RACE Pro Review

By Dan Whitehead Published 2 February, 2009

Engine and tonic.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Despite being over six feet tall, I used to drive a Mini. A proper old Mini, like in The Italian Job. I loved that Mini. I miss that Mini. As any fan of the diminutive car can tell you, there's something special about them, and you can feel it in the way they drive. The first car you get in the career mode of Simbin's debut console racer is a Mini, and it's a testament to the Swedish studio's oft-acclaimed skill that the digital version retains that unique and intangible Mini feel.

It's the sort of positive first impression that bodes extremely well for the game as a whole, and long-time fans of Simbin's long-running GT series will be pleased to learn that its attention-to-detail and depth of understanding when it comes to the physics and handling of virtual vehicles has crossed the PC-console divide intact. Race Pro may not be the most inspiring title for a game, but it's perfectly apt. This is a game made by people who know racing - Simbin founder Henrik Roos used to be a professional GT Championship driver.

His company's PC series has a devoted legion of fans, but the games are notorious for their unforgiving simulation approach. Are wussy console gamers ready for such ferocious fealty to real life? Actually, as it turns out, they don't need to be. Race Pro has the depth, but it also has a thoughtful training slope to ease you in. It's perhaps the most accessible hardcore racer to grace a console.

The heart of the game, as always, is the career mode. Here you work your way through eight race groups, each containing up to seven different contracts. You must buy into each contract using credits, which you earn based on performance in races. The amount you pay, however, will vary depending on whether or not you pass the tryout time trial for the contract. Pass the test and the cost of entry drops sharply. If you just can't beat the time - or can't be bothered - then you can pay over the odds and get the contract anyway.

'RACE Pro' Screenshot 1

Interior views may not bristle with detail, but when the racing is this good who needs dashboard distractions?

The flexibility continues once you're ready to race. You can tackle each contract at amateur, semi-pro or pro levels. The higher the standard, the higher the credit payout for victory. Racing at the top professional tier, however, means that you get no racing assists whatsoever. Amateurs, on the other hand, can make the game as easy - or as hard - as they like, with complete freedom to tweak the anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability assistance and racing line indicator. As your confidence increases, so you can slowly let go of your helping hands in whatever configuration works best for you.

On the track, you'll see just how important these features are. Racing as a professional shows off the phenomenal physics and handling, but will leave most fair-weather racers seething with frustration. You need to not only understand advanced racing concepts but take advantage of them, usually at horrifying speeds. Each car, from the aforementioned Mini through to various Caterham models, Audis, Viper Coupes and Formula BMWs handles noticeably differently from the moment you take the wheel. The pull of inertia as you hit the apex of a turn, the sudden thrust of forward momentum as you slipstream an opponent - these subtle feelings are conveyed effectively and economically, and feel so natural that performance improvements become instinctive rather than cerebral. The challenge ultimately comes not only in mastering each track, but tailoring your approach depending on the car; a familiar corner can be your undoing if you're in an unfamiliar ride.

It all sounds imposing, but played at a lower difficulty level, it's a technical but incredibly playable racer that shouldn't scare anyone weaned on Forza or PGR. It's never less than a sim, but the game is so willing to help you find your groove that improving your performance never feels like work. Where other games bleed the fun out of racing or punish you harshly for straying off the perfect racing line, this is a game that wants you to succeed and leads with the carrot rather than the stick. Before long you've ditched the amateur status completely, and are busy earning your stripes as a semi-pro. Friendly track-specific tips appear on every loading screen and, suddenly, the cliff-face of professional status doesn't seem quite so impossibly daunting.

Having got the stuff under the bonnet so wonderfully right, it's a shame that the game can't quite boast the bodywork to match. It's not an ugly game, but compared to the standard holders on the 360 it's not going to win any beauty contests either. Car models are more than acceptable, but the replays reveal them to be fairly rigid boxes rather than intricate models where you can see each shift of weight in the suspension. Car damage is present, but hardly spectacular. Keep crashing into the barriers at top speed and you might start to see some scuffing and buckling after four or five crashes, but if you're expecting mechanical carnage, you're looking at the wrong game. Trackside details are equally sparse, and the stiff spectators often give the impression that you're racing through a Hornby playset rather than a real race track.

The presentation, too, is less than enticing. The front-end is functional, music almost entirely absent (not always a bad thing, but still notable) and the only human contact comes from a hilariously unimpressed voiceover man who can barely conceal his lack of enthusiasm for your hard-earned achievements. "You won," he deadpans, stifling a yawn. "Very good race."

'RACE Pro' Screenshot 3

The tuning options alone will keep gearheads busy for weeks, but you can easily skip all that and jump straight into a race.

Multiplayer is much as you'd expect, offering Xbox Live or System Link play for up to twelve racers, on any of the tracks in dry or wet conditions. There's sadly no split-screen option, but what you do get is a very strange two-player "Hotseat" option where you take it in turns during the same race. In the co-op version, control of the same car switches between two players. In versus mode, one player races against an AI facsimile of the other player until the situation is reversed. It's as barmy as it sounds, and not entirely successful, but as a way of allowing two players on the same screen without sacrificing frame-rate it's...well, interesting.

