[Biggles]

It’s been increasingly frustrating to go online every evening & see my all GTP buddies logged into GT5P – none of them apparently willing to try Ferrari Challenge. So here, I've stuck my neck out, & as a public service, I've compiled the top ten reasons why Ferrari Challenge is a better game than GT5P. Yes, I know, I must be

1) Tracks – FC has got 14 excellent tracks, some of them long-established favorites like Spa, Mugello, Montreal, others great, but less-known like Mont Tremblant & Virginia Raceway. In comparison, GT5P offers a handful of tracks, some of dubious interest &, in any case, not all available for online racing.

2) Physics – I wouldn’t go so far as to say FC has better physics. The physics are excellent, perhaps a little less detailed & complex than GT5P, but what is far superior IMO is the implementation of FFB. FC is the first console game I’ve played that really communicates the feel of driving & cornering at speed through the wheel. The driver can actually feel the sense of weight transfer & loss of grip – the tires not just sliding through the turn, but alternately gripping & slipping as they are pushed beyond their limits. On the fast downhill corners of Spa, you can actually feel the back end lighten up as the weight shifts to the front tires under extreme braking & turning – it’s really an amazing sensation. In comparison, in GT5P the physics may be there, but you don’t really feel them in the same way, you have to find the correct balance more by experience & trial & error.

3) Private Lobbies – no need for further comment. Also: there is no region locking or “World Events” – Hello Oz! Hello Sweden! Hello Tajekistan! Let’s get it on!

4) Online options – pick your car, track, the length of race (it’s great to have the option of running a 30 minute race with well-matched opponents!), assists available etc.

5) Offline Gameplay - decent AI & no ridiculous "mission" events that require endless repetition to learn exactly how to pass 15 cars in 3 laps!

6) Collisions – in FC the cars react to contact – bumping & ramming does have consequences – but not the wildly exaggerated shunting that takes place in GT5P. This remains one of the biggest mysteries about online GT5P – why did PD program these reactions into the online game? A good percentage of the posts on these forums have to do with online “punting”. A lot of that punting has less to do with bad or reckless driving & more to do with the weird consequences of the collision calculations. How many times have you been knocked off by someone ricocheting wildly from a collision with another ricocheting car bumped by another car? In FC you can actually drive side-by-side with another car through a corner, trading paint while you jockey for position.

7) Weather – races in the rain are an option, with more demanding but reasonable physics. The wet graphics are outstanding – the best visuals in the game.

8) Time clock – a small, but significant feature. The game shows the difference between your time & the car in front & behind allowing you to evaluate your driving on a moment-by-moment basis. In practice, this adds interest to long races, particularly when you are a significant distance away from your rivals. BTW, no RBE! Never had it, never will!

9) Visual customization – as in Forza, you can paint & sticker your car to make it unique on the track.

10) Cars – they’re Ferraris!

So, to be fair, here are the shortcomings of FC:

1) Graphics – it’s not GT5P. The visuals, although rich & detailed, have an unrealistic, almost cartoony quality to them compared to the startling realism of GT5P. This gives an arcadey feel to the driving, in spite of the great physics. It takes a while to get used to this after being accustomed to GT5P, but with time it is not something that you worry about. As always: Gameplay>Graphics.

2) No tuning options – if you like to tinker around with your car, you’re out of luck. Personally, I don’t have much interest in this & it makes the racing dependent entirely on driver skill.

3) Frame-rate stutter – although, in general, the online visuals are the same as offline, when you are close (within passing distance) to another online car, the frame rate & sound often “stutters”. This is a significant problem, detracting from the precision of close-racing. However, although disturbing, IMO the major negative aspect of the game, it is not a game-killer. Over-all the racing is very satisfying.

4) No ghost replays offline/online & limited replay functions.

5) Cars – they’re ALL Ferraris!

So, if FC is so good why are so few people playing it? Well, like Formula One Championship Edition before it, it had some problems when it launched. Like F1CE, it’s not a game that is likely to appeal to the “casual gamer”, so, for the casual gamer the reviews are pretty realistic. But for the committed GTPer, endlessly running the same couple of GT5P tracks online, over & over again, & waiting with infinite patience & dedication for any sign of the Fifth Coming, the purchase of Ferrari Challenge should be a no-brainer. Trust me...

