Edcase

Beers...check

Driving force pro...check

Widescreen LCD with 7900 GTX SLi's...check

7.1 surround...check

Missus away for the weekend...check

3am to bed....

Edcase

You can only get it via Steam, so there's no way to bypass the authentication!

Valve are sitting on a goldmine with Steam...

First impressions are very good. The whole thing feels a lot more glossy than the GTR series, and the AI is noticeably better.

Just spent an hour getting my general setup perfect, gonna have a quick coffee then dive into a championship.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

I've got a steam account, how do u get it from there? I can only see a pre-order option for the full release...

Edcase

You can't. The developer is one of our clients, and they have to give you a specific code to enter which makes it available. The version I'm playing is the final release candidate released to journos etc for reviews.

The WTCC race format makes it very compelling, as the grid order reverses (or something similar) for race two. I came 7th in the first race, started 2nd in the 2nd and won!

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

u lucky get

Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

Really looking forward to this game
Enjoyed the demo once I got the field of view sorted out. A lot closer racing than the GTR games.

Edcase

Neanderthal, you've hit the nail on the head. The AI is fantastic and with a field of 24 other cars and all similar performance, the feeling of 'racing' is unsurpassed IMHO.

GTR often felt like me against myself, keeping the car on the road.

They have made it more simulation from the last build I played a few months back, which was slightly too forgiving and made it too easy to pick straight up, but this seems to be about perfect.

kernel

The demo released a few weeks back certainly didn't give a good impression, I hope you're right about the improvements Ed. GTR2 provides some awesome racing, especially in the league I race in. Not sure WTCC might seem a bit tame after an outing in a GT

Edcase

I definitely think it's going to struggle to convince the hardcore. It's difficult to top GTR2 in that respect.

However I think it will definitely open up more serious racing to a slightly more mainstream audience, particularly when it moves on to console (although of course you then have challenges with steering wheels. Anyone tried the new x360 wireless wheel yet?)

Tone Loc

iTrader: (1)

I'm hoping the actual release is better than the demo, it felt far more TOCA for the PS2 than GTR. Just too much of an arcade feel rather than simulation I was definately disapointed.

I'll probably still buy it tho

Tony.

Milamber

iTrader: (2)

slight hijack here - I've never got on with steering wheels. Is it possible to play this with a keyboard at all, failing that an adaptor for my PS2 controller?

Edcase

possible...yes.

ideal...no.

flat4

release date? please don't say next year

Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

24/11/06

So, Ed, would you recommend it?

flat4

3 days?! even i can wait that long

kernel

Have you had your road car adapted then

Edcase

hmmmm.....overall, yes.

The 'racing' is fantastic. If your PC can handle the detail, you can happily have 25 cars on screen and they really do behave fantastically. I had a situation yesterday where the AI tried outdragging me on the straight at Monza, only to outbrake itself, and slide across my nose at the chicane into a mad spin! Very exciting.

It also has some great tracks like Magny Cours, however on the downside, I think some of the track visuals are slightly bland.

Definitely more accessible than GTR however, and equally as 'deep'.

flat4

just spent 275 quid making sure this will run on my machine best be out this weekend after all that

SlimJ_2005

Sounds good!

I quite liked the demo myself even though some said it felt 'wrong'. Had problems with the occasional stutter, otherwise dead smooth on an ageing P4 3.2ghz, 1gb ram, ATI 800XL! Has there been improvements made with the running of this game since the demo?

Will no doubt be getting this game at somepoint, but at the moment I'll be sticking with GTR2 and waiting to see what the reviews are like.

_RIP_

GTR was hard, unfairly so. GTR 2 is much better in the physics dept and the AI is quite adjustable. How how does it stack up against GTR 2 Ed, force feedback etc?