Such unpolished aspects won't do the game any favours when it's competing against the likes of GRID and PGR4, but shrewd racing fans should be able to look past the exterior and appreciate the finely tuned engine beneath. Race Pro is a great driving experience, striking a rare balance between the immediate enjoyment of an arcade racer and the deeper, more nuanced long-term satisfaction of a hardcore sim.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Dan.

About Dan Whitehead

Dan has been writing for Eurogamer since 2006 and specialises in RPGs, shooters and games for children. His bestest game ever is Julian Gollop's Chaos.

Read more articles from Dan by visiting the Dan Whitehead archive page.

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Comments (80) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • wonton #1 3 years ago

    well this came out of nowhere

    exclusive?

  • Bitkari #2 3 years ago

    Sounds good to me! I dig Race 07, even though I'm generally AWFUL at it.

    Wonder how the next Forza will compare?
    Edited by 1 at 02/02/09 @ 14:08

  • Yodzilla #3 3 years ago

    hardcore racing and an otherwise bare bones package. sounds about right

  • metalangel #4 3 years ago

    So how many cars in total are there? Do you need to unlock stuff before using it in multi? What sort of replay or photo options? How about the tracks, are they any good? A worrying lack of detail in that review, is there something going on here?

  • Psychotext #5 3 years ago

    Better than I expected.

  • b00n #6 3 years ago

    a buy for me while waiting for Forza3.

  • booner #7 3 years ago

    Where have the split screen gaming options gone? Burnout, GRID and Race pro all without split screen? Such a shame as my friend and I enjoy a good session.

  • superjag86 #8 3 years ago

    "Such a shame as my friend and I enjoy a good session."

    Do you really need split-screen for that??

  • T4RG4 #9 3 years ago

    That review didnt say too much really :/

    Tracks? Demo? Car variety? Online mode/options? Hmm.

  • Ceatlan #10 3 years ago

    I'm really looking forward to this. Much as I am enjoying Race Driver GRID that I bought cheap for the PC at the moment. I really do wish I was able to practice tracks, and qualify for races myself, rather than get thrown onto a new track with a new car and instantly be expected to go round fast enough to win, even though I was forced to start at the back of the grid and you've only given me 2 laps to do it.

    I love the game and career structure of GRID, I also love the presentation and I really love the quality of the racing action. I just wish they hadn't stripped the race events themselves down to the bare minimum of a mad dash for the line. Hopefully this game will give me more of what I want.

  • KreyAtiv #11 3 years ago

    After reading the review I'm still a bit unsure about it. I do enjoy watching the occasional replay in a racing game, but doing so in Race Pro seems like it'd spoil it too. As do does the damage, not affecting any mechanical parts.
    I'll wait until I get a go at the demo to see if it'd be worth getting and if it'd keep my interest.

  • Miths #12 3 years ago

    How does it play with a pad? Even if the 360 is able to support Logitech wheels now rather than the cheap, official plastic crap (and I'm guessing that actually still isn't the case?), I've pretty much ruled out using the Logitech G25 I originally bought for PC sims in 2006, in my living room (and unfortunately I don't even have a proper gaming PC at the moment either, nor can a wheel be mounted on my new, fancy, curved piano gloss glass desk anyway :)).

    I bought a fancy "Wheelstand Pro" several months ago (when Ferrari Challenge for the PS3 was released if I recall correctly), but it just proved more trouble than it was worth having to move tables around and dragging the whole stand and wheel in and out of the living room every time I felt like doing a few hours of virtual racing.
    Which is also why I'm leaning heavily towards arcade racers rather than sims these days, as it just feels so damn wrong playing the latter with a pad - at least when you spent a few years in PC sims with wheels and pedals.

  • eldarko #13 3 years ago

    No matter what scores these things get, if only takes a matter of seconds for you to know if the whole 'feel' of the physics engine is correct. GRID didn't have it. Forza 2 had it in spades.

    So the burning question is: anyone know when a demo for this will be on Live?

  • GreatUncleBaal #14 3 years ago

    I'm more than likely to pick this up, though I'm a little worried about the comment regarding damage not being that great, given that it's trying to sell itself on its realism.
    Race Pro's own website states "Highly detailed damage realistically affects handling" - doesn't sound that highly detailed, although the review didn't seem to cover how it affects the car's handling.
    It seems like they're going to release a demo, so hopefully all will become clear before I commit money to it. Like eldarko says, you know pretty quickly with a racing game whether it's one you're going to get on with.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #15 3 years ago

    Demo out any day now apparently.

    And it has 350 cars according to xbox.com

  • dazrichards #16 3 years ago

    Read a preview which said there are 13 tracks. Pretty poor that. The US and UK official 360 mags score it 6 and 8 respectively.

