This week saw Project Motor Racing get its anticipated official reveal, and whilst the OverTake team has already got its hands on the title, its prospects have not entirely convinced those of us not in attendance at last month's event. Here are some takeaways from Sports car specialist and content writer, Angus Martin.
Unless you have spent the past few days living under a rock, you will know that Project Motor Racing, the project formerly known as GTRevival, GTR Revival, or even "that other game by Ian Bell", was revealed officially this week. You will also understand that the OverTake team, as well as many other industry personalities, were on-site to get a first-hand experience with the title and gather all the stats and facts about the project.
But it was not the entire team at Zurich during the game's launch. Several staff members have their own opinions, takeaways, and concerns when it comes to PMR, especially our sports car specialist, Angus. Be sure to give us your overall feelings about the game's launch in the comments below as well.
So, as you can expect, the lead-up to PMR's reveal with endless teasers of GTR2 cars and the title's original GTRevival name succeeded in extracting a shred of hype from my bones. The name change swiftly restored my excitement levels, and the final reveal earlier this week once again brought my heart rate, sweats, and joy crashing back to my regular, bored-with-life state. There are several reasons for that.
That description would very much apply to either of the first two Project CARS games or even in Automobilista 2 at times. During the reveal, we heard a lot about Project Motor Racing's 720Hz handling model, Hadron and the flex included in the tyres. So perhaps that flex is just a little over-the-top at the moment, with the game's so-called Factory Driver Program perfecting that model.
Then again, the cars' apparent systematic slip may be a vestige of thought processes used in previous games in a bid to render console-bound titles like Project CARS more approachable for the controller-based, non-sim racing crowd. As we have seen from the development team's previous project, there is nothing wrong with a more approachable sim, acting as a fantastic first step into the hobby, in turn growing the space. But for the more experienced of us to enjoy the game, it must also feel natural on a wheel, and that is where my concerns lie.
Even Project Motor Racing doesn't know what it is. Image credit: Straight4 Studios
That is why the car list on show with Project Motor Racing has me concerned that the game will spread itself too thinly over a wide slice of the sports car scene, something many other games are already doing. When I look through the car list, or class list as it is now, the majority of classes are already covered by existing games. LMDh, GTE and GT3 are pretty much perfect in Le Mans Ultimate in my opinion and Automobilista 2 has a handle on 1990s GT1 as well as Group C. So, other than mid-2000s content, which was the title's original focus, and a few 1970s sports cars, the only thing PMR is bringing to the table is a second choice.
On the positive side, at least, it seems that the developers are keen to populate their classes with a good selection and, above all, variety. So, where other sandbox titles like AMS2 get a cold, dead feeling within many of their categories, Project Motor Racing should provide a more bustling vibe regardless of the era or class.
Had the game remained a circa 2005 FIA GT title with an additional nod towards LMP900 and LMP675 prototypes of the same era, we would have had an expanded GTR2 with modern physics, graphics, and sounds, if you ask me. That alone would have sold like hotcakes.
Project Motor Racing could be the perfect retro sportscar game. Image credit: Straight4 Studios
But no, instead, the team has decided to take a more sandbox approach, requiring an engine that can simulate both old-school bias-ply tyres with their high deformation rate and more modern, thin sidewall radial tyres with higher heat requirements. PMR may well be the exception to the rule, but in most cases, that means nothing reaches its maximum potential, as concessions in the physics engine must be made.
So, while the game's marketing up to this point has focused on one specific, central element, the final product throws all that out the window and follows every other simulator down the GT3 or LMDh route at Spa or Monza. You get a sense that, like we all did as teenagers, Project Motor Racing is having an identity crisis. What is it trying to be?
Graphically, Project Motor Racing is very impressive. Image credit: Straight4 Studios
And despite its fantastic looks, we keep hearing that the game ran well even on triple screens. How that single-car performance will evolve once you add a multiclass field full of AI drivers, we can't tell quite yet. Nor do we know how the AI will race at all, for that matter. But whilst I have been fairly negative for the last too many words, I would say that I am still cautiously optimistic for the title. Once again, I am a sports car racing evangelist, and so PMR should be right up my alley.
Let us know what your thoughts are on PMR after the reveal in the comments below, and join the discussion in our Project Motor Racing forum.
Unless you have spent the past few days living under a rock, you will know that Project Motor Racing, the project formerly known as GTRevival, GTR Revival, or even "that other game by Ian Bell", was revealed officially this week. You will also understand that the OverTake team, as well as many other industry personalities, were on-site to get a first-hand experience with the title and gather all the stats and facts about the project.
But it was not the entire team at Zurich during the game's launch. Several staff members have their own opinions, takeaways, and concerns when it comes to PMR, especially our sports car specialist, Angus. Be sure to give us your overall feelings about the game's launch in the comments below as well.
