Project Cars reinvents itself in its third foray into the PS4, Xbox One and PC market, abandoning simulation to embrace the more casual game.
The most painful moments in the life of every human being are those in which we must say goodbye to a loved one. It does not matter if it is a family member, a friend or a pet, it is an experience that leaves a notch in our little hearts.
Although Project Cars does not have a life of its own and this is a succession of zeros and ones, the players who love the simracer genre are in mourning because their beloved driving simulator has said goodbye to the video game market in a somewhat creepy way; By the back door.
This is our non-simulated review of Project Cars 3 for PlayStation 4.
Project cars three
The rage for simracer is real, we are talking about a genre that in this quarantine has served as a refuge for thousands of players and professional racing drivers. Of the real ones, the physical ones. Barrichello, Montoya, Priaulx or Fernando Alonso himself, for example, have even been virtually racing and entertaining the world in LeMans championships, among others, so as not to disconnect too much from their passion.
Until a few days ago we had good exponents of the simulated driving genre, among which Project Cars, Assetto Corsa or even Gran Turismo itself stood out a little further down. All this, of course, speaking on desktop consoles, because if we turn the wheel towards computers, the proposals are even more varied and complex —or realistic, as you like to say—.
This time we are talking about the third installment of the first one we have named; from Project Cars 3. A saga that started shyly but made it clear that he wanted to eat his piece of cake. And he succeeded, or at least made many players take an interest in him thanks to the significant overall improvement the second installment received. We said about him that it was an extremely realistic and complex title to master even with help. We were not the only ones, the press in general praised the important updates that were added in the control, the Force Feedback, the sensations on board of each of the more than 150 vehicles included or its obsession with the details. Who has seen and who sees you.
With the money earned, the congratulations from the players – in general, because the most fans of the genre tried to sew criticism of Slightly Mad Studios – and the good reviews one would think that three years later, for its continuation, the video game would blow our heads with even more details, extreme simulation and content. But no. As we have said, simulation fans are in mourning.
Between Pinto and Valdemoro
Before getting into game modes, technology, options and all those things that players like to know so much, we wanted to tell you a bit about what Project Cars 3 is like and what direction Slightly Mad Studios has taken with the saga. As you may have already deduced, continuing with a good simulation as a claim no longer matters. With PC3 the study wanted to bring the smell of burnt rubber to all types of public, even if that means not having options such as tire wear, pit stops or refueling during the race, among other characteristics. Now you hardly have to worry about anything on the track. The third installment is made so that anyone who sees the game’s artwork can enjoy it without complications.
Although this is not a problem itself, it has been the way of advertising, in quotes, to the legion of fans of the franchise; at the last minute. Everyone hoped – despite the fact that some signs already seemed to indicate a new direction in the gameplay – that the new iteration would delve into the complex handling of the more than two hundred vehicles included on this occasion but, at the last minute and after many impressions previous, the tragedy was chewed; the saga was passed to arcade control.
It is not a bad thing, perhaps it may even be beneficial for the developer and the brand that it has created, but the followers, those who have supported them from minute one with their doubloons, have felt cheated. Deceived because they have bought a simulation video game and when they remove the packaging from the box they have found, with horror, that this was not what they expected.
Project Cars 3 is much easier to control than in previous chapters and has a very comfortable control both in command and at the wheel. There will be few occasions in which we can lose control of the vehicle unless, of course, you have never tried a simulation video game. Because yes, there are still traces of simulation in it although nothing to do with the level of complexity of yesteryear. Let’s say PC3 now competes in terms of playability with Dirt 4 or GRID although the latter is even more arcade.
One of the main lucky ones that the simulation has been left aside a bit is the control controller because now it is a joy to drive any vehicle with a DualShock 4. Although once you could consider playing with one of these essential peripherals on consoles , the feel and handling weren’t even remotely similar to using a steering wheel. Now all these differences have been trimmed although, of course, the closest experience is with the circular peripheral.
Game modes
Being clear about what you are going to find in Project Cars 3 it is time to see what else has changed in this continuation. On the one hand, we have a renewed Career mode that is very different from what we saw in the second part. Say goodbye to go-karts or painstaking tests, here you enter through the front door, with vehicles of a decent displacement and in a Shanghai under the light of the moon and the neon lights.
To advance the logical; completing the race in the best possible position but also completing the challenges that are proposed to us, such as mastering the curves, overtaking or holding on in one position. With each waved flag frame we receive experience and money with which to unlock new championships, accessories or vehicles at the dealership.
A more classic and fun game mode than those that have been incorporated until now and that has the ability to engage from minute one by having faster, more direct and more attractive tests. Among these tests, there are also some such as getting points by taking beacons of different scores ahead of you.
There are ten series in Career mode, each with four tours to compete on. If we want to complete this single player mode, we will have to get new cars necessary to participate in the races and tests that we are gradually unlocking. In short, a good amount of hours.
On the other hand, we have the Rivals mode which is, neither more nor less, the section where SMS puts us to the test with its daily or weekly challenges. This mode is another classic of the driving genre so it was to be expected that it would remain here without any change. Nothing but scratching around here.
Finally, in non-internet related modes, we have a Custom Event that, as its name suggests, allows you to choose a car, circuit, time zone, weather, rivals and a few other aspects of your choice. Again, nothing surprising about what we have to spend more time than necessary explaining. Of course, when modifying the weather, keep in mind that the wheels cannot be changed in the middle of the race and that the simulation will not be like in previous installments.
