Introduction

Consoles have always had plenty of exclusive titles that have left PC gamers rather resentful, forcing them to pray that one day, that amazing game featured on Nintendo or Sony’s platform might arrive onto their computers too. While famous franchises like Metal Gear Solid, Halo or Grand Theft Auto finally do make it onto the beige box, somehow car games always get left out and are never ported over. Sure, the Need for Speed and Test Drive franchises exist on everything including computers, but the true gems of the genre like Gran Turismo on Sony’s Playstation or Forza Motorsport on Microsoft’s Xbox have never, and most probably will never be brought to the trusty old computer. But luckily, it just doesn’t matter anymore because the of late, the tables have turned since it’s finally the PC that has an exclusive title that is making the console gamers envious; GTR2.

Simulation

For the vast majority of people, the chance to race in a Lister Storm on the famous Monza circuit is a fantasy that shall never be accomplished. However, that’s where simulation games come in, since they bring you as close as possible to achieving your dreams, without actually putting your life in danger or heavily damaging your wallet. Richard Burn’s Rally, for example, is fairly realistic and one of the best ways to “experience” racing down narrow dirt roads in turbocharged monsters. As for on road simulations, quite a few games have existed over the years like rFactor or Live for Speed, but neither of them gained much attention from the mainstream audience due to their difficult accessibility. Thankfully, all this was about to change with the arrival of GTR in March 2005, bringing life-like driving to the masses. While it wasn’t especially user-friendly either, compared to what already existed on the market, Simbin’s simulation was in a different league altogether. Unfortunately, GTR wasn’t without it faults since it included the controversial Starforce anti-piracy system, a slightly dated graphics engine and an unmanageable netcode that resulted in plenty of online lag. But hope wasn’t lost because Simbin listened to the gaming community and thus, after one and a half years of development, GTR 2 was unleashed and ready to carry on the legacy of its predecessor.

Engine

As is common with sequels, the same 3D engine as in GTR is being reused, meaning that in general, the system requirements are practically the same as in last year’s game. The only real changes are the amount of system RAM and the amount of video graphics RAM, both of which have slightly increased to cope with the new graphics:

• Microsoft Windows 2000, XP Home/Pro, x64
• 1.3 GHz Intel Pentium III or 100% compatible
• 512 MB RAM
• 2.5 GB free space
• DirectX 8.1 compatible graphics card with 64 MB memory
• DirectX 8.1 compatible

Even though the minimum requirements seem quite generous, if you wish to run GTR2 decently with most of the graphical effects, I advise you to have a respectable machine, especially when it comes to the processor and system RAM. Despite the fact that my current computer is still reasonably powerful (3.0 GHz Intel Pentium IV, 2048 MB RAM, X850XT PE, etc.), with more than twenty different racers on screen, I could barely even achieve an average frame rate of fifteen frames per second, even with the extra goodies like anti-aliasing completely disabled. But curiously, somehow this is also dependant on the level you have selected to race on, given that the same amount of racers on one level won’t automatically mean you’ll get a similar frame rate on another level with the same amount of opponents. Regrettably, that isn’t the only bad news about the game’s 3D Engine since it seems to be fairly fragile as I ran into several unfortunate bugs that forced me to reinstall the entire game, which is relatively tedious and an annoying task. Obviously, a couple of patches could easily remedy these different problems, but as of yet, that isn’t the case and I can only hope that Simbin will keep on providing support for GTR2.

Graphics

Whilst amazing visuals aren’t always a necessity in a video game, it never hurts to have them since it will undoubtedly attract some consumers. For my part, I love great graphics and in that aspect, GTR2 easily caught my attention since few games have such realistic and detailed car models. Every curve and crease is painstakingly recreated, bringing an impressive amount of photorealism to Simbin’s excellent simulation. Personally, my favorite aspect of GTR2’s visuals is the interiors of each of the 25 different cars as they are all expertly modeled, expertly textured and put simply; look absolutely outstanding. Everything just feels incredibly real since all the mirrors reflect the environment correctly, the gear stick shifts appropriately and best of all, the driver’s feet actually move accordingly from the clutch to the brakes and accelerator as you drive along. It’s thanks to these minute details that GTR2 stands out from the crowd, helping the player immerse himself into the game.

Sadly though, Simbin’s graphical prowess didn’t go beyond the car models since the tracks are usually lifeless and bland, almost ruining the immersion factor entirely. The textures are also extremely repetitive throughout the various levels, dulling the general graphical experience, much to my dismay. To be frank, the contrast in between the tracks and diverse cars is truly disconcerting and even though the graphics have greatly improved over the original GTR, Simbin still has a long way to go in this domain.

