o_195phq7qd1kvg1mtd1r531gn6aira.pdf

Pro tip: if your view looks
like this, you’ve fallen out
of your car and are in
immediate danger.
“IT’S CURRENTLY
FLOUNDERING
FORASENSEOF
PERSONALITY.”
040
FORMAT PS4 / ETA 21 NOV / PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV SLIGHTLY MAD
PROJECT CARS
Will the PS4 port be a console-ation prize?
FACTRICK
1. THE STIG LEAGUE
Former Top Gear Stig Ben
Collins has given his input,
along with Lewis’ little bro
Nic Hamilton.
2. DEMAND MORPH
Sony’s Morpheus VR
headset will be supported
– whenever it’s actually
released over here.
3. MARATHON MAN
Don’t tell GT5 24-hour race
vet Phil, but there’s talk of a
24-hour race of Le Mans in
this game, too.
What we have here is a true
anomaly on PlayStation: an
uncompromising PC racing
simulation, delivered in undiluted
form to your PS4. It’s the kind
of proposition that, theoretically,
hardcore driving game fans dream about. But
as OPM’s latest hands-on with the sim reveals,
there’s a reason few developers have offered this
type of experience on consoles before.
To give the game its dues, we must acknowledge
another platform: PC. Development began as early as
2011 with the mighty beige box the game’s
only intended platform, and consequently
it looks tremendous on home turf. Really
incredible stuff. The console-centric
versions of the game simply weren’t part
of the original plan, and it really shows.
Not just in the disappointing and
washed-out visuals on PS4 – which
are admittedly capable of taking some
phenomenal screens under the right
lighting conditions and external camera
views, but do little to set the pulse racing
when the game’s actually in motion. No, it’s
also the ethos of the game that jars with
the PS4 experience.
Because Project CARS is designed
for hardcore racers, and hardcore racers
use steering wheels, not gamepads. Connecting a
DualShock 4 to control your vehicular experience
is tantamount to asking for a knife and fork in
Wagamama, so a considerable amount of Project
CARS’ hugely detailed physics
simulation is simply lost in digital
translation from wheel to controller.
GET A GRIP
That’s important, because the handling
itself is absolutely central to this
game’s appeal. And sure – there’s a
chance you actually have a steering
wheel for PS4. But with the market
much smaller and less abundant with
quality force feedback devices, it’s
a slim possibility at that.
Pad control itself works fine, but
it doesn’t feel wildly different to
previous Slightly Mad games such
as Shift 2 Unleashed and Test Drive
Ferrari Racing Legends – whereas
it feels transformatively better when
using a steering wheel.
All this boils down to a game that’s
destined for greatness elsewhere, but
is currently floundering for a sense
of purpose or personality on PS4. We
can but hope Slightly Mad’s keeping
a massive Gran Turismo-esque career
mode under wraps, and is capable
of turning up the sexy a bit in visual
terms before release. It’d be a shame
for the enormous collection of over 70
cars and 80+ track layouts, and indeed
Slightly Mad’s obvious talents in
creating realistic driving models,
to go to waste. Cross everything.
Above Both time of day and
weather are dynamic, and
you can speed up time to
create dramatic changes
in conditions as you drive.