70% of players rate FC between good-superb while 23% other... and the weak and faulty Gamespot review?!!!
First of first can anyone see the score "real racers" are giving to this game? Not some 360 fanboy (i.e. Gamespot) sorry guys!!!
Not just a decent but definitely the best racing game available for the ps3. The handling system and physics, tracks being so perfect with pumps is incredible too. the car pumps up and down depending which track you are. The sense of speed great too.
Some things still needed to be improved in the next patch but great game! The rain effects are astonishing but what makes this game so good is that you need to be good to drive it. Collision is very real too! It's not like Grid "touch me and fly"!
You can compete into curves side by side touching each other but still being alive! I really love driving the Ferrari 430 it's such a nervous car! This makes GT5p more like an arcade game compared to FC!
a Must buy for racing enthusiastic but a Don't touch me for pick and play boys! All said manual gears make me feel as a real life driver! If you can drive this you can drive the real thing for sure!
P.S Saying this is easier to drive than GT5P is just a crap of a joke!!! And giving soo much emphasis (rating the game according) to Graphics is not something a real racing gamer would be doing!
Given the score for PS3 exclusives that Gamespot gives like another PS3 exclusive GT5P got, this PS3 exclusive review falls in the same line! Remember Grid got score 8.0 in here while GT5p 7.5 (so the score makes Grid better game than GT5P Gamespot?)!
OK HERE WE GO
I too have a copy and after spending around an hour with it here are my thoughts.
Presentation
The menu system is easy to navigate and looks reasonably polished, the options do take a short while to appear (in reality less then a second), it is noticeable, personally I don't find it an issue. Its not as 'next-gen' a menu screen as the likes of GT5:P and Grid, but its far better than the un-holy mess that was Enthusia. Certainly not work marking it down for.
A good range of options exist within the game itself, including a nice progression system that rewards certain activities with 'collectors cards', basically top trumps for Ferrari, one that I hope will get patched for the Trophy system. A mini game to play top trumps with them also exists within the game itself - one my 8 year old will love.
Sounds
The music varies a lot, most of it horrible, switching it off was one of the first things I did.
In-car sounds are good, with a nice shriek from the engine, a whine from the race transmission, over-run pops as you change down and a good thump as you shift as well.
The rest of the sounds are a bit of a mixed bag, some like the noise from rumble strips is done very well, others like the metal on metal sounds as you make contact as a bit weak.
General sound placement through 5.1 is very, very good, the one exception is when you use the rear view, as despite now looking right at the engine is eerily quiet.
Ignore the music and overall its very good.
Visuals
Let me get this straight from the outset, I was not expecting a GT5:P challenger here, but I have to say it doesn't look shabby at all. The basic colour palette is a bit bright are garish, but with brightness, contrast and gamma adjustments available it can be toned down.
Cars first then, the overall poly count is clearly down on GT5:P, but for the one car I drove it looked good both inside and out, both details and proportions of the cars look right.
Tracks next and I have to say this is the area that stands out, the track I spent the most time with was Monza and track detail is both accurate and good looking, road textures are well done as is the track furniture. Lighting is good and varies well over the track length, I have yet to try the rain effects, but from this starting point they should be good.
Overall the game appears to run at the claimed fixed 30fps and what is being output to my TV is 1080P, without a pixel count (which I'm not doing) I can't be 100% sure its not upscalled. However I quite frankly don't care, it looks more than good enough.
Replays look good as well, with the dynamic camera angles doing a far better job than the likes of FM2, but why can't they be saved?
Gameplay
OK now I have only had a short time with the game itself, but it looks like quite a range of modes, events, tracks and cars are available. The main core of it based around the three Challenge events themselves (Italy, Europe and America), and the event structure is exactly as it should be, with a qualifying session followed by two timed races. The races themselves are flagged and penalties do apply, at present these seem to be fairly done as well.
Set-up options are limited, but that is only to be expected, anyone who knows the series will be more than aware that the real events offer only limited set-up choices.
In all honesty more than enough content seems to be on offer here.
Handling
The big one.........
and its good. First out, my biggest fear that it was using a fixed rotation point is out of the window. With all the aids on you have an easy to drive racer with a strong arcade bias.
However switch the aids to a lower level (or off) and things start to look more promising. While I'm not yet (time will tell) ready to call it a sim, the handling model is surprisingly in-depth and detailed. Load transfer and how smoothly its done are more than present and correct, in fact smoothness can make the difference between making an apex and understeering into the gravel.
Yes that's right, UNDERSTEER, its nice to see a game that remembers such a thing exists, brake to late into a corner (particularly with ABS off or low) or turn in to hard or both and you will be greeted with understeer.
However the opposite is also true, get back on the power in anything other than a straight line with the aids low or off and the back will step out on you. Its progressive and easy to catch if you are smooth, but get the load shifting too quickly at speed and you can end up fish-tailing down the track and into the tyre wall.
Which leads me to damage, to be honest from what I have come across so far its pointless, minor cosmetic stuff is all you get, it certainly doesn't affect the outcome of a race.
I've not yet had a chance to try the on-line side of things, as PSN has been down for most of today (the one time it was on I was playing Buzz - but that is another thread).
The Final Score
So what would I give it and would I recommend it.
Well first off this is based on a limited time playing it (and please note I have not yet had a chance to play it with a wheel), but I have to say, yes I would recommend it. While not perfect, the core of the handling model does appear solid and a lot exists to do in here (if and its a bit if, you like Ferrari), some of the sounds are a bit off and the crash damage is pointless, but for me its certainly not enough to ruin it.
Very glad to have P/X's GRiD for it.
9/10