Project CARS 3 Launches to Mixed Reviews

[MisterWaffles]

I bought Project CARS 3.

Is it a true successor to Project CARS 2? No.

Does it have silly design choices and nonsensical car classes? Yes.

Is it a sim? No.

Does it look like a mobile game? Yes.

Are the graphics on the base PS4 not that great? Yes.

Will it become the greatest arcade racer ever and light your pants on fire? No.

Is it as bad as everyone on RaceDepartment says it is? No.

Is the handling model realistic? No.

Is the handling model fun? Yes.

Did the developers lie? Yes.

Do they deserve death threats? No.

Is it a decent arcade racer to kill a couple weeks with? Absolutely.

 

[FoxMulder]

I get pcars fans are mad, but I’d be happy with something arcade that still offers challenging campaign events to jump into with a controller. I had a blast getting the platinum trophy for Driveclub while I find Forza Horizon utterly boring.

Shame this looks so ugly though as a late gen release.

 

[Zeitoss]

Shame this looks so ugly though as a late gen release.

What did they do on the graphics is out of any logic to me.

1. They had a pretty good and solid base with PC2 already, running fine on base consoles, and very well on premium consoles and PC.

2. They simplified (by a large margin) the underlying physics, and removing tire wear and damage they should have reduced a lot the computational power required.

3. They had 3 more years to optimize and refine the Madness Engine.

4. Still, PC3 runs much worse than PC2 on basically all systems, so is not something related to one platform only.

I am really struggling to find another similar case of such evident downgrading for a sequel.

I am firmly convinced something went wrong during the development, despite of all enthusiastic announcements by SMS team ("200% better than original PC2" by Ian. LMAO).
Surely then the Covid didn't help.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

I bought Project CARS 3.

Is it a true successor to Project CARS 2? No.

Does it have silly design choices and nonsensical car classes? Yes.

Is it a sim? No.

Does it look like a mobile game? Yes.

Are the graphics on the base PS4 not that great? Yes.

Will it become the greatest arcade racer ever and light your pants on fire? No.

Is it as bad as everyone on RaceDepartment says it is? No.

Is the handling model realistic? No.

Is the handling model fun? Yes.

Did the developers lie? Yes.

Do they deserve death threats? No.

Is it a decent arcade racer to kill a couple weeks with? Absolutely.

I get pcars fans are mad, but I’d be happy with something arcade that still offers challenging campaign events to jump into with a controller. I had a blast getting the platinum trophy for Driveclub while I find Forza Horizon utterly boring.

Shame this looks so ugly though as a late gen release.

What did they do on the graphics is out of any logic to me.

1. They had a pretty good and solid base with PC2 already, running fine on base consoles, and very well on premium consoles and PC.

2. They simplified (by a large margin) the underlying physics, and removing tire wear and damage they should have reduced a lot the computational power required.

3. They had 3 more years to optimize and refine the Madness Engine.

4. Still, PC3 runs much worse than PC2 on basically all systems, so is not something related to one platform only.

I am really struggling to find another similar case of such evident downgrading for a sequel.

I am firmly convinced something went wrong during the development, despite of all enthusiastic announcements by SMS team ("200% better than original PC2" by Ian. LMAO).
Surely then the Covid didn't help.

Glad more people are seeing is not just me on how ugly this game is and i'm on ps4 pro i can only image it running on the standard ps4 or xb1

 

[FuriousDemon]

Glad more people are seeing is not just me on how ugly this game is and i'm on ps4 pro i can only image it running on the standard ps4 or xb1

Imagine playing with a resolution of 480p during night races and you’d get pretty close to the base PS4 “experience”

 

[Zeitoss]

Glad more people are seeing is not just me on how ugly this game is and i'm on ps4 pro i can only image it running on the standard ps4 or xb1

Well, @Chikane_GTR, when everyone starts to test the game directly, the truth naturally emerges as it is.
And all claims and efforts to defend a game which someone tried in the weeks pre-launch (or even during the early access week) are going to then sound ridiculous and silly.