[timeattack07gt]

If I get a wheel sometime soon I will join you. I picked up FC a while ago but have only logged about 30 minutes. I didn't like the physics all that much when I played it with the controller...sounds like it's impressive with the wheel. The thing I like about FC is all of the big name tracks to choose from.

[SteveO1965]

Great writeup, i hope Santa is bringing me FC, i have dropped enough hints lol.

[NoxNoctis Umbra]

You compare a Supercharged DEMO to a full game. GT5 is just getting started.


It's funny. Physics are not as close to GT5P and not even CLOSER to PC sim racing. Sim Racing Tonight did the review of it.. and it's far far behind PC.

[bicycleshorts]

I was considering getting Ferrari Challenge, till I read the following post in the FC forums:

Hun200kmh

Well guys, I have very dissapointing news, and a rant to write here.


The news:

Last night I raced and completed the 250 TR and the 250 GTO Trophies, winning all races.

When finishing the last race of the 250TR Trophy, I got a message saying that I had unlocked 3 challenge cards. One of them I knew was the "trophy" card, so I went to check what were the other two. Leaving the trophy, I couldn't help to notice that I hadn't unlocked any new car.

So, the other two cards were ... "THE COLLECTOR" (you have unlocked all Ferraris) and also "THE UNBEATABLE" (you have won all trophies).

After that, I still made the GTO Trophy (since winning the "unbeatable" card was clearly a bug, I still had some hope that the unlocking of the "collector" card was also a bug and that when after REALLY finishing all trophies I still could get a surprise).

Won all three races, finished the last trophy and ... no new car or anything new. The game just didn't realize I had finished Trophy mode.

End of news.


And now the RANT:

I really like this game, and I can stand all bugs it has. However, I don't like lies. The cover of the box says this:

"Unlock and race over 50 Ferrari cars from vintage legends to the FXX"

That is a lie. The game says I have unlocked all Ferraris, and I don't even have half of 50 cars

I won't even bother doing the Challenges. I'll get back to GT5P and wait for the patch to be able to race online with you guys. And I think the next 25 cars to be released as "downloadable goodies" should be free. I feel I already payed them, but somehow they were taken out of the disc and now System 3 wants me to pay for them again.

End of rant.


PS - See you guys after the bugged online play in this game is solved. Until then, I'll be playing GT5P.

If anyone can confirm this is no longer (or was never) true, I will happily buy it. Until then I refuse to give anyone £40 who will lie on the cover of a game box.

[Exorcet]

Biggles

It’s been increasingly frustrating to go online every evening & see my all GTP buddies logged into GT5P – none of them apparently willing to try Ferrari Challenge. So here, I've stuck my neck out, & as a public service, I've compiled the top ten reasons why Ferrari Challenge is a better game than GT5P. Yes, I know, I must be

1) Tracks – FC has got 14 excellent tracks, some of them long-established favorites like Spa, Mugello, Montreal, others great, but less-known like Mont Tremblant & Virginia Raceway. In comparison, GT5P offers a handful of tracks, some of dubious interest &, in any case, not all available for online racing.

2) Physics – I wouldn’t go so far as to say FC has better physics. The physics are excellent, perhaps a little less detailed & complex than GT5P, but what is far superior IMO is the implementation of FFB. FC is the first console game I’ve played that really communicates the feel of driving & cornering at speed through the wheel. The driver can actually feel the sense of weight transfer & loss of grip – the tires not just sliding through the turn, but alternately gripping & slipping as they are pushed beyond their limits. On the fast downhill corners of Spa, you can actually feel the back end lighten up as the weight shifts to the front tires under extreme braking & turning – it’s really an amazing sensation. In comparison, in GT5P the physics may be there, but you don’t really feel them in the same way, you have to find the correct balance more by experience & trial & error.

