On a very base level, Project CARS is going to be a divisive game: you’re either going to love it or hate it. Developed with a strong emphasis on realistic graphics and accurate physics, Project CARS is a stunning and complex racer.
It’s almost tempting to call it a “simulation” instead of a “game” as the whole thing feels more like a training programme for real racing drivers. There are hours to be spent tweaking tyre pressures and brake sensitivity to run practice laps and shave a couple of seconds off the best time. There’s a wealth of player choice with multiple career modes, dozens of cars and customisable weekend races.
For someone who loves minutiae, who tinkers and fiddles, whose blood is brake fluid, this is going to be bliss. Everyone else is going to have a rougher time because Project CARS is demanding, unforgiving and strict – you are dropped in at the deep end and told to swim but not how.
In the opening race, you will very quickly and inevitably enjoy immaculately rendered first-person views of the nearest wall. But stick it out, push through the frustration and you will begin to learn. This hardcore experience will not tolerate boy racers.