Still, the game is fun to play.
But this does not remove the fact that is very poorly optimized, half baked in many aspects, and definitely lacks of polishing.

 

[HaydenFan69]

I bought the game to play with the Formula E and IndyCars. Thought it was like PC2 and they were openly available, to find out that is not the case. I'm fine with that. The couple of cars I've driven so far have been pretty drifty on the default settings. Again, I'm fine with that. I'm not happy that it was a $60 game, but it's an alright game. The colors are bright and shiny, and a change of pace ACC and GTS. Also, the AI is top notch. Not quite ACC, but leaps above anything we've gotten from the GT series.

I'll stick with it while I wait for my wheel to get back from the repairman, as the game seems very much built around the game pad.

 

[Ande3200]

I have spend some hours on it, i think its pretty fun game, fun career mode, upgrade parts makes road cars fun. I like this game better than previous games, and reason for that is becouse i am able to upgrade cars, Begin with salpeter car and progress my way through, this is great game in my opinion, and might keep my a Little busy in the Wait for gt7

 

[notsofast]

Glad more people are seeing is not just me on how ugly this game is and i'm on ps4 pro i can only image it running on the standard ps4 or xb1

I'm on Xbox S and it looks pretty underwhelming on both my TVs one being 4k the other non 4k. I think I'm a bit spoiled given how much time I spend playing Horizon 4 which is just gorgeous on either tv.

Graphics aside I'm slowly warming up to the game. I'm getting the most enjoyment out of fighting midpack and achieving clean overtakes on the AI and holding those positions. I've only got a stock Evo 6 as a starter car and I actually enjoy being able to pass GT-Rs in the corners and then having them come back at me on the straights like in real life.

 

[beyond72]

What did they do on the graphics is out of any logic to me.

1. They had a pretty good and solid base with PC2 already, running fine on base consoles

Not in my experience on the Xbox. Willow Springs for example had slow down on the same corner and the straight no matter what I did in PC2.
Now with 3 I can run a full day night cycle there with none. Not to say every track is perfect, but more are playable than before at least.
I do agree it should be a lot better though, considering it doesn't do anything GT or Forza don't do already with better graphics and performance. Can't wait for the Digital Foundry review.

 

[BigSoloFish]

Glad more people are seeing is not just me on how ugly this game is and i'm on ps4 pro i can only image it running on the standard ps4 or xb1

I have an OG xbox downstairs as well as a one x and it's pretty ugly on the standard. Lots of pop in too. But I kill a bit of time playing on the controller on then usually retreat upstairs and plug the wheel into the one x

 

[Zeitoss]

Not in my experience on the Xbox. Willow Springs for example had slow down on the same corner and the straight no matter what I did in PC2.
Now with 3 I can run a full day night cycle there with none. Not to say every track is perfect, but more are playable than before at least.
I do agree it should be a lot better though, considering it doesn't do anything GT or Forza don't do already with better graphics and performance. Can't wait for the Digital Foundry review.

My experience with PC2 is on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, therefore I am comparing PC2 vs. PC3 on Xbox One X.
And even is true that PC3 handles fine under daytime and dry weather conditions, it is much worse on nighttime and rain conditions.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

I'm on Xbox S and it looks pretty underwhelming on both my TVs one being 4k the other non 4k. I think I'm a bit spoiled given how much time I spend playing Horizon 4 which is just gorgeous on either tv.

Graphics aside I'm slowly warming up to the game. I'm getting the most enjoyment out of fighting midpack and achieving clean overtakes on the AI and holding those positions. I've only got a stock Evo 6 as a starter car and I actually enjoy being able to pass GT-Rs in the corners and then having them come back at me on the straights like in real life.