  • aphexstwin #17 3 years ago

    top gear magazine reviewed this game last month and this is their review, written by bill thomas, sorry for the plagiarism....

    'a console game is going to be simpler and easier than a pc driving sim by definition. but its still hard for me, as a dedicated sim-head addicted to stuff like iRacing.com, to not wish for more realism from race pro, the new xbox racing game from simbin. simbin is a god of pc driving sims, with games like gtr and race 07 to its name, so this game was always going to be a bit more realistic than other console games. and it is, still, simbin has wound back the physics for the sake of the playability, to the extent that even sliding some as crazy as a caterham is hard, and i think that the developers may have gone just a tad to far. but the fun is here aplenty, and that will be enough for most people - lots of fast cars, including radicals and gtrs and wtcc cars and interesting tracks aswell. the sound effects and graphics, while not quite up to pc standards are great, and you'll be absorbed with the competition. but - and this a 'but' for sim heads, dont expect big realism'

    they scored it 16/20, but if they can be trusted, i wanted more sim and less americanism, so i'll try the upcoming demo before splashing out on this game, that is what they are there for afterall. but for a game like this i want rooms that are wheel only (like you get on ps3 ut3 - k&m only rooms) because pad racers will generally be faster than wheel ones. (just to clarify, you can tell by watching replays on f2 with telemetry as to whether its a pad or wheel lap, and the top racers on f2 are pad racers)

  • kobashi #18 3 years ago

    first day buy for me. good review!

  • citizenHUNTER #19 3 years ago

    Hmm, the review was what I was expecting I guess. It's a shame that presentation and the lack of super shiny graphics seem to be dragging the score down. I know, especially now as gaming becomes more mass-market that presentation is important, but it's the racing here which is what this whole game is about, not how nice a menu screen looks. Richard Burns Rally had pretty dire presentation but it didn't matter a sod once you were in a rally.

    And even if the tracks and car models are only merely sufficient, I know from what I've seen that the handling of the cars immediately will make this look far more believable than other, flashier games (GRID) where the physics are laughable and it's very evident in the replays.

    I for one am still very much looking forward to this, as long as the game doesn't have tearing or some horrific frame rate drops that's all I'm caring about, can't wait for the demo to come out! :)

    P.S. Yes there should be more detail in these reviews, just about the bare essential things people want to know about like control schemes, number of tracks etc. The Eurogamer reviews are getting more and more vague and while it's nice being slightly removed from the pernickity details of why something might work or not, as far as gaming is concerned I think these ARE things we should hear about so as we, as gamers, can make our own judgements on whether we could deal with it or not. It's not like film where someone's objective review merely adds another opinion to our roster, games reviews to me at least, should be more like a semi-detailed breakdown of what is in the game, how it functions etcetera so as we can make up our minds about it and decide if it is for us. These very abstract overview reviews, by one person, does not help anyone make those kinds of judgements about where their next £35 is going towards a game. Rant over.

    SO... how about the opinionated review which makes a good read, but next to that some sort of detailed breakdown of the many facets of the game... control schemes, even silly things like graphics options, will it let me increase the gamma so I get a much nicer picture on my computer LCD that I use for instance, the kinds of things we normally have to wait and see with when we settle on actually buying the game for ourselves (but too late I say). Eurogamer does their scientific little console Face-Offs so it's not alien to the site, how about it eh?

  • coolbritannia #20 3 years ago

    Blimey, where did this come from? Looks good, will buy.

  • Tiel #21 3 years ago

    @coolbrittania


    From a long line of racing games from the same studio--all available on this little known gaming machine called the pc. Other underground hits include a quirky online world called world of warcraft ;)

  • Gnort #22 3 years ago

    This game is probably going to polarise opinions quite a lot. I think it sounds pretty interesting, but unfortunately I have recently got back into Forza (after trying to start playing GRID again and wondering how I got so far into it in the first place when it had such a rubbish handling model) and what limited time I have to play racing games is happily spent on that.

    I'm glad there's a demo coming out, I'll pick that up and see if it makes me want the game enough to buy it on release. Otherwise, I may pick up a copy later when it's cheap, as long as Forza 3 hasn't come out before then.

  • Snooz #23 3 years ago

    So many racing sims I can't choose, but still no one's picking up the rallysim legacy after Richard Burns Rally. Luckily theres the megamod of RSRBR09, but I'd love Simbin to buy the rights (to the physics engine) and make a big online rallye game out of it.

    Petter Solberg is apparently in Microsoft's hands, but only a cellphone game has come out yet, and the financial stuff isn't helping anyone at going for yet another franchise for the narrow sim market.

    Oh, and there's the put-your-name-on-a-rally-game-and-die-soon omen... not helping either.

    *sigh and explode*

    Anyone playing RSRBR09? Check it out on youtube, it's french so the english forum is pretty empty or you're all hiding somewhere else :)

    Edited by 1 at 02/02/09 @ 16:24

  • darc #24 3 years ago

    Slightly disappointed by this review. I was hoping this would be the game to marry a true sim feel with the out-of-the-box polish that's become typical of XBox racers. I'm getting spoiled by the latter.

