To me it is even easier with the pad than with a wheel. It is good for what it is but I return again and again to PC2 as there are cars and tracks you don't get for a console anywhere else.
Totally agree about PC1, definitely avoid PC2 and go for 3 instead, its more accessible no settings changes needed with controller. For me it's very intuitive to drive on controller, totally unlike the twitching mess of its predecessors. If you were unimpressed with the first game I can confirm PC2 will definitely make you swear on controller! (dont fall into the controller settings trap no amount of adjustments gets it truly sweet, literally wasted hours doing this). Ive put 172 hours on pc3 and its still keeping me engaged now, the game is convenient compared to GT. You can access all vehicles and tracks from the get go (hit square on car select in custom race), and the time in menu's is about 90% less compared to GT too.
Wreckfest is definitely worth a mooch such great handling, good career & variety of tracks / vehicles, F1 & Grid legends are okay but get old quite quickly. My guilty pleasure is crew motorfest its relaxing to drive (but requires minor controller adjustments to get it sweet & is firmly at the arcade end of the spectrum). WRC is sweet on controller and very realistic, but ive found it frustrating to play and rarely play it long before rage quitting.
I am not sure if this information is really helpful but I would not recommend the "Grid" game. There is a story mode some might like and a lot of different cars and races. But... I couldn't play it once I got to the real circuits that aren't displayed properly and felt simply wrong in comparison with PCars, ACC and even GT7. In my opinion the driving physics aren't as consistant as Pcars3.
Plus there's a new stadium track to go with them. Or any other vehicle really.
No, it's not really a problem. I tend to use interior view as well*. There is definitely a difference, and I'm not sure why, but I've probably exaggerated it a little. 😉
That reminds me of the old shift game, it was immersive, and intense how the feel was conveyed in driver pov, especially crashes.😳
Apart from some of the driving aids being more of a hindrance than helpful, the controller settings aren't the issue, it's the way some of the cars are set up. Tweak those settings instead and the game can actually play like a GT or Forza. However, if you want to use the chase cam, you really need a keyboard to pull the camera back and up to get the best experience.
We will agree to disagree on this lol... Ive spent a long time trying to fettle this game and it is simply not true what you assert. Thankfully PC3 addressed the painfully apparent controller issues. I still play PC3 most days, and really wish codies would bring this game out of retirement... it's so much better than it's own grid franchise.
I just wish the career wasn't over so quickly.
Why would I lie? I own both games and have revisted them in the last week. And while I totally agree PC2 can be frustrating it's not impossible if you take the time to tune cars and I'm not even a car guy. Whether it's due to playing on the pad or just the cars being set up badly, a lot of cars oversteer through corners. (even when the tires are heated up) There's an Aston M GTE car, which is easy to fix via the engineer, and after that, I was throwing it around the Red Bull Ring in chase cam. In some cases the engineer has a limit, like with the Nissan GTR, I still had to go into the settings myself for that and found that bumping up the preload helped massively. (After learning what that was lol) The best advice I've come across was just a single comment that said simply turn down the TC or switch it off, because the curbs can make you spin out. I don't have XB gold or GP but I'll see if I can share a replay or something.
Not amazing driving or anything, but just some quick clips to show that it is possible to play PC2 on a pad. I didn't tune the first 3 cars and TC and Stability is off for all:
