Project CARS 2 Demo

The racing sim genre requires a very delicate approach nowadays, lest you find yourself assaulted by the fans of various established franchises. Granted, it’s almost impossible to tell which one is the best, mainly because so far none of the games have managed to excel in every regard.

Hence, while iRacing is definitely the king of multiplayer, other sims offer better tyre physics, flashier graphics, or even more enjoyable force feedback. In the end, if you are a true sim racer, then your library most likely features half a dozen titles at any given time, because it’s difficult to limit yourself to just one game.

Project CARS 2 is the long-awaited and incredibly hyped sequel to a rather disappointing first entry, which means that it had to deliver a truly game-changing experience to be taken seriously by the fans. Slightly Mad Studios promised a hefty list of features and improvements, including things like ultra-realistic physics, current-gen graphics with VR support, multiple motorsport disciplines and a full weather system, complete with dynamic weather changes and a realistic day/night cycle.

While the first Project CARS was pretty much a simcade for the masses, the sequel aims to challenge titans like iRacing, Assetto Corsa and RaceRoom Racing Experience, which is no easy task. In reality, the physics are a hit and miss most of the time, because although certain cars feel very grounded and fun to drive, others have very poor handling that makes no sense to a seasoned sim racer.

The game is also designed to cater to both casuals and veterans at the same time, given the fact that there are quite a few driving assists you can activate if you find the game too difficult. The same is true for setups, thanks to the inclusion of the Race Engineer feature, which allows you to change things about the car by simply telling the AI how you want the car to handle.

While the physics are far from perfect, Project CARS 2 deserves credit for the sheer number of cars and tracks that are available to you right from the start. Whether you like FWD hatchbacks, open wheel speed demons or fine-tuned GT3 cars, the game features over 180 vehicles to choose from. The same is true when it comes to the tracks, because all the classics are included in the base game, with notable mentions such as Red Bull Ring, Nordschleife, Imola, Spa and many others.

Not only that, but quite a few disciplines are available too, including oval, dirt and open wheel. Not all of them received the same amount of attention, as is the case with oval racing, but at least it’s there if you truly want to give it a try. As you might expect, every car and track is as detailed as possible, which really helps with the overall atmosphere and immersion.

Speaking of which, the new weather system is actually very nice, and you can include up to four weather slots for every race. This means that it can go from sunny to rainy, back to sunny, and then to a snow blizzard over the course of a race, which is pretty neat. However, the rain does not impact the handling as much as you would expect, given the fact that you barely lose any grip even if the track is completely soaked.

The LiveTrack 3.0 is a feature that changes the track’s properties depending on the weather, which means that puddles can form around certain parts of the circuit after enough rain has fallen. The puddles are actually the only realistic thing about rain handling, because hydroplaning appears as soon as your wheels hit the water, which makes it impossible to brake or steer.

In case you decide to play with the AI, you need to be prepared for yet another disappointment, because it’s nowhere near as polished as the developers promised. AI cars brake in weird places, are unable to avoid slower vehicles sometimes, and they certainly do not pose any kind of challenge to a seasoned racer.

Project CARS 2 does deliver in some areas, however, especially when it comes to graphics. With the exception of Forza, PCARS 2 is definitely the best-looking sim out there, and it doesn’t require a monster PC in order to run smoothly either. The rain looks great, the cars are insanely detailed, and every dashboard looks exactly like its real counterpart.

On top of all this, the game also supports virtual reality headsets, both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, as well as all the major gamepads and wheels on the market. You can even run the game in 12K resolutions if your computer can take it, so the developers have certainly thought about everything.

Unfortunately, it must also be mentioned that Project CARS 2 was released with a plethora of bugs as well, some of which are pretty annoying. HUD elements that don’t work properly, annoying crashes, long waiting times if you want to access certain panels, as well as a rather broken triple monitor support tool were all part of the game at launch. Some were fixed in later patches, but others are still part of the game two months later.

On a closing note, Project CARS 2 is not a bad game at all, but it has more flaws than a triple-A production sponsored by a big publisher should have. There are also too many bugs that have yet to be fixed, and the physics are sketchy depending on the car. The weather hardly has any impact on the driving most of the time, which kind of defeats the purpose of it being there in the first place.

Hence, you can have quite a bit of fun with Project CARS 2, but be prepared to deal with a lot of annoyances as well. We can only hope that Slightly Mad Studios continue to improve their product, otherwise there aren’t too many reasons to switch from iRacing or Assetto Corsa.