    Anyway, DLC that would let you drive that Mini down a flight of stairs, and all would be forgiven. :)

  • AaronTurner #25 3 years ago

    Need to know how good it plays with a joypad! Also what tracks are available and are they available to all vehicles? Can you create custom championships?

    I'm a bit disappointed by the crash damage, it sounds weak. I really want a game where if you're in a big collision then you're out the race, that's it. It'd make people a bit more wary on xbox live!

    Anyway, glad it turned out well.

  • UncleLou #26 3 years ago

    I was hoping this would be the game to marry a true sim feel with the out-of-the-box polish that's become typical of XBox racers

    And that's probably the contradiction. If you have a budget to make the game shine like GRID, you can't make it a sim without going bankrupt. :-/

  • metalangel #27 3 years ago

    Any time you want to do a proper review with details of what the game contains and how it all fits together, we'll be waiting. Sorry, but this was so completely generic you could have been talking about almost any racing game and it would have fit.

    I'll avoid any conspiracy theories until later ;)

  • Dogstar060763 #28 3 years ago

    I have to agree with many others here - this review is way too generic. This is a racing simulator we are talking about and detail is everything. Excuses, such as trying to make the 'review' appeal to the widest readership don't work: the 'widest readership' won't be buying this title, but dedicated petrolheads might possibly and they need a little more to go on than vague suggestions.

    Come on, EuroGamer - you can do better!

  • cyber_nicco #29 3 years ago

    Not a particularly informative review, I'm afraid. As has been asked before: Cars? Tracks? Tuning? Anything? I really have almost no feel for the game after reading this review.

    Also, "Where other games bleed the fun out of racing or punish you harshly for straying off the perfect racing line, this is a game that wants you to succeed and leads with the carrot rather than the stick." What does that mean? The author goes on in the review that this is a heavy-duty sim, but then seems to suggest it's not too difficult. I suppose he is referring to the different difficulty levels, but there should be more clarity.

    Oh well, I was really excited about this, but somehow I feel all dead inside now. :) I'll just go and have a look at a few more reviews.


  • Farzlepot #30 3 years ago

    "Shrewd racing fans" will be on their PCs ;)

  • secombe #31 3 years ago

    This game is probably going to polarise opinions quite a lot.

    Absolutely, the proper sim heads will already be playing GT Legends, GTR2 or something along those lines on their PC anyhow, so it will be interesting to see how this crosses over. This was never going to have polished graphics or presentation, but that's kind of missing the point, if the physics are present and correct from the PC versions then this should be spot on.

    Odd review though, two pages of not much at all. My biggest concern is how this all translates across to the 360, I use a 360 pad on GTR2 but have it tuned to perfection via the incredibly detailed controller settings.
    Edited by 1 at 02/02/09 @ 18:15

  • tomnol #32 3 years ago

    This sounds decent, but more in a bargain bin way. Too many other racing games to finish. I just recently started with PGR4, which is excellent, and also got back into GTp5 after an 11 month hiatus. Ferrari Challenge is also waiting to be played a bit more...

  • Numbat #33 3 years ago

    I'm interested to see what PC fans make all the fuss about. Have never tried a Simbin game as I use a Mac, so am looking forward to trying the demo.

  • Anthony_UK #34 3 years ago

    An unusually poor review as many have said, this is the first major racing game for ages and there was next to no information about any of the things that really matter! What gives?

    How many cars?
    How many tracks?
    How is the handling with a pad?
    How does the handling compare to Forza/GT (you'll be fine if you've played PGR or Forza is unbelievably vague)
    How many cars per race online?
    Tuning options?

    Come Eurogamer, your usually spot on!

  • smelly #35 3 years ago

    Does this offer me anything that Burnout Paradise wont?

  • barchetta #36 3 years ago

    The old 'hot-seat' racing is unusual nowadays but it is hardly a new concept - Sir Geoffrey Crammond used the method in the 16-bit F1 GP days - possibly on Revs too!

    I too am eager to hear a bit more about the meat of the game -together with pad vs. wheel etc.

    Oh well, maybe a more sim related site can do us the honours.

    /awaits demo.

  • UncleLou #37 3 years ago

    Well, they're both games, I guess.

  • smurphs #38 3 years ago

    Oh yes, you had me at the mini. Mmmmmmm.

  • FooAtari #39 3 years ago

    Disapointing. Seems Simbin dumbed Race down a little for the console market. Seems PC is still where its at for proper sim racing.

  • Ryze #40 3 years ago

    Hilarious that all of these driving games are coming and going while we still wait for a GT game for PSP and PS3.

  • SAH1977 #41 3 years ago

    Looks very good, but I'll wait for Simbins PS3 exclusive and Race Pro 2, which is also due on PS3. In the meantime let's hope Supercar Challenge delivers the sim goods before GT5, F1 '09 and Blimeys NFS Shift are released.

