I really liked the first Project Cars game and you can really feel my excitement about that game when you read my review. Now, unfortunately, I have not played Project Cars in a long time and I couldn't find the copy of the game to make a full comparison between it and Project Cars 2, but the games, from what I can remember, feel and kinda look very similar.
See, let me put it this way: Project Cars 2 is not to Project Cars what Destiny 2 is to Destiny 1. Confusing? Vanilla Destiny, as we all know, was a clumsily put together game and Destiny 2 improved about everything and myself, you, everyone noticed. Project Cars was an amazing game from the start and don't get me wrong, Project Cars 2 does everything better, adds a lot of new cars and tracks to go through and offers a fantastic multiplayer experience, but it's not a revolution, it's a bit of more than welcomed evolution.
New cars? Check, now there are more than 180 to choose from. New tracks? Check, and it's worth mentioning that Project Cars 2 has the most tracks than any other racing game out there at the moment. New disciplines? Check, you can now compete in Rallycross, IndyCar and Oval. Refined physics? Check, but if you are a filthy casual like me, you won't really notice much since you'll too be busy swearing and shouting cause you cannot keep the car driving in a straight line.
Project Cars 2, much like Project Cars, isn't for everybody. You cannot NO2 boost drift around a corner like you do in more casual racing games. Sure, you can turn on all the assists, undermining the whole experience and playing a game that just feels wrong, you can totally do that and not enjoy a single second of it. Then you can go on your social media and b*tch about Project Cars 2 being a hard racing game. Well, duh! It's a racing simulator with a lot of emphasis on the word "simulator", probably the best out there in the market. And it is not meant to be played with a sh*tty controller or a lousy keyboard.
I, unfortunately, am one of these people. I use a sh*tty DualShock with a kinda broken left analog stick that slightly veers off to the left or right by itself and I feel like I am completely missing out from having a blast racing around a DB11 or a F50 GT. While I'm playing Project Cars 2, I long for a steering wheel, but if I am too cheap of a bastard to replace a 50$ controller, I doubt I'd be truly willing to put down like what, 200-300$ for a PS4 steering wheel.
But I like to imagine how it would transform my experience with Project Cars 2. Then I start crying when I imagine what a PSVR/steering wheel would feel like... Do not get me wrong, I really like playing PC2 even with my sh*tty controller cause I am always up for a satisfying challenge. I started playing with the brake and steer assists on cause I kept hitting the side rails on every corner. But after playing some more, I gradually began to turn these assists off, one by one and now I only have the guiding arrows on the track that help me with the speed and trajectory. I still under/oversteer going off the track very often and invalidating my time, but I know I can do better so I keep pushing. Think of authentic Project Cars 2 like Dark Souls, challenging, punishing sometimes, but very rewarding once you get the hang of it.
The career is exactly like the one in Project Cars, but with more choices in car manufacturers, sponsors and events. It offers a nice sense progression although it's a tad longer than I like, still, it's nice to "graduate" through the different disciplines. That's because every discipline now feels unique and more distinct. What you learned in go-karts might and probably will not work on IndyCar or Rallycross. So you always need to be on the edge ready to adapt, figure out what works and learn as you progress. Dynamic weather with new weather dynamics like snow and blizzards and track types play a bigger role than before affecting the acceleration, steering and braking.
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There's a lot of stuff to go through solo, but that number is multiplied in the multiplayer. You can set up your own events, races and tournaments where you can dictate what cars are available to use, what motorsport discipline, what tracks, what time of day and what type of weather or a loop of them will affect the tracks. You can do a lot and people are already doing a lot, hosting cool events you can join with ease as the matchmaking is way better than it was in the previous game.
I don't like racing sims all that much and I don't think I will be playing Project Cars 2 regularly. But it is nice that I have it on my hard drive. Who knows, one day I might get a steering wheel and a PSVR and then I will be truly experiencing what Project Cars 2 can be. Till then, I will come back to just snap realistic car pictures using the excellent Photo Mode. Thanks for reading!