Angus: "What is PMR Trying to be?"
Over the last few years contributing to the OverTake website, I have earned myself the reputation of the boring uncle in the corner of the room, endlessly going on and on about sports cars and endurance racing. What can I say, it's my passion. And that all started with GTR2, essentially one of Project Motor Racing's muses.So, as you can expect, the lead-up to PMR's reveal with endless teasers of GTR2 cars and the title's original GTRevival name succeeded in extracting a shred of hype from my bones. The name change swiftly restored my excitement levels, and the final reveal earlier this week once again brought my heart rate, sweats, and joy crashing back to my regular, bored-with-life state. There are several reasons for that.
Project Motor Racing Handling Concerns
Just like any modern sim racer, a racing game with a name starting with the word "Project" does sew a little seed in my mind - and not a pretty tulip bulb at that. With ties closing in on the Project CARS series, and feedback from the game's reveal event mentioning turn-in understeer transitioning to four-wheel slides, as well as inadequate low-grip sensations, my thoughts immediately jump to the Madness Engine's characteristics.That description would very much apply to either of the first two Project CARS games or even in Automobilista 2 at times. During the reveal, we heard a lot about Project Motor Racing's 720Hz handling model, Hadron and the flex included in the tyres. So perhaps that flex is just a little over-the-top at the moment, with the game's so-called Factory Driver Program perfecting that model.
Then again, the cars' apparent systematic slip may be a vestige of thought processes used in previous games in a bid to render console-bound titles like Project CARS more approachable for the controller-based, non-sim racing crowd. As we have seen from the development team's previous project, there is nothing wrong with a more approachable sim, acting as a fantastic first step into the hobby, in turn growing the space. But for the more experienced of us to enjoy the game, it must also feel natural on a wheel, and that is where my concerns lie.
A Game Stretched Too Thin?
Be it GTR2, Le Mans Ultimate, or even the F1 series of games, I have always believed that a focused title, doing everything it can to provide the best experience of a particular series, class, or era, will stand out above more sandbox-style titles.Even Project Motor Racing doesn't know what it is. Image credit: Straight4 Studios
That is why the car list on show with Project Motor Racing has me concerned that the game will spread itself too thinly over a wide slice of the sports car scene, something many other games are already doing. When I look through the car list, or class list as it is now, the majority of classes are already covered by existing games. LMDh, GTE and GT3 are pretty much perfect in Le Mans Ultimate in my opinion and Automobilista 2 has a handle on 1990s GT1 as well as Group C. So, other than mid-2000s content, which was the title's original focus, and a few 1970s sports cars, the only thing PMR is bringing to the table is a second choice.
On the positive side, at least, it seems that the developers are keen to populate their classes with a good selection and, above all, variety. So, where other sandbox titles like AMS2 get a cold, dead feeling within many of their categories, Project Motor Racing should provide a more bustling vibe regardless of the era or class.
Had the game remained a circa 2005 FIA GT title with an additional nod towards LMP900 and LMP675 prototypes of the same era, we would have had an expanded GTR2 with modern physics, graphics, and sounds, if you ask me. That alone would have sold like hotcakes.
Project Motor Racing could be the perfect retro sportscar game. Image credit: Straight4 Studios
But no, instead, the team has decided to take a more sandbox approach, requiring an engine that can simulate both old-school bias-ply tyres with their high deformation rate and more modern, thin sidewall radial tyres with higher heat requirements. PMR may well be the exception to the rule, but in most cases, that means nothing reaches its maximum potential, as concessions in the physics engine must be made.
So, while the game's marketing up to this point has focused on one specific, central element, the final product throws all that out the window and follows every other simulator down the GT3 or LMDh route at Spa or Monza. You get a sense that, like we all did as teenagers, Project Motor Racing is having an identity crisis. What is it trying to be?
On The Bright Side
That's enough negativity from my side. Sure, I could go on, but I do want to point out how good the game looks. Be it simple screenshots or the footage @Yannik Haustein and @Michel Wolk managed to capture, it very much looks like a step forward when compared to the dev team's previous projects, which were far from ugly.Graphically, Project Motor Racing is very impressive. Image credit: Straight4 Studios
And despite its fantastic looks, we keep hearing that the game ran well even on triple screens. How that single-car performance will evolve once you add a multiclass field full of AI drivers, we can't tell quite yet. Nor do we know how the AI will race at all, for that matter. But whilst I have been fairly negative for the last too many words, I would say that I am still cautiously optimistic for the title. Once again, I am a sports car racing evangelist, and so PMR should be right up my alley.
Let us know what your thoughts are on PMR after the reveal in the comments below, and join the discussion in our Project Motor Racing forum.