  • davisorle #42 3 years ago

    It ddin't come out of nowhere but from the damn vids so far I'd swear it sucked.. How did they pull this one out like this all of a sudden i got no fn clue tbh. And yeah it's exclusive.

    Well good job I guess lol.

  • sharky_ob #43 3 years ago

    @ SAH1977

    Erm, you don't own a 360 do you? Move along now.

  • Altrezia #44 3 years ago

    I'm buying. Love Sims, got most of them avail to the PC market, but no reason not to buy a 360 one. Can't wait!

  • themorganator #45 3 years ago

    @ SAH1977

    Get you blinded BS3 ass out of this thread.

    regarding race pro, I played a working version at the Eurogamer expo and, while it doesn't look as good as some of the bigger budget titles, it certainly handled in a similar fashion to Forza and thankfully not like that garbage Grid/ Dirt.


  • Spekingur #46 3 years ago

    Wow. People complain about no mention of the amount of tracks or cars and options of tuning, etc. Seriously, did you ask "how many levels are there in Bioshock? Because I don't want to buy a good game if it only has like 5 levels because then I'm getting less for my money!" - get a grip.

    As for the damage in the game, I'm pretty sure that the videos you see from the game the damage options are turned way down. The pervious Race games from the dev have had pretty nice and unforgiving damage. And I would like to mention that I use my X360 controller with Race07 on the PC. And it works quite well, although I did spend a tad bit of time configuring the setting for it.

    There are 48 cars with 350 models (car hulls). All based on specific championships. There are 13 tracks. As for online play, I doubt there'll be any less than in the previous PC versions.

  • rhubarbandcustard #47 3 years ago

    Sorry guys, got to agree with SAH1977.

    Have bought every SimBin game ever released (I think), but buying a serious sim style racer for the 360 is pointless because...

    on my PS3 I get to use Logitech steering wheels, while my 360 steering wheel is a pile of junk.

  • FooAtari #48 3 years ago

    Wow. People complain about no mention of the amount of tracks or cars and options of tuning,

    What? How many tracks is in a racing game is a legitimate question. While people may not ask how many levels there are they usually want to know how long a game is which is a similar question. On a console where there is no chance of getting any community created mods or additional tracks apart from DLC (complete opposite of PC sims) how many tracks are available is a valid question.

    I wouldnt pay full price for a racing game that only had 6 tracks for example.
    Edited by 2 at 03/02/09 @ 11:17

  • BadBoyBonner #49 3 years ago

    It has more than six tracks - here's the full line up according to Wiki

    * Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba (Brazil)
    * Autódromo Miguel E. Abed (Mexico)
    * Circuit de Valencia (Spain)
    * Grand Prix de Pau (France)
    * Masaryk Circuit (Czech Republic)
    * Autódromo do Estoril (Portugal)
    * Brands Hatch (Great Britain)
    * Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (Germany)
    * Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Italy)
    * Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Italy)
    * Okayama International Circuit (Japan)
    * Guia Circuit (Macau)
    * Circuito da Boavista (Portugal)
    * Scandinavian Raceway (Sweden)
    * Circuit Park Zandvoort (Netherlands)
    * Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (USA)
    * Road America (USA)

    EDIT - plus I would assume there are various layouts available for most tracks and the ability to race clockwise/anticlockwise.
    Edited by 1 at 03/02/09 @ 11:50

  • BadBoyBonner #50 3 years ago

    Quick 360 driving game environments (tracks without including short/long/alternate/anticlockwise etc.) comparison.

    Race Pro -17
    Grid -15
    Forza 2 -12 (8 real world)
    Edited by 1 at 03/02/09 @ 11:56

  • BadBoyBonner #51 3 years ago

    N@

    Let it go man, surely you have forgiven them by now for that E.T. purchase on the VCS 2600? ;-)

  • rhubarbandcustard #52 3 years ago

    farticus: You haven't used a Logitech steering wheel have you?

    If you had, then you would have realised that those of us who spent £70 on Microsoft's lame effort might as well have just wiped our arse with the money.

    The Offical 360 steering wheel is an abomination, and anyone who differs with my opinion is wrong.

    I can't even sell the damn thing as it has no re-sell value. THAT'S how bad it is.

  • BadBoyBonner #53 3 years ago

    rhubarbandcustard

    So an unboxed one go on e-bay the other day for about £50 with a copy of Dirt.

  • canIdoyabombsforya #54 3 years ago

    Proper sim heads?
    Proper arcade machines have pretty much always been the bigger buzz.

    Pre 1990 computer games are closer to todays so called 'PC sim' than a PC sim is to the real thing. Also, before the PC snobs start knocking arcade racing. Consider Arcade controllers were 10-15 years ahead of anything on the PC, 3D GFX were also miles ahead. Daytona USA released about 1 year after Microprose Grand Prix, yes the first one we all played with the keyboard on 14" screens.
    For the cost of the latest Logitech wheel, you could get yourselves a tatty motorcrosser that will be a bigger buzz than anything a computer can offer in the next 40 odd years.
    Computer snobbery...just say no.


