ASSETTO CORSA
The most realistic racer ever made. Yes, including GT
No racing game has it all. Project CARS has the best weather system. Driveclub has the best online integration. Burnout Paradise has the best damage. Assetto Corsa? The best handling. This is absolutely the best-feeling racing sim we’ve ever played. Get behind a force feedback wheel and pedals and you may as well have a supercar parked in your living room. It’s phenomenal.
Its physics engine was previously sold as professional simulation technology to car manufacturers, and Assetto Corsa has been built around that tech. However, pro sims are designed to be realistic, not fun, and that industrial origin does rear its head in-game. If you use a DualShock 4 and approach it like any other racing game, you’re likely to be underwhelmed.
Compared with other racers, it’s almost a demo. There’s no wet weather or night racing. The visuals are okay, but lag behind Driveclub. There’s crash damage, but it’s limited to dents, scrapes, and cracked glass instead of carbon fibre breaking off. At least the optional ‘mechanical damage’ affects your handling realistically.
BRING A PEN
Unbelievably, there’s not even any online integration for lap times, let alone friends list challenges. There are no online leaderboards whatsoever. In fact, there’s no records screen at all. You have to view the ‘session results’ screen to see your single best lap after you finish, then once you exit the event, you can’t see it. In a game where lap deltas (whether you’re up or down on your best time and by how much) are constantly updating on-screen, such disregard for records is baffling.
Then there are the difficulty issues. Rivals’ speed is wildly inconsistent. One race could see the leader become a speck in the distance after lap three, then in the very next race (in the same series and car), you could win by several seconds yourself. For the most part, the difficulty is far too high, even on Easy. It really doesn’t matter that you scored 200% of the Gold Medal score – come race day, there’s a very good chance you’ll get totally trounced.
CORSA BLIMEY
Even so, the AI’s behaviour is pretty special, with computercontrolled cars adapting to your position with textbook technical driving. They take defensive lines into potential passing spots and set up their own overtaking manoeuvres with serious commitment.
If they decide they’re coming past, they’re probably coming past. And more than any other game, you’ll be doing your best to avoid hitting them. This is a gentlemanly racing experience, which is refreshing. Some will call it dull, but not me. There’s
“THE BEST DRIVING EXPERIENCE SHORT OF BUYING A £ 2M FERRARI.”
true, beautiful artistry in winning a race the right way.
When it comes to handling, it’s the most easy-to-play racing sim around. While other hardcore racers can feel like they have ice rinks for corners, Assetto Corsa’s simulation of grip is predictable, reliable and brilliantly tangible thanks to nuanced pad vibration and wheel feedback.
There is a career mode, but it’s rather soulless. Championships at least have a hint of rivalry in that the drivers have names, so you might find yourself looking out for your rival as the final race starts. But there’s no fanfare for triumphs, or punishment for failures. From races to time trials (where success is oddly measured in points, not time), it all feels like obligatory busywork, not a career.
CHEQ YOURSELF
The presentation is crude, too. When you finish a race, a small chequered flag icon appears, then after a few seconds you’re zapped straight to the pit lane, where you sit and wait for the other drivers to finish in realtime. Once they do, you have to select Quit as if you’re in the pause menu. In a word: clunky.
So here’s the deal. If you’re just looking for a great racing game, get Driveclub. But if you want the best what-I’d-call driving experience short of buying a £2m Ferrari, this is absolutely it. The smoothness of rolling into a turn, the kick of oversteer, the shift of weight… it’s impeccable. If only it were all combined with the best bits of those other racing games. One day…
VERDICT
With a wheel and pedals, Assetto Corsa offers the finest, smoothest simulation of real driving yet. But as an actual racing game, it’s rather sedate, feature-light and often unfairly difficult. Justin Towell