3) Private Lobbies – no need for further comment. Also: there is no region locking or “World Events” – Hello Oz! Hello Sweden! Hello Tajekistan! Let’s get it on!

4) Online options – pick your car, track, the length of race (it’s great to have the option of running a 30 minute race with well-matched opponents!), assists available etc.

5) Offline Gameplay - decent AI & no ridiculous "mission" events that require endless repetition to learn exactly how to pass 15 cars in 3 laps!

6) Collisions – in FC the cars react to contact – bumping & ramming does have consequences – but not the wildly exaggerated shunting that takes place in GT5P. This remains one of the biggest mysteries about online GT5P – why did PD program these reactions into the online game? A good percentage of the posts on these forums have to do with online “punting”. A lot of that punting has less to do with bad or reckless driving & more to do with the weird consequences of the collision calculations. How many times have you been knocked off by someone ricocheting wildly from a collision with another ricocheting car bumped by another car? In FC you can actually drive side-by-side with another car through a corner, trading paint while you jockey for position.

7) Weather – races in the rain are an option, with more demanding but reasonable physics. The wet graphics are outstanding – the best visuals in the game.

8) Time clock – a small, but significant feature. The game shows the difference between your time & the car in front & behind allowing you to evaluate your driving on a moment-by-moment basis. In practice, this adds interest to long races, particularly when you are a significant distance away from your rivals. BTW, no RBE! Never had it, never will!

9) Visual customization – as in Forza, you can paint & sticker your car to make it unique on the track.

10) Cars – they’re Ferraris!

When I heard about FC, I was very interested. Sadly, no demo has been released, and since I have GT5P already, I didn't see enough reason to risk $50.

My main concern though was physics. That's enough for me to determine the better game. If what you say is true, GT5P is superior. However, the feel of FC sounds interesting and worth trying.

For your other points, 1 and 6-10, Prologue is a demo so it doesn't bother me much. Everyone knew well in advanced that it would lack some features and bought it anyway.

3-5 (the online parts in particular) should be in Prologue though.

In anycase, Christams is quickly approaching, so I may end up joining you soon.

[Vettel P1]

Id take GT5P of FC anyday but FC is all right when GT get a bit boring.

[theewar]

I got the game last week,after GTP_hun put the tumb screws on me.And i have to say i liked it a lot.The graphics like you say are not the best,but the handling physics are great...only problem is my ps3 got the (ylod)while i was playing it,so i cant play anything at the momentbut rest assured when i get my ps3 back it will be seeing a lot of FC.I just hope they send back the game to me as well,since its still in the dead one.

[Biggles]

You compare a Supercharged DEMO to a full game. GT5 is just getting started.

I don't have much doubt that GT5 will be a vastly superior game to FC, when it comes out, whenever that may be. My comparison is not FC to GT5, which doesn't exist, it is to GT5P

My main concern though was physics. That's enough for me to determine the better game. If what you say is true, GT5P is superior. However, the feel of FC sounds interesting and worth trying.

I wouldn't say that GT5P's physics are superior. FC's physics are different from GT5P's, perhaps a bit less complex, but still very challenging & somehow more convincing in feel - hard to explain until you have devoted some time to it.

If anyone can confirm this is no longer (or was never) true, I will happily buy it. Until then I refuse to give anyone £40 who will lie on the cover of a game box.

Yes, there has been some BS with regard to the promises made by the publishers of FC. FC users are quite annoyed about it. However, my judgement is based on the game as it is, rather than what was "promised". I think you'll find GTP_Hun has forgiven & moved on...

Seems like PD also made promises about DLC, private lobbies etc. for GT5P, which haven't (yet) come to pass. Of course, with PD you can never be sure if the promises were actual promises, rumours, or just figments of someone's fevered imagination...

[RACECAR]

I'm abit miffed as to how you are so frustraited that just your GTP buddies aren't playing. Have they listed any specific reasons as to why they don't play it?

Biggles

I don't have much doubt that GT5 will be a vastly superior game to FC, when it comes out, whenever that may be. My comparison is not FC to GT5, which doesn't exist, it is to GT5P

I think his point was why compare a complete game to a teaser demo at all.

