Project CARS 2 Reviews

[Donnced]

Can you summarize it for those of us who don't speak Spanish?

Hi! Sure! Tomorrow when I've got some time i will make a little summarise of the article!

His impressions are very good, he liked the FFB, the improved tyre model and physics and the 3.0 livetrack system.

He also commented About the controler, which for him is better than the first game, but says that a wheel rise the game on an other level.

More tomorrow

 

[F1Racer68]

Hi! Sure! Tomorrow when I've got some time i will make a little summarise of the article!

His impressions are very good, he liked the FFB, the improved tyre model and physics and the 3.0 livetrack system.

He also commented About the controler, which for him is better than the first game, but says that a wheel rise the game on an other level.

More tomorrow

Google Translate actually did a respectable job of translating the page if you use the Chrome Browser.

Yes, overall he was very positive about it. And the comment about the wheel taking the game to another level should NOT be taken as any kind of negative around the controller handling. It's the same as going from triple screens to VR. It's just a much more immersive experience and gives oyu another level of feedback that the controller cannot give due to the limited FFB capability compared to what a wheel can provide.

 

[Donnced]

Google Translate actually did a respectable job of translating the page if ou use the Chrome Browser.

Yes, overall he was very positive about it. And the comment about the wheel taking the game to another level should NOT be taken as any kind of negative around the controller handling. It's the same as going from triple screens to VR. It's just a much more immersive experience and gives oyu another level of feedback that the controller cannot give due to the limited FFB capability compared to what a wheel can provide.

Yes, Google translate sometimes does actually a good job..

Sure that a FFB wheel in a sim is the best way to go.

I don't take the comment about the controler implementation as a negative point..
As the reviewer says, its better than on the first game...

I don't think that in the first game the gamepad was badly implemented also, but i have to agree that there where too much settings and not exactly explained what each setting does...
But After trying and trying i achieved an enjoyable experience on pad also for the days i couldn't mount my wheel.

So if the controler implementation is improved in the second game... Good news for me....15 days to go!

 

[GTsimms]

I played Project CARS 2 and Forza 6 Apex yesterday with the same 69' Chevy Camaro for a test. The driving with the controller is comparable, but you can tell their is a difference in the vehicle handling model between the titles. Which I preferred the PC2 in turns. Forza 6 Apex Vehicle was glued on a straight and would break loose in the turns too easy without warning!

 

[wicken]

First review is up.

https://mspoweruser.com/review-project-cars-2-improvements-many-levels/
Score: 8 / 10

 

[Ian Bell]

First review is up.

https://mspoweruser.com/review-project-cars-2-improvements-many-levels/
Score: 8 / 10

I honestly, and with all bias shoved to the back of my brain, find pCARS2 easier to drive than Forza 6 on the controller... I can modulate things much more precisely and with control over the limits...

Still, I'll take an 8. For information jollies BN 'review' testing gave us a projected Metacritic of 86-90. We'll see

 

[ryandtw]

First review is up.

https://mspoweruser.com/review-project-cars-2-improvements-many-levels/
Score: 8 / 10

^ They're still complaining on the gamepad implementation? Or is it that Forza bias (since this is a Microsoft-centric website) that @IanBell just said?

 

[Ian Bell]

^ They're still complaining on the gamepad implementation? Or is it that Forza bias (since this is a Microsoft-centric website) that @IanBell just said?

On our back to back user testing we came out with 62% of users preferring our control implementation when compared to the previous Forza and about evens compared to the last GT (all aids off).

I think reviewers who give it a short drive time might compare it unfavourably with what they're accustomed to/comfortable with. We found that as drive time increased we improved by comparison.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

Just saw a video review on youtube, where the guy says that the ps4 and ps4 pro versions don't have working HDR? but the xbox one does? what does that mean?

 

[AKps3]

This looks really bad in my opinion

 

[Ian Bell]

Just saw a video review on youtube, where the guy says that the ps4 and ps4 pro versions don't have working HDR? but the xbox one does? what does that mean?

HDR is on all platforms. I 'think' we wedged it in with the day one patch on some of the platforms though. It could be that.

 

[HardRock]

This looks really bad in my opinion

Honestly, I don't think it does, although based on the overall positive tone of the whole review I was very surprised at the conclusion of "wait for a sale".

- Graphics issues: Very valid I think, I noticed some the mentioned problems during previously uploaded videos, especially the shadows. All these issues can certainly be improved if made a priority, although depending on how shadows are rendered the flickering could remain noticeable under certain circumstances.

- FFB: 100% subjective, in my opinion everyone should wait to try it for themselves.

- Loading times with many different cars on consoles: As a primarily PC gamer I have no idea how it compares to other titles, but I can say that loading times always made frustrated on consoles, no matter what I played. It is worth mentioning here to though that compared to PC1 there is less need to exit back to the menu to make adjustments, and that the upside is that Project CARS in general allow for higher customization of the field of cars than before.

