Sim Racer Demo

In theory, making a racing game does not sound complicated at all, since all you need is a few cars and the tracks on which to race. On the other hand, there are many different factors that must be taken into consideration when it comes to how the cars are handled, how they respond to the environment, and various other such things that define the experience of the players.

Sim Racer is the kind of game that skipped all classes in the hopes that it can do a better job on itself, but since the real world does not work like that, it failed miserably as everyone expected. The fact that there is a set of wheels and a narrow strip of land are the only indications that this is actually a racing game, because you wouldn’t be able to guess by trying to play it.

The first issue is the fact that the developers never actually made contact with a modern computer before, since they seem oblivious to how it works. As an example, the controls allow you to either use the mouse to steer, accelerate, and break, or two different (but not customizable) keyboard layouts. While the first is obviously ludicrous and useless, the latter two are even more annoying, because none of them use the classic WASD setup, or even the much older variant with the directional keys. Hence, you are stuck with something incredibly unintuitive and frustrating.

This might be the proper time to mention the fact that you need to drive what seems like an F1 car, on a wooden circuit, on which hoops and ramps are a regular occurrence. If the idea still sounds exciting, then maybe the fact that it is almost impossible to steer the vehicle in corners might make you change your mind, coupled with the fact that you can easily leave the track by jumping at the ramps, but never go back unless you restart the entire race.

Lastly, the graphics engine is obviously incredibly poor and disappointing, especially when you consider the year it was released. Everything is as basic as it can get, not to mention the fact that the same goes for the physics engine. This means that the car practically floats around the track, since there are barely any forces acting on it, regardless of speed.

In the end, Sim Racer is not something you would want to subject yourself to, especially if you are a fan of the racing genre. The lack of experience is clearly visible from the very first seconds, while the entire game is way too rough and unpolished for anyone to enjoy.