Sounds

This being already such a great achievement in the first game of the series, it’s without surprise that in GTR2, the sound department is just stunning beyond belief. Each and every sound effect, whether it’s the splatter of rain against your car’s aluminum hood or the screeching of your tortured tires around a bend is remarkably realistic in every sense of the word. Add to that the wondrous noise of a throaty straight-six or the scary howl of a lumbering V8 and you’ll soon be in a world of aural pleasure. No other car game on any platform can recreate the immersion achieved by GTR2’s audio department as it’s utterly subliminal. If you own a decent 5.1 system, then the experience will be even more exhilarating as the noise of tires and engines overwhelms your room, pleasing the petrol head within each of us.

As for the music, while it isn’t astounding or anything, thankfully, it isn’t horrible and ear-shatteringly painful either. If you can tolerate the European techno-pop featured in the game, then you’ll actually realize that it fits the game perfectly. Even if you can’t put up with the music, you’ll only have to endure it during the menu, unless you decide to turn it off completely. In my opinion, music isn’t crucial in GTR2 because one will always have those phenomenal engine notes to keep oneself satisfied!

Gameplay

Knowing that the original GTR was extremely realistic and pleasant to play, I was quite impatient to get my virtual ass into a racing seat and belting down a fast racetrack like Catalunya in Spain. Alas, all did not go to plan because it took me several minutes to actually find the correct menus and even once I found them, a couple of minutes more passed before I was actually able to start playing. Clearly, you must be wondering whether I’m even capable of navigating through menus and I assure you, I can, except in GTR2. The reason is simple; Simbin has a very mediocre user-interface that requires a little bit of time to get used to. Everything is controllable and customizable; you just need to find out how. But once you get past this small inconvenience, get ready to have the time of your life because GTR2 is just what it markets itself to be; a great car simulation.

The first time you take a ride in one of the famous GT cars, you’ll most probably be in for a shock since within seconds, your tires will most probably start spinning uncontrollably, leaving you facing the wrong way. And obviously, this is a reassuring thing in view of the fact that if you’d try this in reality, in a real GT car, the same exact thing would happen! The learning curve is steep, demanding a lot of time from the gamer, meaning that patience is key to everything here. Driving is an art in itself and requires you to have very fluid and precise movements; otherwise you might just finish your race into a wall. Before, in GTR, learning to drive properly would only have been accomplished by trial-and-error, which can be very dull and dreary. However, Simbin listened to the gaming community and inserted an especially helpful “driving school” where you are slowly taught how to accelerate, brake, corner and overtake correctly and effectively. The results are immediately perceptible, especially if you race with many of the driver assistants off (anti-lock brakes, traction control, etc). For myself, given that I wanted the full-blown racing experience, I played without any of the aids enabled and found myself in a world of frustration and exaltation. Just like in reality, there wasn’t any place for mistakes and as a result, I became utterly addicted to GTR2. In addition, each of the 25 cars behave tremendously different from one another, forcing the player to constantly adapt his driving style. While a mid-engined Lotus Elise is easy to drive and handle, the same cannot be said about a Porsche GT3 that is rear-engined and loves to oversteer out of control.

Evidently, the simulation aspect of GTR2 isn’t solely tangible on the road but even in the garage, seeing as almost every imaginable setting can be setup to your desire. Gear ratios, tire pressure and even the amount of fuel can be calibrated, helping you gain those few extra milliseconds that can change the entire face of a qualification round, or even the results of a championship. Speaking of championship, you have several different modes in Simbin’s racer, like the traditional time trial and practice, but also some interesting modes like the twenty-four hour races. The latter is a welcome addition since few games offer it and in GTR2, the day-night cycle is superb to watch as it’s done in real-time. Of course, you can also accelerate the time so that a twenty-four hour race can be completed in a quarter of the time but racing with thirty-one other opponents in day long endurance race is a must for anyone who considers himself a true driver.

Last but not least, the multiplayer has been greatly improved over GTR2’s predecessor since much of the lag is gone, thanks to some clever optimizing of the netcode. Racing against the game’s polished AI is a joy rarely experienced in racing games, due to the fact that they react intelligently and logically. They will brake if they see an obstacle on their path and will try daring overtaking maneuvers whenever they see fit. Nevertheless, playing against a friend is always more fun and with a fixed multiplayer mode, there isn’t any reason not to try it out. Unless that is, you don’t own a steering wheel... Sadly, the largest problem with GTR2 is that, unless you have the proper equipment to play the game with, there really is no reason in purchasing it, as a keyboard will never be satisfactory and leave you feeling continually frustrated.

Finish Line
In the end, GTR2 is a good improvement over GTR, even though nothing fundamental has changed in between the two titles. The driving experience is still topnotch, which is the most important aspect of any simulation. While the graphics have been improved, and the netcode corrected, the essence of GTR2 is just as captivating and addicting as its older brother, meaning that the game is a no-brainer for anyone who enjoys racing simulations. While the learning curve might be steep, and a steering wheel an obligation, if you have the patience and the motivation, you mustn’t miss out on this sensational game.

Gameplay 18/20
Graphics 14/20
Sound 18/20
Value 17/20
Preference 18/20

Overall 85/100