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| Okey, now isn't that just dedication to detail? |
Weather, time of day, all effect your track |
To clear up straight away, any Need for Speed fans out there, chances are this isn’t for you. There’s no streets to tear up, no police on your tail, this is pure racing fuelled by an incredible realism factor. With next generation consoles knifing the poor PC in every direction, it seems developer Simbin has no fear. There is however a downside to this bravado, system requirements for GTR 2 are ambitious when you want all the bells and whistles. Turning down the graphics is obviously the answer to counter slow frame rates, but with a game as gorgeous as this you’ll feel you’re missing out big time.
You’ll be seeing brands and more brands of high quality cars just itching to fly round those tracks. Over 140 grand touring cars have been reproduced; chances are you’ll find at least one you like. The tracks themselves are realistic and modeled on ones that are actually in service, Spa, Monza and Hockenheim. There are in 34 variations of these tracks in total, which give you plenty to burn up and a variety of courses to test your skills. Multiplayer is excellent and comes practically lag free which is quite the achievement considering all that’s involved, of course that’s if you’re not entirely satisfied with the ever determined and ruthless AI present in the game.
Not everyone can hack a simulation game straight off, especially when racing is thrown into the mix. Luckily GTR 2 comes with a very informative and interactive tutorial based introduction. Each are split into different sections such as Accelerating, where you’ll read tips on how to best start off your race and gain vitals seconds, maybe even milliseconds. Inside of that you are given some challenges to prove to yourself that you can handle what you’ve just been told. To make things more interesting these challenges come with a reward, if you excel through a ‘pass’ and reach ‘gold’ you’ll be awarded a ‘golden gear’. Collecting these gears will unlock custom tournaments for the game; there are 142 to collect in total with some being easy and others a real test to get a hold of.
This tutorial is also coupled with help on learning the specific tracks, so not only can you learn the bare basic but also get a feel for each track so you can better prepare for the big races. Combined these really help a new player to adjust and come to grips with the real difference between a movie-like action series, Need for Speed, and the more demanding and unforgiving race simulator experience.
Another big feature is the scalable difficulty which starts out as novice by default, then there’s semi-pro and simulation. Novice is for the beginners and a lot of the realism of the game is removed to help you better adjust, it’s also good for those looking for some quick fun. Semi-pro has better realistic racing behaviors and is still merciful for car control. Simulation is the authentic racing experience and what GTR 2 is really all about, cars and the circuits behave as they would do in real life. You can also switch on and off ‘driving assists’ such as braking, stability, damage, automatic clutch, traction control and a few others, depending on your difficulty selection.
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| This can be a real resource hog |
Lots of devious AI competition, they want to win |
Now for a bad point, actually I rephrase that as a weak point. The menu system leaves a lot to be desired, it isn’t very straight forward and options feel buried in other options. A total overhaul is really needed, being left confused on a deep racing simulator like this before you hit the track is certainly an issue.
The game comes with 6 game events, the first being the Driving School. Open Practice lets you mess around on any circuit with any car setup so is great for shaving off seconds for laps, and helping you better tune a car. There’s always the option to put in AI teams to race with, and you may also want to put some time in the pitstop, brush up on your technique.
Time Trials, are pretty self explanatory and another great way to improve on those lap times and you can race against your ‘ghost’ self from previous times. A visible race line will outline the most optimum position for the circuit, it’s designed to let you work out the best acceleration and brakes spots on the apex of corners.
Race Weekend provides stand-alone races against the AI. By default you will be taken through two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions, a warm-up session and then the actual race. Luckily for people who can’t be bothered with all that, or having already gone through it once, can skip straight to the race from the summary screen.
24 Hour Races, the new breed of challenge in GTR 2. These can be a truly grueling experience, when you think of 24 they do mean 24 hours, not minutes. For those with time to burn as well as virtual rubber then have at it. If you skip the qualifying round then you’ll be placed right at the back of the pack. Of course available is a time scaling feature, so 24 hours can be condense into the time you yourself specify.
Championships cover either the 2003 or 2004 seasons of FIA-GT. Each race involves, just like the Race Weekend, two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions, a warm-up session and then the race. Your best qualifying round will determine your position on the grid. Here you can also play the custom championships you’ve manage to unlock during the game, grab for those golden gears.
The cars and detail to the tracks are fantastic, with so many other racers around you it can really add to the heat of the moment. Physics play a huge role, a cars weight, tire traction, braking speeds etc, all deliver on a real experience. With the number of cars available the variations between models can help you choose the right car for you. To add even more immersion, the cars themselves can take damage and have a good collision system. Attention to car interior detail is grade A stuff.
After you’ve lapped a few times your car will also feel fatigued, taking corners will become harder over time as the tires start to wear, pitstops aren’t just for fuel and looking good they are vital just as they should be.
The roaring of the engines, changing gears and even the music are all great. You come to expect realistic sounds for a game that pushes itself to be a realistic racing simulator; GTR 2 delivers on the audio front. The music in the beginning was something of a shock; I felt I had accidentally started up something like Rome: Total War for a second, it felt dramatic and tense, but it suited well all the same.
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| Track fans will love most minutes of this |
There are just so many cars to choose from |
GTR 2 is a game that demands your total attention, it will consume it, and you’ll need to refine your skills in order to get anywhere. If you don’t think you’re up to that kind of challenge then you may want to pass, and seek something a little more forgiving. For the real racing fans, and gear heads among the gaming community, you’ll want this – want this bad!
Top Game Moment:
TOP GAME MOMENT
‘Accidentally’ over steering off the track for a detour …straight into a wall.
