It was where I really begun to notice my own progression curve, from snagging second-to-last on the grid in every practice and qualifying session, to stringing together flash outside-overtakes and podium finishes. My personal forte was the F1000 series-a comparably low-powered open-wheel discipline exclusive to the UAE region of the Middle East. Still, the satisfaction I got from visibly improving on track timetables is unparalleled. An extensive list of driving assists from braking and steering assistance to traction control, difficulty tweaks and AI options give you the option to tailor your game to an impressive degree, but it doesn’t eradicate the problems entirely.

Playing with a gamepad often borders on impossible when racing these-I’m a firm believer that a racing game should be playable by everyone and not just the purist elite with force-feedback wheels and racing seats, and CARS doesn’t entirely deliver on that front. Karts are sketchy, sporadic beasts that twitch across the track with an unpredictable ferociousness, Touring cars are heftier, more deliberate and the steering sensitivity is much lower, while the McLaren P1 and other hyper cars are almost repellent to the road. Project Cars diversifies its racing to a real extreme, and every new car type is wildly different.

CARS is about learning each discipline individually-studying it, mastering it.įrom entry level karts and beyond into the realms of LMP and Prototype, each discipline has its own set of races and smaller championships you’ll progress through to earn contract options at more advanced teams. You can’t just sling your car into the apex and hope to drift out the other side unscathed. This is an unforgiving, tough racer that requires patience and skill, especially if you’re using a gamepad. Project CARS has given me a real challenge from get-go. All of this content comes bolstered with a day/night system and breath-taking dynamic weather that delivers some of the most realistic looking rain I’ve ever seen. There are also a couple of fictionalised point-to-point courses, one through the gorgeous Côte d'Azur and another through the rocky Californian highlands, which looks stunning under the setting sun. It’s quite a familiar line-up, with legendaries like Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps and Monte-Carlo, but this is undoubtedly the best that any of these oft-raced tracks have ever looked on my PC.

The engine that Slightly Mad has built is impressive, from the interior detail on all 60 or so cars to the environmental design on every single one of its many varied circuits across the globe. While contemporaries like Codemasters have struggled to deliver a game worthy of the most up to date graphical expectations with its F1 series, Project CARS really shines.

It’s the most polished racer I’ve played in a while, for sure.

Project cars pc wheel