Ugly graphics aside i have found something i'm enjoying and that's leveling up i'm on level 22 and have over 70m in game credit

 

[PJTierney]

Ugly graphics aside i have found something i'm enjoying and that's leveling up i'm on level 22 and have over 70m in game credit

Found a cheeky exploit?

 

[byoung]

Got it on Xbox 1, they did some things well if you go in expecting a simcade or more arcde racer. It handles well with controller, you dont have to spend hrs finding setting to make it work. The car and track list are really nice as are all the team liveries. The career mode is fun but I dont like having to grind for cash to buy new cars. However the graphics are terrible, it looks like a bad PS3 or 360 game and that nearly ruins it for me. If the game looked like their cut scenes playing they would have something nice.

Ugly graphics aside i have found something i'm enjoying and that's leveling up i'm on level 22 and have over 70m in game credit

Is there an expolit on Xbox for cash? Ive been having to sell cars I am done with to buy other ones, would be nice to be able to keep them all in the garage.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

Found a cheeky exploit?

Is there an expolit on Xbox for cash? Ive been having to sell cars I am done with to buy other ones, would be nice to be able to keep them all in the garage.

I'm on ps4 so i dont know about xbox.

 

[Pantheons]

I still think this was rushed out to make to best of the large user base that is PS4, before the PS5 launches. Lets face it, your not going to launch a new game on PS4 AFTER the PS5 is out, and theres no point in releasing a new game 2 months before a new console. So its now or never.
SO.... rush out PC3, dumb it down because theres no time. And work on PC4 as a proper sim for PS5 in two years time.
There is no sence in not keeping PC3 a true successor to PC2, its crazy.
Its like making Far Cry 7 a platform game with cute fluffy bears, you WOULDNT call it far cry 7.
Thats what i think has happened, its a panic rush job, to cash in.

 

[MroczMR]

I still think this was rushed out to make to best of the large user base that is PS4, before the PS5 launches. Lets face it, your not going to launch a new game on PS4 AFTER the PS5 is out, and theres no point in releasing a new game 2 months before a new console. So its now or never.
SO.... rush out PC3, dumb it down because theres no time. And work on PC4 as a proper sim for PS5 in two years time.
There is no sence in not keeping PC3 a true successor to PC2, its crazy.
Its like making Far Cry 7 a platform game with cute fluffy bears, you WOULDNT call it far cry 7.
Thats what i think has happened, its a panic rush job, to cash in.

This is exactly my thoughts... But i also think they could rid off PCars name and replace it with some Codemasters IP.

 

[David Wright]

I still think this was rushed out to make to best of the large user base that is PS4, before the PS5 launches. Lets face it, your not going to launch a new game on PS4 AFTER the PS5 is out, and theres no point in releasing a new game 2 months before a new console. So its now or never.
SO.... rush out PC3, dumb it down because theres no time. And work on PC4 as a proper sim for PS5 in two years time.
There is no sence in not keeping PC3 a true successor to PC2, its crazy.
Its like making Far Cry 7 a platform game with cute fluffy bears, you WOULDNT call it far cry 7.
Thats what i think has happened, its a panic rush job, to cash in.

How are you going to market PC4 as a "proper sim"? By telling people its all the sim they could want? Credibility is key when it comes to sims. SMS struggled with pCARS because of their association with Shift. There is no going back.

TBH think they've killed the franchise. If PC3 had sold well there would have been a sequel aimed at the same market. But its sold badly so while it may live on on mobiles as PC Go (if that ever materializes), on other platforms I think this will be the last in the series.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

How are you going to market PC4 as a "proper sim"? By telling people its all the sim they could want? Credibility is key when it comes to sims. SMS struggled with pCARS because of their association with Shift. There is no going back.

TBH think they've killed the franchise. If PC3 had sold well there would have been a sequel aimed at the same market. But its sold badly so while it may live on on mobiles as PC Go (if that ever materializes), on other platforms I think this will be the last in the series.

