As PC2 gets detailed, we find the two have a lot in common
When it comes to racing simulators, everyone’s eyes are on the soon-to-come-but-already-delayed Gran Turismo Sport.
The seventh iteration of the PlayStation-dedicated Gran Turismo franchise was expected late 2016, but it was delayed until sometimes in 2017. But, as we’ve learned from Lexus LFA or Honda NSX, these delays are a natural consequence of the Japanese perfectionist world, so hang on in there, boys and girls, it will be worth it.
Also, great news for the PC gamers! You’ll also have to put your patience to test for a bit, as Project CARS 2 is entering the last mile. Bandai Namco Entertainment just posted a minute-and-a-half clip with “work in progress in-game footage” we think is the real deal, because us gamers are always naïve like that (because we want it, ok?).
Project CARS 2 will launch in “late 2017” not only for PC, but also on PlayStation 4, and Xbox platforms. Naturally, people will be skeptical about the “new” Project CARS 2, given the fact the fundraising process started not too long after the first game got out officially, with hypnotizing great graphics and a lot of frustrating gameplay glitches.
BUT Namco says this will bring a whole lot of wonderful things along the 170 cars, and 60 tracks (including the Mercedes-Benz Winter Training Ice Track in Sweden).
Firstly, nature is involved in such a matter that every lap on a circuit will be different if you happen to encounter weather changes during a race. If it pours down, water will gather in pools in some areas — and we all know how much we hate aquaplaning. And nature will be freakin’ accurate in Project CARS 2, as the game’s co-directors Andy Tudor and Stephen Viljoen told GameSpot: “If you go to a spot in the middle of summer in Project Cars 2, the sun moves at the correct archway for that time of year.”
Wait! There’s more! “Most of the track will be covered in sunlight, and [because] it’s a warmer time of year you have higher ambient temperature, [and] the track surface is being affected by the sunlight calculations, so you have a temperature for that track and it changes during the course of a race,” Viljoen explained.
All of these weather changes will affect the tires — which, by the way, have even more detailed physics in PC2. One of the most noticeable changes here is that cars “are now far more controllable when they go over the limit,” thanks to “a far more progressive slip curve which determines how driveable you still are in the car when it is sideways.” About getting sideways — there's going to be a lot more of it in the next Project Cars game, as it features mud, dirt, gravel and snow courses.
An aspect that will be carried over — despite criticism is the "all from the start" approach. We’re used (by almost all games nowadays) to take things progressively, to unlock things, but PC2’s creators believe this is not a thorough way to play a racing sim game. “It's about that way of thinking, the terminology, and what you go to the watercooler with the next day and talk about with your friend. You get a contract with a team, and then you've got a season of races, and you kinda work through there and you're thinking in your head, ‘Oh I wish I could race for this team’ or ‘I’m going to sidestep my career and go from GT racing to Touring instead.’ We want you to come out with that kind of vocabulary as opposed to, ‘Oh, I unlocked something’ or ‘I did a huge drift the other day and got 500 points.’” said Tudor.
PC2 will also have a Pro eSports Racing feature that will facilitate matchmakings between similarly-skilled players and through which you'll be able to create your own online racing season.
Also, if you don’t have a rig to play sim games, it’s worth knowing that Project Cars 2 will be more friendly for the gamepad user. This is good, good news — I've lost a countless number hours trying to lap the Nürburgring in the Yellowbird. Unsuccessfully.
I’m a sucker for graphics, so they had me from the first second of this video. But anyway, what do you think of the Project Cars 2 and what’s your opinion on the PC1 for that matter?