well as full support for PS3 Home.
Outside of the multiplayer, the full game will pack the usual arcade, quick race and time trial modes, as well as a the main Ferrari Challenge Season mode, which gets you playing challenge weekends in different venues.
In these weekends you set times in qualifying rounds then hit the course to claim victory and earn new Ferrari Battle Cards. These card, most importantly, unlock a new car for you to drive, but they also double up as part of a quirky little battle card mini-game, which is basically a multiplayer top trumps game.
A right looker
Just like the real cars, presentation is clearly a priority of the game, too. Even from the title screen, high-res renders of the shiny red cars whoosh around in the background, before kicking you into in-game visuals, which are equally as slick. The cars are, as you'd expect, absolutely spot-on, with acute detail in the car interiors and wheel arches, and that shiny red paint with the over exaggerated shine common in the current generation of racers.
It's impressive to see the game render 16 of those bad boys on the track, maintaining 30 frames per second even if you're at the back of the pack and all the cars are on the screen at once.
The courses look great, too. The cars in Forza look excellent, but these are offset with bland, boring-looking environments that are clearly sacrificed to allow the game to run at that silky 60 frames-per-second rate. But FC's lower (but still sufficiently smooth) frame rate means it frees up the PS3's processors to churn out far more environmental prettiness, and it does, with a considerable number realistic trees lining the course, leaves falling onto the track and spectator stands filled with cheering people.
The DS version of the game, which took a bit of backseat to the shiny PS3 version on the day, was just as impressive given the hardware. Games that try to look too realistic on DS usually end up blocky and running at CCTV-like frame rates, but FC DS looks just as good if not better than Codemaster's Race Driver: Create and Race, runs silky smooth, and handles pretty well, too.
The feeling of weight from the PS3 version isn't there on the DS - in fact it feels more like go-kart racing with breaks that stop you almost immediately and punchy, sometimes over reactive steering. But that seems to be the ethos with racing games on a screen so small - the philosophy being that you can't see too far into the distance so you need to be able to make quick adjustments to your car.
As for gameplay modes, much of the PS3 game has been carried over to the portable, although the multiplayer racing, which includes both on and offline, is cut down to four players, like in Mario Kart DS. We've got no arguments with that.
So that's impressive turnouts for both versions of the game, but they're not without stiff competition in the run up to Christmas. Race Driver and its brilliant track editor will be gunning for top spot on DS, while Sony is expected to unleash the mighty Gran Turismo 5 Prologue before the end of the year, too.
While you contemplate where your money's going, check out our videos of both the PS3 and DS games below. The off-screen camera footage will give you a suitable enough peak at the goods until we get direct-feed videos, which should be with us very soon, so sit tight for that.