In all these modes, in addition to breaking our records, the game rewards you with money and experience, the first being very important to get improvements or new cars. Upgrades range from easing body weight, upgrading the brakes, or buying new wheels for our racing car – which can only be changed outside of the race – but there’s more in Project Cars 3; customization of cars. Because now in PC3 we can tune our vehicle with stickers, spoilers, wheels, personalized license plates and everything typical of the tuning world. While it won’t affect the performance of the car, at least it makes them something more unique.
Interesting online options
One of the things that we really liked is in the multiplayer of Project Cars 3 and it is the Timed Events mode. It is a section where every twenty minutes a different challenge is carried out and in which, by competing, we earn money and experience according to its difficulty. It is not the panacea either because it is practically the same as the Rivals mode but at least it is something more spun and there is always something new to do.
The fact that every twenty minutes there is a new tangana makes this mode almost infinite. With this, the developers want the player to be hooked on the title and always have something new to do. The typical phrase of “one more and I’ll leave it” is evident in this game mode.
You can not miss either the classics Quick Game and Personalized Room. In the first, we join one of the contests already created by players from all over the world, although to make it more competitive or legal, the game machine matches us with users with similar abilities to ours. In Personalized Room you can create careers at your leisure to later be shared with friends or with people from all over the world, something that is greatly appreciated.
Low technology
Project Cars surprised the public with its hyper realistic graphics. We still remember with amazement when SMS published images of their first child and it was difficult to differentiate the real one from the one made with polygons. With the second part, the graphic quality was raised a bit more and the obsession with details was almost sick. However the Project Cars 3 case is…. strange. Strange because it is not that it has improved or worsened, it is that it is different.
The modeling of the tracks, the cars, the color palette and the textures are the same but there are certain differences both in the lighting and in the way it is displayed. For example, there are reflections on the windows of the vehicles that in previous Project Cars were spectacular and that now are no more than a small, barely perceptible detail.
Some motifs on the scenery have also been moved, the asphalt is not as detailed and the interiors of the cars have lost quality. It is not that it is bad in this section it is that now it is also more “arcade”, if we are allowed this strange definition.
And that may be the only problem with the graphic section because, as we say, it is not at all unpleasant. It is at a very good level and despite not looking as good as Project Cars 2 it is not reprehensible at all. The only thing we can think of is that from Slightly Mad Studios they have wanted to do without very realistic visual elements to get that arcade touch that they have insisted on printing to Project Cars 3.
Luckily both in resolution -variable- and in images per second, the game continues to perform as it did in the past. Unless there is some dance of vehicles or complicated situations, the video game works at 60fps both in the basic model and in PS4 Pro. In the latter, in addition, we can allow ourselves to select graphic power with a fixed and immovable resolution or give preference to the rate images per second.
There are some other errors in the loading of elements or graphic errors that did not appear in previous titles of the saga and that we hope can be solved with the various patches while there are others that follow from the first video game.
In terms of sound, we continue without problems because if it was already fixed in the past, now they only had to recycle what they already had, improve it and add new sounds. The soundtrack, as expected, is nothing remarkable but who cares to listen to it if the engine of an Audi R8 roars in the background? Of course, texts in Spanish and audio in English throughout the product.
Collecting sensations
122 tracks across 49 locations, some of them fictitious or unlicensed and with registrations and cancellations in the catalog. 211 vehicles that delimit the most desirable categories to drive. Different game modes both solo and online with which to spend hours and hours. Seen like this, Project Cars 3 looks great and it really is a very good game. But we have some doubts.
From the extreme simulation and with the title of being one of the best of its kind on consoles, SMS has decided to turn its son into a casual title with hardly any identity of its own. Forget about precision in sensations with Force Feedback, to notice the irregularities of the asphalt both in the steering wheel and in the car, of a natural AI – it is, sometimes, disastrous -, of a credible control of the car or of being afraid to deactivate driving aids. And yet there are still hints of simulation in the video game.
It is not a purely arcade game, nor is it a realistic simulation, which leaves you in a position where there is no competitor; realistic semi arcade video game. Now, how does SMS try to attract users? Career mode has improved a lot and is very enjoyable to play alone but there are arcade titles where they do it much better here. To enjoy a simulator, just take a look at its predecessor Project Cars 2, Assetto Corsa or even Gran Turismo itself, so in this area Project Cars 3 does not stand out too much either.
On the other hand, we have the online facet that seems to be very focused on eSports events, although being a game that does not fully embrace simulation or arcade we doubt that it has too much acceptance.
Summarizing. Project Cars 3, forgetting that it is the third part of a simulation video game, is a great product with which to enjoy a good number of hours. It entertains its own, it is more than technical and content compliant – which will be expanded with paid downloads and free updates – but it is not groundbreaking at all. If it is not compared to any other, it is a good buy but if you do, you will begin to notice its shortcomings.
CONCLUSION
Project Cars 3 abandons realistic driving to offer us a much more arcade, casual and fast proposal with which to enjoy authentic brown beasts of the engine. No more worrying about qualifying races, pit stops or tire wear; get in your vehicle, run and enjoy. The Career mode has been improved to be enjoyable and the multiplayer has very decent features. Graphically, it is a step below its predecessor, although everything borders on a good level in general, except for the interiors of the vehicles. To highlight, above all, the perfect control of the cars with the control knob.
THE BEST
- The remote control is very good.
- Career mode is more fun, agile, and frenetic.
- Very accessible controls for all the public.
WORST
- Simulation reduced to a minimum.
- Many of the features associated with simulation are lost in the game.
- Graphically it is a step worse than its predecessor.
- We miss one more game mode for one player.
Okay
It meets the expectations of what a good game is, has quality and does not have serious flaws, although it is missing elements that could have taken it to higher heights.