    Edit: yes the 360 wheel is sloppy, take it a apart, take the plastic insert to your local machine shop and have it machined to fit a proper bearing, £3 for the work and £7 for the bearing, the bearing will need setting in some resin or silicon. The Logitech is also just a toy FFS.
    Edited by 1 at 03/02/09 @ 12:32

  • rhubarbandcustard #55 3 years ago

    canidoyabombaforya
    "For the cost of the latest Logitech wheel, you could get yourselves a tatty motorcrosser that will be a bigger buzz than anything a computer can offer in the next 40 odd years."

    Deep down, even you realise that you are taking complete bollocks.

    Now, take a deep breath, and apologise to the internet masses.

  • rhubarbandcustard #56 3 years ago

    As I have fields at the back of my house, can I just say that anyone on a motocross bike is a complete and utter cunt.

  • canIdoyabombsforya #57 3 years ago

    rhubarbandcustard

    you obviously dont get out much, no problem just check ebay my friend, dont forget now that anything with a two-stroke engine can rev up to 20,000 RPM, which rings through your body like no computer game will in 40 years, there I said it again.
    Theres a good reason why all the best drivers in the world trained in Karts matey, yours from £300 on ebay, the engines are used in Moto GP, Not much more money than the Logitech G25 when it came out right? Jesus the computer snobs, theyre just fucking toys and games made in China.

  • canIdoyabombsforya #58 3 years ago

    rhubarbandcustard
    "As I have fields at the back of my house, can I just say that anyone on a motocross bike is a complete and utter cunt"

    Thats a fairer comment than your last one.

  • UncleLou #59 3 years ago

    Go wave your Sony flag somewhere else.


    He tried to wave it in a few PS3 threads, but it looked so tiny next to your Microsoft flag, he had to give up.

  • FooAtari #60 3 years ago

    @farticus

    I have owned many FFB wheels over the past 10 years or so and I thought the 360 wheel was awful. Which really really surprsied me as my first FFB wheel was the Microsoft Sidewinder wheel, which was a really good wheel. To find that MS produced a wheel significantly worse than a wheel they developed 10 years ago amazed me. Even more surprising was the cost of it, it cost me £90 at release, I bought a Logitech DFP for my PS2 a year previouslly for £70 which is a superior wheel to the 360 one. Compared to the competion the 360 wheel is poor and even worse overpriced.

    @canIdoyabombsforya
    Several of your posts are pretty consfusing. Do you have any idea what kind of hardware can be bought for PC sims now? A lot of it costs more than I can afford, but the Logitech G25 at £150 is at the budget end of sim hardware and pretty cheap.

    As for this comment;

    Theres a good reason why all the best drivers in the world trained in Karts matey, yours from £300 on ebay, the engines are used in Moto GP

    As for this comment. True there is a reason why the best drivers in the world learn to drive in real Karts/cars, stating the obvious there (althpough might interest you to know that sims are getting to the point know where they can be used as useful training tools). But the second part of the comment can't be serious? If it means what I think it means you need to do some research before you post. Most people race sims as the cost is far far cheaper than even a single season of racing.

    I know someone that racing in a Scottish bike championship, pretty amature stuff on 600cc biikes. He reckons it costs him 6-7k a year and doesnt have a hope of catching the top 3 or 4 riders as they pay even more than this for the best equipment.

    The cost of racing at the top levels even in Karts is way over 10k a year.

    Anyway your argument is totally flawd. It's more thrilling and satisfying to play a real guitar over Guitar Hero. More fun playing football and scoring a real goal. yada yada.

    As for PC snobbery, it's bugger all to do with that. Simple fact is Race 07 isnt even as good as Simbins Race games on the PC.
    Edited by 3 at 03/02/09 @ 13:22

  • Farzlepot #61 3 years ago

    The 360 wheel is fit for purpose, but it is overpriced considering its comparatively poor construction, ineffective force feedback and lack of precision. Which is a shame really, as Microsoft usually make decent peripherals - I was always a fan of their Sidewinder series.

    Great fun for a few laps on PGR4 though. But OMG, no 900 degree rotation!

  • metalangel #62 3 years ago

    I want to know how many tracks but also specifically which ones so I know if they are all good ones or some duffers (like all the "snake" tracks in Forza) and also whether they are real or fictional. This is not an unreasonable request!

