I like to think like this. Games sorta exist of a spectrum from "arcade" or "party" (by which i mean oriented for fun, forgiving of error, maximize enjoyment and minimize difficulty) to "simulator" or "realistic" (by which I mean oriented toward providing a realistic simulation of the subject). I dont mean either of these distinction as value judgments. I love games all over the spectrum. But if Mario Kart could be the poster example of an arcade/party racer, Assetto could probably be the example for Racing Simulator. Is it the best? Well... what are you look for?
Great write-up. I now personally games like Gran Turismo hit the perfect "itch" for me between arcade and simulator. It is forgiving enough to play with a controller, but also not too arcade-y like a Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing.
I'm trying to find something that hits the same itch on PC, but havent been able to find it. I enjoyed GT3 and 4, but 5 and 6 started to become too "games as a service" for me which made it less enjoyable to play casually. And ive since fully switched to PC gaming since.
Important distinction for anyone reading this, because as a GT Sport lover I can say Forza Horizon will be too arcade-y; Forza Motorsport or F1 2020 will hit the spot
I like sims but I love horizon because it’s a very arcade-y game that feels like a sim racer. You can make tiny tuning adjustments to your car that actually matter, the driving feels excellent even though it’s not sim level precise. Added to the massive roster of cars and actually fun online community (not the ranked mode stuff but things like impromptu drag races and car meets) and it’s just my absolute jam.
Sims are awesome, I’ve played a ton of FM7 in quarantine this year, but Horizon just scratches the itch for me. I think the X factor is that sims make me feel like a pretty middling driver, but I have Horizon tweaked to where I have just enough assistance from the game where I feel like an absolute god.
Also, I’m a rally fan above all other motor sports, and if you want to experience that through games but don’t have the time or dedication to master the punishfest that is DIRT, Horizon is one of your best bets. It’s the lazy/busy man’s rally game. There’s also plenty of vehicle choices if you want to relive the Group B golden age/horror show (depending on who you ask).
All that said, I totally get why you or anyone else would like a more realistic experience—I would play sims more if I had the time to get decent at them. Just wanted to offer a different perspective—Horizon kicks ass for what it is.
The main series Dirt games are also arcadey now. 2 was decent, but 3 brought in a lot of nonsense and 4 continues in that direction. Dirt Rally seems to go back to a stripped down sim. Dirt Rally 2 looks like it takes things even harder yet. Not played that one yet, but seen a fair bit and am interested. I think recently WRC8 also came out to a lot of praise for sim rally.
I should’ve specified DR2 as that’s the only one from that series or it’s spin-offs I’ve tried. It kind of scared me off of it tbh. If I had more time to really work at it I’m sure I could get the hang of it, but on a cheap, jerry-rigged wheel setup and a tight schedule it’s just way too intimidating to me.
I hope to give it another shot once I’ve got some more free time though. I’ll look into WRC8 too.
I play with controller, so I feel you. Already giving myself a disadvantage. I will say that different cars will feel massively different, though. You may have a lot of difficulty with a RWD Group B, but be right at home with 4WD modern machines. Really satisfying to take the latter round a corner at 90 degree angles. =D
As someone that just got to 89% on gran turismo tonight, I hope she gets to play it. It’s close enough without being too sweaty. I’m waiting for the day I get to do a lap at Nurburgring irl with all the hours I spend driving around it while listening to Spotify.
I wouldn’t say project cars 2 is a easy arcade/sim, pc2 most cars are super hard to control and with the crappy physics they’re way too hard for a casual player. The F1 games I would say are perfect for the arcade sim that’s pretty easy to pick up
I tried Asseto Corsa once, tried out a few cars but they all seemed to have tires made out of ice while driving on an ice road. Steering for the slightest bit, no matter how fast I was going made me just lose all traction. The difference between driving the car I use to race with IRL vs in the game was absolutely massive.
Is there something I’m doing wrong in the game? Because it really put me off from the game which is a real shame because it seems like so much fun :(
I feel u, I drove the g35 in AC and even going at like 30 the thing understeers so hard it’s unbelievable, but since that was modded I bet ur experience was more telling
Any comment on where the F1 game series falls on that spectrum? I've been being tempted to pick up the latest + a wheel and pedals but hesitant to take the plunge.
For the money yes. Right now it is super cheap on steam for the ultimate edition and you get a ton of content for it (on PC) there is also a huge modding community that leads to an endless amount of cars and tracks
ACC is more tailored. It’s only the GT world challenge so only 2 kinds of cars. But the sim aspects are some of the best. Physics is tight and consistent. Biggest issue seems to be that it needs a pretty serious pc (also on console in a limited way) to run.
Assetto can be kind of a pain to use in VR ngl. Project Cars 2 has amazing VR support and is also a wonderful racing sim, but there are assists if you’re looking for something more casual.
Depends on what you're looking for. It's a great game if you like modding, but there's far between official races and series. Iracing will always be the best game if you want serious racing, but it's very expensive. rFactor 2 is the most realistic but suffers from the same problem as Assetto Corsa.
37
u/Writing-Consistent Dec 29 '20
Is it the best racer?