Project CARS 2

In short, Project CARS 2 is the ultimate hardcore racing experience. Be warned though, this game is hard, and to get the most out of it you will probably need to be a racing fan, or at least be knowledgeable about how motorsport works. This is not an arcade game where you will be powersliding around corners. In fact if you’re sliding at all, you will probably be at the back of the pack in no time. If you can stick with it and get really good at it though, you will be rewarded with a very high quality experience.

There's a career mode and you can massage the tyres yourself. Or do this. [Issue#267, p.60]

There is a lot to really like about Project Cars 2. There’s a veritable smorgasbord of cars and tracks, enough so that there should be something for everyone. The visuals are again top notch. The handling is much improved since the first game. The issues that are there are ones that seem to be at least fixable.

Project CARS 2 sets the benchmark for what a true racing sim release should be. With exquisite graphics, exceptional realism, and palpable thrill, the gauntlets have been thrown down, and it’s up to every other developer to try and get close to this masterpiece of its genre. Now for a fresh dose of caffeine… it’s time to shave some time off my split.

Project Cars 2 left us great sensations, above all with the most important aspect in every racing sim: tire physics.

Project Cars 2 is not a racer in which you ever feel compelled to simply go through the motions. It’s a game that centres you firmly as an active participant. It’s a game that makes you want to be a racer, and that might just be the best compliment that can be bestowed upon a representative of this genre. You just need to make sure you’ve got the patience required to work out exactly how best to begin consuming what it has to offer.

There's an undeniable quality to Project CARS 2. It's possibly the most realistic racing sim around, with an almost inordinate amount of detail that's gone into every car, track and the weather and how everything is interconnected. This makes the lack of accessibility for those who struggle with simulation and who'd prefer an arcade mode all the more annoying. Is it a great game? Likely the best racing sim around. Does it need to open itself up to those less skilled? Yes.

Project Cars 2 will make fans of racing simulators of almost all motorsport classes happy. The prudish career mode is bothersome, though.

Serious racing for serious racers. Extraordinarily convincing at each of the disciplines on offer.

Project CARS 2 is still a rough diamond, but with a couple of patches Slightly Mad Studios could unleash all the potential of a real racing sim gem. Out of the box, anyway, the game offers one of the best race experiences on the market, with a great driving model which is amazing, played both with a joypad and a racing wheel. Sometimes the AI is still too aggressive and hits too hard on the throttle even when it should not, and the Rallycross experience is quite clumsy, but overall, with this great offer of tracks and cars, if you love to race in every possible weather condition and you want to feel the real meaning of bagarre, Project CARS 2 is definitely your brutal, physical and thrilling racing game.

Brilliant driving physics, a steep learning curve, myriads of options and beautiful visuals on PC: Project Cars 2 is one of the best racing games out there - and even better in VR.

Minus some occasional glaring AI issues, it's off to the races with yet another stunning simulation racer.

Project CARS 2 is able to evolve the content of the previous game in the series. Madness Engine can bring new life to the tracks with the Live Track 3 tool, even if there are a few problems with some tracks and some cars.

Quotation forthcoming.

Project CARS 2 takes the foundations of its father and builds upon them, improving all aspects, but some areas have received more upgrades than others. This is no doubt a better racing game than its predecessor, with amazing visuals, fantastic sounds, more variety in cars, tracks and events, while featuring a dynamic weather system that stands above the rest of the pack, but the buggy AI sours the overall racing experience. Project CARS 2 also has that feeling that it is made for racing wheel accessories than a controller, and while the improved controller support is good, it’s still not the gold standard in the genre. It’s a rather hectic time for racing fans, with a few games coming or already out within such a small release window that there are many options to pick from for racing fans, and Project CARS 2 deserves attention for bringing great simulation racing, but stands out more for the unique driving-in-the-weather experience that cannot be found in any other racing game.

It's scrappy, sure, but no racer offers such a breadth of choice, or seems so willing to let the player set the rules of the road. When Project Cars 2 gets into gear, there's little else like it. [Dec 2017, p.114]

Project Cars 2 makes a passionate play for the enthusiast end of the racing sim market. A wheel is damn near mandatory, but the gameplay rewards are huge – when spotty AI and bugs aren't confounding things, that is.

Controller support has vastly improved compared to the first game, with configuration options and game assists available to tailor your experience.

While the heavy tilt towards simulation provided by Project Cars 2 is not really in my wheelhouse, I can still objectively see it for what it is, a love letter to driving that hardcore players will find irresistible.

With its mixture of incredible highs and frustrating lows, I tentatively recommend Project CARS 2. Its physics engine has taken a massive step forward, and should win back many enthusiasts. But as a result, the game sits more firmly in the ‘sim’ category, and might feel less approachable for fans of the original (or those coming from series like Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo). If you can look past the unproven multiplayer and troublesome AI—which should improve over time—Project CARS 2 is a seriously capable title with a promising future.

Project CARS 2 is like a trip to the most beautiful place that becomes more and more tiring. There is no prettier game, and driving along well known circuits with engine noise as background music is great. But all the essence - driving physics, overtaking, dealing with car trouble - is much better in F1 2017. I'm waiting for fixes.

It’s a good thing to have wide range of racing disciplines, but seriously – who would buy Project CARS 2 for its carting or Formula Rookie championship? And no, you can’t just play what you like: more than half of the championships are locked from the get-go. [Issue#224, p.46]

Project Cars 2 has the potential to be one of the best racing simulators, thanks to the wonderful tracks, variety, and awesome vehicles, but AI flaws and a plethora of strange technical issues prevent it from being a consistently great experience.