  • BadBoyBonner #63 3 years ago

    Metalangel

    See post 52
    Edited by 1 at 03/02/09 @ 13:51

  • aphexstwin #64 3 years ago

    im with the '360 wheel sucks' gang too. it is over priced when compared to the competition, ive got a ffex wheel that cost me 40 quid and its better made, clamps to the table better, nice button layout and great feel. where it not for 200 degree rotation against 270 it would be ahead of the ms one. at 30 quid cheaper too. the list of faults that ive repaired with the360 wheel is too long to mention.

    but the biggest but and obviously justifiable; the 360 has more games. but as a sim racer, if a game comes out multiplatform it just has to be bought for the ps3 because you arent tied to the overly expensive peripherals. same goes for thee forza/gt argument; sometimes its not about damage or ai or graphics, sometimes it just comes down to the thing in your hands that you play the game with

  • metalangel #65 3 years ago

    Badboybonner: Excellent list, thanks for posting it! Brands Hatch and Road America, huzzah! Re: costs, canidoyabombsforya's right. Rather than spend a fortune on a PC sim rig buy an old-ish 600cc bike and instead of spending the summer indoors being called a gay homo fag by shrieking American preteens, go out and race around for real.

  • BadBoyBonner #66 3 years ago

    RACE Pro - Car List


    GT Pro:
    Aston Martin DBR9
    Audi R8 GT Concept
    Corvette C5.R
    Corvette C6.R
    Dodge Viper GTS/R
    Gumpert Apollo GT
    Koenigsegg CCGT
    Lister Storm
    Saleen S7R


    GT Sport:
    BMW M3 GTR
    Corvette C6 GT2
    Marcos MarcoRelly GTS
    Mosler MT900R
    Seat Toledo GT
    Spyker C8 Spyder GT2R
    SunRed SR21


    GT Club:
    Aston Martin DBRS9
    BMW Z4 GTR
    Dodge Viper Competition Coupe
    Gillet Vertigo Streiff
    Seat Cupra GT


    WTCC '07:
    Alfa Romeo 156
    BMW 320si e90
    BMW 320i e46
    Chevrolet Lacetti
    Honda Accord Euro-R
    Peugeot 407
    Seat León
    Volvo S60 Challenge


    WTCC '87:
    Alfa Romeo 75 turbo
    BMW M3 e30


    WTCC Extreme:
    Alfa Romeo 156 Extreme
    BMW 320si Extreme
    Chevrolet Lacetti Extreme
    Seat León Extreme


    Production Class:
    Audi R8
    Dodge Viper SRT/10
    Gumpert Apollo
    Koenigsegg CCX


    Formula 3000:
    Lola B02/60


    Formula BMW:
    Formula BMW


    Mini Cooper Challenge:
    Mini Cooper S


    Radical Sportscars:
    Radical SR3
    Radical SR4


    Caterham CSR:
    Caterham CSR200
    Caterham CSR260
    Caterham CSR320

  • BadBoyBonner #67 3 years ago

    [link url=htt p://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=31299
    ]http://ww w.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&new...[/link]

    As you may be aware, it is very hard for any third party to get accessories out on the Xbox 360, but Fanatec has succeeded! They have informed us that a prototype version of their Official Porsche 911 wheel for the Xbox 360 is nearly ready. At the moment forcefeedback is working well but not all the features are perfected. They are aiming to hand over a prototype version of the Xbox 360 version to developers of RACE PRO Simbin next week so they can integrate into their game.

    Inside Sim Racing - do a review of the wheel here - http://uk.y outube.com/watch?v=W9tgjMq9tJA

  • JammyPez #68 3 years ago

    Better handling than the "spin on a coin" Grid type?

  • BadBoyBonner #69 3 years ago

    Grid's "pivot in the middle of the car" turning dynamic makes you want to cry.

    You can see it best on the replays - due to cars turning from a central pivot - if another car is touching (or very near the) your cars back right - it is impossible to turn left - and the same from the opposite way round - resulting in you going in a straight line instead of round the corner.

    Surely people do not find that easier to use - than something most people use nearly every day?

    If they use it for the F1 game they should hide the head in shame - or licence their graphics engine - which looks very good.

  • SAH1977 #70 3 years ago

    A pitty so many are format fanboys, not video game fanboys. Simbin are a respected sim studio, I take an interest in any of their titles, it just so happens I have an expensive sim set-up that is PS3 and PC compatible. Any sim fan will also be intrigued by NFS Shift, due to it being developed by Blimey, but you still see the 'NFS is crap, NFS Shift will also be crap' comments.

  • secombe #71 3 years ago

    Any sim fan will also be intrigued by NFS Shift, due to it being developed by Blimey, but you still see the 'NFS is crap, NFS Shift will also be crap' comments.

    Absolutely, a lot of people jumped into the NFS comments seemingly without even reading the articles that they were commenting on. Pretty depressing really, lots of rabid fools jumping up and down about games they've never played, or even researched slightly.

  • citizenHUNTER #72 3 years ago

    @ secombe

    I definitely saw an interview with a Simbin guy somewhere online talking about Race Pro's controller settings being completely customiseable to players to set it up just how it feels right for them, so I imagine altering the dead zones and acceleration of turning and whatever else, so prob all the options they'll have for controller settings on their PC games. They're really not taking prisoners or giving in to the masses on this one, I think. The review really should have mentioned things like this, cos we're all still here left guessing about much of what could easily have been clarified in a paragraph or two of the review...