- Weird AI movement: Again, I think a valid criticism, although I can't name one title where the AI don't do something that instantly make me think I'm driving against computer controlled opponents. It's all about what you can live with. There's always the possibility of online racing.

 

[AKps3]

Honestly, I don't think it is, although based on the overall positive tone of the whole review I was very surprised at the conclusion of "wait for a sale".

- Graphics issues: Very valid I think, I noticed some the mentioned problems during previously available videos, especially the shadows. All issues can certainly be improved if made a priority, although depending on how shadows are rendered the flickering could remain noticeable under certain circumstances.

- FFB: 100% subjective, in my opinion everyone should wait to try it for themselves.

- Loading times with many different cars on consoles: As I primarily PC gamer I have no idea how it compares to other titles, but I can say that loading times always made frustrated on consoles, no matter what I played. It is worth mentioning here to though that compared to PC1 there is less need to exit back to the menu to make adjustments, and that the upside is that Project CARS in general allow for higher customization of the field of cars than before.

- Weird AI movement: Again, I think a valid criticism, although I can't name one title where the AI don't do something that instantly make me think I'm driving against computer controlled opponents. It's all about what you can live with. There's always the possibility online racing.

Looks like a last gen game for me

 

[HardRock]

Looks like a last gen game for me

I won't go into details why that is absolutely not the case for me, as I don't feel like typing multiple paragraphs now and I doubt it would change anything anyway. I'll say however that it may seem that way if you don't appreciate all of the many improvements, and not always in the graphics, it has above any of the last gen titles.

 

[AKps3]

I won't go into details why that is absolutely not the case for me, as I don't feel like typing multiple paragraphs now and I doubt it would change anything anyway. I'll say however that it may seem that way if you don't appreciate all of the many improvements, and not always in the graphics, it has above any of the last gen titles.

You have your opinion and I have my opinion

 

[notsofast]

I honestly, and with all bias shoved to the back of my brain, find pCARS2 easier to drive than Forza 6 on the controller... I can modulate things much more precisely and with control over the limits...

I've been sitting on the fence for PC2 as I don't have a wheel so controller is my go to but if that's the case then I'm sold especially when it comes to precision and control.

 

[kkdrummer]

Honestly, I don't think it does, although based on the overall positive tone of the whole review I was very surprised at the conclusion of "wait for a sale".

- Graphics issues: Very valid I think, I noticed some the mentioned problems during previously uploaded videos, especially the shadows. All these issues can certainly be improved if made a priority, although depending on how shadows are rendered the flickering could remain noticeable under certain circumstances.

- FFB: 100% subjective, in my opinion everyone should wait to try it for themselves.

- Loading times with many different cars on consoles: As a primarily PC gamer I have no idea how it compares to other titles, but I can say that loading times always made frustrated on consoles, no matter what I played. It is worth mentioning here to though that compared to PC1 there is less need to exit back to the menu to make adjustments, and that the upside is that Project CARS in general allow for higher customization of the field of cars than before.

- Weird AI movement: Again, I think a valid criticism, although I can't name one title where the AI don't do something that instantly make me think I'm driving against computer controlled opponents. It's all about what you can live with. There's always the possibility of online racing.

yes, I am curious to see what PC reviewers say...in my opinion, this video review does damage PC2 a bit. This youtuber is very popular and known for his quality work. If you have a look at the video's comment section, you will see people that are making the decision to pick up Forza 7 over PC2 based on this video....I kinda expected the console versions to perform like that a bit, PC should have a much more consistent performance, I would be very disappointed if it didn't. At this point, the only very worrying point is FFB, but without knowing the equipment he used to test it, it is kinda hard to know how it really feels.

 

[Ian Bell]

yes, I am curious to see what PC reviewers say...in my opinion, this video review does damage PC2 a bit. This youtuber is very popular and known for his quality work. If you have a look at the video's comment section, you will see people that are making the decision to pick up Forza 7 over PC2 based on this video....I kinda expected the console versions to perform like that a bit, PC should have a much more consistent performance, I would be very disappointed if it didn't. At this point, the only very worrying point is FFB, but without knowing the equipment he used to test it, it is kinda hard to know how it really feels.

We do have those two graphics issues in replays (tree shadowing and shadow bias, and draw sort order in fog with windshields). Both are improved in the next patch. But it's a valid complaint, albeit replay only. Slightly personally annoying as I pushed the guys to try to get our replays up to GT levels...

I couldn't disagree with him more on the feel.

Load times are all under 1st party limits which are tight. We didn't get a 'waiver' there.

 

[HardRock]

in my opinion, this video review does damage PC2 a bit. This youtuber is very popular and known for his quality work.