[tinram]

I have FC ( got it the same week it released ) and GT5P.

FC has this raw feeling when driving the car, but i feel detached.
FC's graphics is good, but when you are used to GT5P, it just does not compare.

FC does not have that "thing" that brings me back ever so often like GT5P.

When i'm stressed out there's always GT5P waiting to clear my mind.

just my thoughts.

[Biggles]

FC has this raw feeling when driving the car, but i feel detached.

Yes, there is a "rawness" to FC (partly the sound of the cars), but definitely not "detached" feeling. I think GT5P has a more complex, sophisticated feel but more "detached".

I think his point was why compare a complete game to a teaser demo at all.

I am encouraging fellow GTPers to see that there are good options other than the brilliant, but limited GT5P, & waiting for GT5.

[JosVerstappen]

graphics are pretty good 8/10
sounds are not bad but shifting sounds dull 7/10
physics, I have no idea, can't feel anything through the wheel (g25)
FFB, like I said, hardly any feeling off driving a car, that's where the game fails for me.

I enjoyed the game more with a gamepad then the g25 tbh...

[Zathra5_]

Jos: when did you last play the game and what setting did you have the ffb at?

The steering with the G25 is considerably better now that the patch is out. I keep the ffb at its highest setting. It does give a lot of feedback that is missing from GT5P. I think that GT5P is probably more realistic but FC gives feedback that you are missing from your other senses. Consequently I find correcting slides much more realistic than in GT5P (not that I spin out cars at over 160kph).

I guess what it comes down to is that FC is really the only alternative to GT5P. GT5P is currently limited in tracks and online options. If you can only afford one, get GT5P. If you can afford both, I'd suggest that you get both. FC is a really fun game. The new patch has made a world of difference with the steering. The tracks are a lot of fun and quite a bit different from what you get with GT5P. I haven't played a lot of online but my impression is that it just lags differently. In GT5P you get people zig-zagging in FC they kind of disappear and reappear.

Sorry Jos, I see that you are from Holland. Europe doesn't have the fixed ffb yet. You will still have a lot more feedback if you set the ffb to high but it has a deadzone problem. Hopefully you will get that patch soon. It makes a world of difference.

[LR-PR-ProtoX]

I totally agree with you expect in one thing....Online Racing. Online Racing is so laggy, you have no idea where the car is front you, they already said that they aren't going to fix it...since they are working on the new sim game. Oh well...I guess it's time for me to return the game and get some cash while I can. Hopefully the new game is going to be better than this, other than that, awesome game, if you like Ferraris only! :P

[peter_vod69]

The one thing that I _really_ hate about Ferrari Challenge is the huge deadzone in the middle, means that on the long straights I'm constantly correcting one way or the other - the damn thing just won't settle. It is annoying it what is otherwise a comprehensively entertaining game.

[Zathra5_]

The only online races I did were with two guys in France. Lag wasn't too bad.

Peter: the north american patch has fixed the deadzone. I assume that Europe will eventually get the fix as well. Europe usually gets patches long before we do.

[peter_vod69]

Cheers Zathra, although I don't hold out much hope for anything being released for FC now.

[panjandrum]

I also have Ferrari Challenge but haven't really found the time to delve into it. The primary thing holding me back (other than lack of time) is the graphics. They are just not up-to-par.

I've spent maybe 12 hours total on it, and I do enjoy it. The wheel-feedback is much "cruder". It just feels rougher around the edges. However, it also rewards driving the proper line better than GT5P does (in other words, it is less forgiving of driver error). It may be that the physics overall are not any more realistic than GT5P, but I do appreciate that when I screw up badly, the proper result happens (ouch!)

[Zathra5_]

Peter: Unfortunately you could be right there. I wouldn't buy the game assuming that any more content will come available (especially the promised DLC).

If the online is really as bad as people say, I guess I'll continue playing FC offline and GT5P online. But I just moved and have a faster internet connection. I wouldn't mind trying to host some games sometime. On my old connection, I could only host a two car race on GT5P.