    Hopefully the demo will let you adjust all the options as well (I hate demos where you can't get in to the options menu to adjust video levels or controls etc, silly!). Looking forward to this one, but the "any day now" comments annoy me, just give us a date to look forward to for the demo, then I won't be waiting with anticipation to see nothing has changed on my 360 dashboard next time I boot up, gr.

    It's encouraging to see sim guys out in force on this forum standing up for proper racers. I wish I had a half decent PC to play their other games on, not to mention graphically superior and modded iterations of my favourite game ever, Richard Burns Rally. One day my friends, one day. Just to get through a stage with a fairly quick time in that game was more rewarding than just about any other gaming experience I've had. Also, I'm sure I had one or two not bad times on the leaderboards. I can't even drive for real yet but I'm sure, with a bit of gymming, I could drive a racing car pretty well :p Or well, these games certainly suggest I could, lol. G-forces might have something else to say about that though.

  • FooAtari #73 3 years ago

    I'm definitely intrigued by NFS Shift. However I just cannot believe EA will allow it to be a proper sim. I see it being a PGR/GRID style game at best. However I will be first in line to eat some humble pie if I'm wrong. At the end of the day Blimey will have to do as they are told by EA. I have no doubt they have the ability to create a great new NFS game. I also have no doubt of EA's desire to restrict their input so that they don't stray to far from the current formula and loose current fans of the game.

    As for format fanboys, racing sims is by far my favorite type of game. And the fact is that the best sims are to be found on the PC. Further there are some really strong communities that create excellent mods, cars and tracks for these games. Sadly, that will never happen on current gen consoles. You need to rely on DLC from the developers to get any new content.

  • FooAtari #74 3 years ago

    @BadBoyBonner

    The Fanatec Porche wheel is very good. The actual wheel is better than the G25 wheel. However the standard pedals are not great. The wheel and standard pedals are quite a bit more expensive than the G25 sadly, and the Club Sport pedals are pretty expensive.

    The cheapest available model that supports the 360 is 179 euros, which works about £160. That includes the standard pedals and no shifter. The ClubSport pedals are 199 euros and the shifter 49.99 euros.

    I spent a lot of time looking at this wheel after seeing the review on Insidesimracing.tv. Even though the wheel is better than the G25 the pedals are not and it comes with no shifter which is a pretty big loss for me. I use the full H-shift in some games and mods. And the cost to add the pedals and shifter far out weighs the the better wheel IMO. Overall Im sticking with G25, I don't want to downgrade my pedals and certainly don't want to loose my shifter, and the cost of 400 euros to by everything I would want is too much. It's not THAT much better than the G25.

    Still at least the option of a decent wheel is there for 360 owners.

  • Spekingur #75 3 years ago

    Since driving sims have mostly been released on PC in the recent years then it should be a given that the best hardware you can get for a driving sim is on the PC - not on the X360, PS3 or any other console. Not until there's a 'free perpherial' movement that sweeps through the console developers, or something alike. The best steering wheel I have tried was on the PC - yet, none of those that I have tried come close to being in the real deal :D

    Also, not ALL the best drivers start in Karts or get their learning from there.

    As for NFS, we shall have to wait and see what NFS Shift gives to the series. My favourite NFS game of the whole series is NFS Porsche Unleashed. I was always hoping for another one like that, featuring some other manufacturer.

  • homerramone #76 3 years ago

    Interesting that he rattles on about the original mini, even going as far as saying it feels just like it when your are driving it....

    Problem is.. looking at the screenies - its not a real mini. Its a BMW mini - not even the same thing I think you will find.

  • Duds2k #77 3 years ago

    The only question I need answered is, can you get a full field in the WTCC races? I've only seen shots of up to 16 which is about 8 short of the regular 07 line up.

  • metalangel #78 3 years ago

    No doubt the game can't handle the kind of poly-pushing needed.

    Or it's the credit crunch and they've all pulled out.

  • Miths #79 3 years ago

    @Duds2k and metalangel

    I managed 60 cars on Spa in GTR2 a few years back - but admittedly at rather less than stellar frame rates (below 20) at the start of the race until the field had spread out a bit.
    But to avoid inconsistent framerates it's probably safe to assume there's going to be a somewhat lower car limit in this retooled 360 GTR+RACE compilation, even on the tracks with enough garages to handle 24+ teams in real life.

    I'm sort of starting to look forward to this game though. PC racing sims is no longer really an option for me with my current PC setup, and getting my Logitech G25 mounted in front of my TV and PS3 proved too bothersome as well when I tried it several months ago, so I think I'm gonna give RACE Pro a try with the pad. Even though I imagine there's a very good chance I'll hate it, considering I spent a few years playing GTR, RACE, rFactor etc. on PC.

  • parky69 #80 3 years ago

    This game is pure SHITE. I've rented it for a couple of days thank god. Graphics=Shite: Gameplay=Shite:Game=Shite. To sum up, guess what...................it's fucking SHITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!