I think it was fair though, with great footage to show off the positives and negatives. The issues the reviewer brought up seemed valid, if only from his perspective in the case of the FFB. I would like to try it myself and see more datapoints, that is more reviews, before making up my mind on this subject.

If you have a look at the video's comment section, you will see people that are making the decision to pick up Forza 7 over PC2 based on this video.

I wouldn't worry about that. If someone makes that decision it's more likely because they prefer Forza 7 because it is a very different game, not because of the (in the grand scheme of things) minor issues mentioned in the video. Think about it, Forza 7 and PC2 is like Doom and Call of Duty (not drawing any direct parallels between them), both FPS, but very different in gameplay and structure. If you would choose one over the other it won't really be due to AI problems or loading times.

 

[AKps3]

We do have those two graphics issues in replays (tree shadowing and shadow bias, and draw sort order in fog with windshields). Both are improved in the next patch. But it's a valid complaint, albeit replay only. Slightly personally annoying as I pushed the guys to try to get our replays up to GT levels...

I couldn't disagree with him more on the feel.

Load times are all under 1st party limits which are tight. We didn't get a 'waiver' there.

I think this will never happen. GT replays are top notch

 

[Ian Bell]

I think this will never happen. GT replays are top notch

I think if we dropped 'everything dynamic' we could get close but I agree they are masters in this area. Think back to the last totally dynamic GT (I think it was 5) and check out the shadow frustum artefacts in replay. When you go baked a whole ton of issues go away. Hence their decision to go that way and for the other main competition to not have a proper 24 hour cycle.

 

[Masscot]

We do have those two graphics issues in replays (tree shadowing and shadow bias, and draw sort order in fog with windshields). Both are improved in the next patch. But it's a valid complaint, albeit replay only. Slightly personally annoying as I pushed the guys to try to get our replays up to GT levels...

If the flickering is only on the replays then I can live with that until it's patched. The first game had a fair bit of flickering on billboards during gameplay when playing in VR, which was incredibly distracting. Is this now resolved in pCARS 2?

 

[Ian Bell]

If the flickering is only on the replays then I can live with that until it's patched. The first game had a fair bit of flickering on billboards during gameplay when playing in VR, which was incredibly distracting. Is this now resolved in pCARS 2?

There are a ton of VR videos up on the web not showing any issues during normal gameplay. I point you to Beetesjuice:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Ah_g2z2keHD6tUZmpdnbg/videos

 

[kkdrummer]

We do have those two graphics issues in replays (tree shadowing and shadow bias, and draw sort order in fog with windshields). Both are improved in the next patch. But it's a valid complaint, albeit replay only. Slightly personally annoying as I pushed the guys to try to get our replays up to GT levels...

I couldn't disagree with him more on the feel.

Load times are all under 1st party limits which are tight. We didn't get a 'waiver' there.

Good to know the next patch will improve that.....reaching a GT replay level may require a dedicated engine just for that purpose....it is kinda insane what those replays look like.

 

[FuriousDemon]

This looks really bad in my opinion

This is probably "wait for a sale for a general gamer". From the review, if you liked pCARS 1, I would say you will love pCARS 2. If you liked pCARS 1 for the most part then you probably will like pCARS 2. Otherwise YMMV, hence wait for a sale. BTW these shadow and graphical bugs (like windshield looking weird in the fog or lights shining through the body for a second) are there since pCARS 1, so probably are difficult to fix.

 

[Ian Bell]

Good to know the next patch will improve that.....reaching a GT replay level may require a dedicated engine just for that purpose....it is kinda insane what those replays look like.

Honestly, as above I think if we went with static baked lighting we could do it, or close to it. I also agree they are epic looking. It does give us mixed motivations as a developer. Do we drop our totally dynamic 24 hour time of day and weather systems to allow us to nail properly photographic replays... ?? We've certainly discussed it a lot internally.

 

[AKps3]

I think if we dropped 'everything dynamic' we could get close but I agree they are masters in this area. Think back to the last totally dynamic GT (I think it was 5) and check out the shadow frustum artefacts in replay. When you go baked a whole ton of issues go away. Hence their decision to go that way and for the other main competition to not have a proper 24 hour cycle.

Maybe but to be honest I don't think so

 

[Ian Bell]

Maybe but to be honest I don't think so

Ok

 

[kkdrummer]

Honestly, as above I think if we went with static baked lighting we could do it, or close to it. I also agree they are epic looking. It does give us mixed motivations as a developer. Do we drop our totally dynamic 24 hour time of day and weather systems to allow us to nail properly photographic replays... ?? We've certainly discussed it a lot internally.

oh no!! game play and immersion should come first....I can watch real life races on TV on HD, but I cannot drive racing cars in real life, let me do that including experiencing weather changes in video games.=]

 

[05XR8]

Keep the 24 hour cycle. There is no debate. Like I've posted since February, #graphicsainteverything.