Well that sounds needlessly pessimistic. Did Dirt 1/2/3/Showdown kill Dirt Rally?

 

[Scaff]

Well that sounds needlessly pessimistic. Did Dirt 1/2/3/Showdown kill Dirt Rally?

Apples to oranges comparison.

Codemasters ensured that Dirt Rally was clearly communicated as a spin-off, that was not named as a continuation of the more approachable, core series and has ensured the two stay separate in terms of communication and message since that point.

That's exactly what SMS should have done with Project Cars, but failed to do and as a result, have caused a degree of confusion, muddied the brand identity of the products and created a division between players, all of which could have easily been avoided.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

That's exactly what SMS should have done with Project Cars, but failed to do and as a result, have caused a degree of confusion, muddied the brand identity of the products and created a division between players, all of which could have easily been avoided.

All I'm saying is that this is just a videogame, not a presidential candidate. There are better thing worth worrying about.

 

[Scaff]

All I'm saying is that this is just a videogame, not a presidential candidate. There are better thing worth worrying about.

And that’s a strawman argument.

Given that people at the developers jobs will most likely rest on the success or failure of it as a title, for some it’s a lot more than just a video game.

Great way to utterly miss the importance of brand identity, value and positioning in regard to products however.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

And that’s a strawman argument.

Given that people at the developers jobs will most likely rest on the success or failure of it as a title, for some it’s a lot more than just a video game.

Great way to utterly miss the importance of brand identity, value and positioning in regard to products however.

I'm sorry if that came off as a bit strawman-ey, but I don't think it'll ever be late to turn things around. Hence why I brought up Dirt Rally.

 

[MroczMR]

That is why i think they will move to another franchise. Codemasters have plenty of IP's which will fit to Project Cars philosophies both PC1 and 2 and PC3 one. It will depend which way SMS will go now.

And to be honest i wouldn't mind a big comeback of RaceDriver series... Damn even GRID can be made as a spin off similar to Dirt Rally.

 

[Silver Arrows]

That's exactly what SMS should have done with Project Cars, but failed to do and as a result, have caused a degree of confusion, muddied the brand identity of the products and created a division between players, all of which could have easily been avoided.

And this is the crux of the issue, and why people are mad. Especially that, once it was clear that this was going to be the next mainline title, SMS (more specifically, Ian Bell, since he is ultimately the voice and public face of SMS and PCARS as a whole) pulled out all the stops to try and make it seem like 'oh, we're just trying to cast a wide net' when in reality they were lying to save face. That's something you do not do, especially with a market like sim racing fans, who *will* sniff out those lies to the nth degree.

I don't know if it's Bandai Namco or SMS who made PCARS 3 what it is title and tone wise, but whoever signed off on it being the next mainline title will probably be losing their jobs. This is a title that very much should be a spinoff, therefore minimizing the cross-stream between the categories, and not muddying up the brand that you've built PCARS up to be. That wasn't done, and now the brand is at a crossroads where it doesn't need to be.

 

[Scaff]

I'm sorry if that came off as a bit strawman-ey, but I don't think it'll ever be late to turn things around. Hence why I brought up Dirt Rally.

Tell that to Evolution studios.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

Tell that to Evolution studios.

Touche.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Tell that to Evolution studios.

Evolution would know that song and dance, considering it's very arguable that Onrush's failure basically lead the studio to be culled by Codemasters, elements of the studio lost to the winds of the gaming industry, while Codies reaped the benefits of adding Evolution's weather tech to their games before bringing Evolution back as a wholly owned subsidiary. SMS might be looking down the same barrel, though considering Ian Bell's cantankerous nature, I'm sure that he'd rather be fiercely independent, as much as he can be under the Codemasters umbrella.

 

[SestoScudo]

Project Cars 3 could have continued where it left with 2.

But make things easier and simplified.

Such a shame to be honest. That no middle ground was found.