Project CARS 2 is on sale for 85% off as part of Steam's Winter Sale, and may be worth buying for some people who've held off until now.
Project CARS 2 will be remembered in the sim racing community as perhaps the most divisive title in the history of the genre. A huge car and track roster, an impressive weather system and excellent graphics and VR are held back by inconsistent car behaviour and AI, varying force feedback quality, and lackluster sounds. But the title isn't a complete write-off, and at 85% off during the Steam Winter Sale this might actually be a good time to add the title to your collection.
In spite of some common criticisms, Project CARS 2 does offer features that are generally well-liked. The car and track selection is extensive, and rare cars like the Aston Martin Vulcan and McLaren F1 are present along with interesting tracks like the Porsche test track and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. PC2 offers players a career mode that allows you to advance between various racing series, and even offers bonus modes like Rallycross and karting. Races and driving sessions can be set up for day or night (or a transition between the two either way) and in weather ranging from hot and sunny to thundershowers to snow. The VR implementation is another strength, as well as support for triple screens.
Some things PC2 has been criticized for include the frustrating AI racing, tinny sounds and inconsistent driving physics. The latter, compounded by force feedback that often lacks the same level of detail as its contemporaries, ruins the title completely for some users. Driving on certain car and track combinations can be a frustrating experience thanks to inconsistent behaviour between the cars. Group C and GT1 cars can be a blast to drive, whereas certain GT3 will require significant setup work to make the car drive in a similar fashion to any other sim on the market. Similarly, the force feedback can feel informative on some tracks with certain wheels, but other wheels and select tracks make even rough surfaces and curbs feel numb. AI racing difficulty will likely take a lot of tweaking to get right, and can vary greatly depending on the car class and track.
This isn't, of course, the most recent title in the series. Developer Slightly Mad Studios released Project CARS 3 in the summer of 2020. The title did improve in certain areas versus PC2, but the theme of the third game was notably different, and much of what makes Project CARS 2 fun was lost.
If you do decide to buy Project CARS 2, start with older content like the 1959 Aston Martin DBR1-300 or the Nissan R89C. If the force feedback isn't to your liking, there are FFB mod files that can be found in our Project CARS 2 downloads section. Rallycross racing can be a lot of fun as well, if you're looking for something a little different.
Project CARS 2 is a racing title with some well known flaws. If you can see past these flaws, however, there are lots of fun driving scenarios to explore. At 85% off on Steam, this might be a good time to finally add this to your collection.
Let us know your thoughts on Project CARS 2 in the comments below if you've tried it. Is it deserving of the criticism, or are some people unnecessarily shunning a fun racing title?
Project CARS 2 will be remembered in the sim racing community as perhaps the most divisive title in the history of the genre. A huge car and track roster, an impressive weather system and excellent graphics and VR are held back by inconsistent car behaviour and AI, varying force feedback quality, and lackluster sounds. But the title isn't a complete write-off, and at 85% off during the Steam Winter Sale this might actually be a good time to add the title to your collection.
In spite of some common criticisms, Project CARS 2 does offer features that are generally well-liked. The car and track selection is extensive, and rare cars like the Aston Martin Vulcan and McLaren F1 are present along with interesting tracks like the Porsche test track and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. PC2 offers players a career mode that allows you to advance between various racing series, and even offers bonus modes like Rallycross and karting. Races and driving sessions can be set up for day or night (or a transition between the two either way) and in weather ranging from hot and sunny to thundershowers to snow. The VR implementation is another strength, as well as support for triple screens.
Some things PC2 has been criticized for include the frustrating AI racing, tinny sounds and inconsistent driving physics. The latter, compounded by force feedback that often lacks the same level of detail as its contemporaries, ruins the title completely for some users. Driving on certain car and track combinations can be a frustrating experience thanks to inconsistent behaviour between the cars. Group C and GT1 cars can be a blast to drive, whereas certain GT3 will require significant setup work to make the car drive in a similar fashion to any other sim on the market. Similarly, the force feedback can feel informative on some tracks with certain wheels, but other wheels and select tracks make even rough surfaces and curbs feel numb. AI racing difficulty will likely take a lot of tweaking to get right, and can vary greatly depending on the car class and track.
This isn't, of course, the most recent title in the series. Developer Slightly Mad Studios released Project CARS 3 in the summer of 2020. The title did improve in certain areas versus PC2, but the theme of the third game was notably different, and much of what makes Project CARS 2 fun was lost.
If you do decide to buy Project CARS 2, start with older content like the 1959 Aston Martin DBR1-300 or the Nissan R89C. If the force feedback isn't to your liking, there are FFB mod files that can be found in our Project CARS 2 downloads section. Rallycross racing can be a lot of fun as well, if you're looking for something a little different.
Project CARS 2 is a racing title with some well known flaws. If you can see past these flaws, however, there are lots of fun driving scenarios to explore. At 85% off on Steam, this might be a good time to finally add this to your collection.
Let us know your thoughts on Project CARS 2 in the comments below if you've tried it. Is it deserving of the criticism, or are some people unnecessarily shunning a fun racing title?
