Really, it's more fun than every modern game?

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slthree

slthree

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slthree
I have GT7 and I only like it with PS VR2.

I have ACC with all the updates and it's much better than it's ever been.

I have F123

I have the new Forza Motorsports.

That, and other factors took me away from PC2 but out of sheer boredom / nostalgia I redownloaded the game and loaded up my career. Just had the best experience I've had in a racing game since...






.... I used to play PC2 regularly.

I shouldn't be shocked, but I am, that a game from 2017 is this good.

EDIT: I should add that I play on PS5 and I know there are games on PC that are phenomenal but I can't compare them.
 
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I really find project cars 2 hard but at the same time its that novelty that keeps on taking me back.

The variety of cars, tracks and car classes. There was something for everybody. Not to mention classic layouts of spa, silverstone and lemans.

Not many games feature the Old Hockenheim while Project Cars 1 and 2 does. I get to do GT1 races like the late 90s when GT1 was at its peak.

Project Cars 2 is a flawed masterpiece. Seriously despite its problems and flaws I really do hope people appreciate it over time.

Its a must play for any motorsport fan.
 
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slthree
.. I used to play PC2 regularly.
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Good to see you back. 😉

PC2 is still the best open sandbox racing game on console. Within its large track and car roster you can drive and race just about anything, anywhere, at any time/date/season and in any weather conditions you can think of. And also race mixed classes with those options. There's even rallycross, ice tracks and kart tracks! So for a motorsports fan I don't know what's not to like.

Due to a couple of wheel and PS5 related issues I don't play it quite so much as I once did (2000+ hours!), but it's still a brilliant title which I don't think will be surpassed for variety - on console.


@slthree - Now if you had got a PC you could play PC2 in VR. And it's very good from what I've read. You'd be in racing heaven. 🙂
 
With a single race mode like that it's hard to let go of the game so I go back every now and again just to play it. The AI (Road America specifically) and penalties are pretty bad, but you could always adjust that anyways.

Also the PS5 has visual improvements, but has visual sacrifices too. There are very dark shadows no matter what time of day of the race but it's even worse when the sun sets. I've gotten used to it but i'd imagine it's an eyesore for everyone else
 
You should see how well it turned out on the XSX. It was nice to have things work out on the Xbox side for a change, I'll say that... so much so I still play it on that more than on my PC. And my PC is not light on specs.
 
r_outsider
You should see how well it turned out on the XSX. It was nice to have things work out on the Xbox side for a change, I'll say that... so much so I still play it on that more than on my PC. And my PC is not light on specs.
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I've heard this multiple times that the Xbox version is even better. I regret not getting it also for the Xbox. I've always been a Sony guy and I only got my Xbox x for Forza horizon and Forza Motorsports (which turned out to be a big disappointment).
 
Been a while since I played the XBone version. Can't really recall any advantages or disadvantages. It's just an overall great game.
 
Yarf
Also the PS5 has visual improvements, but has visual sacrifices too. There are very dark shadows no matter what time of day of the race but it's even worse when the sun sets. I've gotten used to it but i'd imagine it's an eyesore for everyone else
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PS5 should be running the game in PS4 Pro mode. If it's doing something different then that's a shame. Won't be fixed now of course as PC2 is long abandoned.
 
I go to PC2 for my Indy 500 fix. Whenever I get the itch to just hammer down, there is no better game than PC2 for IndyCar on the oval at Indianapolis. Just wish they had the updated chassis but I still love it anyway.
 
Yarf
With a single race mode like that it's hard to let go of the game so I go back every now and again just to play it. The AI (Road America specifically) and penalties are pretty bad, but you could always adjust that anyways.

Also the PS5 has visual improvements, but has visual sacrifices too. There are very dark shadows no matter what time of day of the race but it's even worse when the sun sets. I've gotten used to it but i'd imagine it's an eyesore for everyone else
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I play PC2 on PS4 Pro. On PS5 it was just too dark to play. I really got annoyed by it.
 
Currently playing this on my handheld: 1200p/high/60FPS (mostly). Livetrack 3.0 + fully dynamic weather and time is just brilliant.

Did gaming peak in the past decade?
 
I haven’t played it since my PS4 days but the overall structure for single player is nearly perfect. It’s kind of mind boggling how many developers haven’t done the same in their games, looking at you PD.
 
kjb
I still play Pc2 from time to time I especially love the old LeMans track. Sometimes I will just get in a 330 and do a time trial. I love it
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Classic cars on classic tracks was, and still is, one of the things I like most about PC2. That and road car racing.
 
To me, on PS controller, the more classic the car, the better it handles. I find it ironic, to me, higher downforce cars are harder to control. It's why I love the Stance 2002 and all versions of the Escort. I'd rate the 365GTB/4 at the top of list, in everything. Feel(on controller), handling, speed, sound.
However, the 2002 and Escorts are my favourites.
 
slthree
I have GT7 and I only like it with PS VR2.

I have ACC with all the updates and it's much better than it's ever been.

I have F123

I have the new Forza Motorsports.

That, and other factors took me away from PC2 but out of sheer boredom / nostalgia I redownloaded the game and loaded up my career. Just had the best experience I've had in a racing game since...






.... I used to play PC2 regularly.

I shouldn't be shocked, but I am, that a game from 2017 is this good.

EDIT: I should add that I play on PS5 and I know there are games on PC that are phenomenal but I can't compare them.
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Hi @slthree you've been missed in our monday races! ;)

I can't say a thing about ACC because my wheel (T500) is not compatible with that game in its PS4 version. And I don't like F1 games much so don't own any of those.

This leaves me with GT7, AC and PC 2 to compare. AC being small and filled with bugs I never gave it much time (maybe unfairly but it just didn't "click").

As for GT7, it made me feel like a lab rat that goes through the experiments that the lab owner decides. There's a path to be followed (filled with nonsense) in offline mode, and that offline mode is atrocious itself. The licenses/missions/whatever are fun but feel old and bar the visuals the whole experience was hollow. I persisted until what was the last license/mission/whatever (a 917K at a damp Spa) but even that was so unrealistic to me I just couldn't bother anymore after getting it done.

Maybe online is good, not sure, never got that far. Offline racing was a mess, with the AI cars being either fast or slow depending if they were fighting you or not. They never felt like opponents, more like road-blocks in your way or rabbits to follow.

So ... I shelved it. And still playing PCars2. In fact, it's the only racing game I play, online and offline. And I feel it's got still much fun to provide me. I have no doubts that, still today in 2024, PCars 2 is by far the best and most complete racing game available for Playstation users.
 
I feel there’s a window of novelty when starting racing where games like GT7 are fun. You’re learning about racing, you need a structured path for it to be fun. But after a while, you become a racing fan, not a playing games fan. That’s where PC2 and ACC feel like games for racing fans. No grinding to open up the cars or tracks. No babying you with nerfed AI, no stupid upgrading path.

Pick a car, pick a track, set the AI as hard as you can take, off you go. Or get online, find a room with settings you like and join. Or create the room the way you want, see if anyone else likes your choices.

A game for grownups. If you want to paint liveries, maybe you need Photoshop or Blender. It’s got squat to do with racing. Other than track days, upgrading road cars with a variety of equipment isn’t a real thing in proper racing. Upgrades are tightly regulated, you put on what they let you. If they let you at all.

If you want to win, first you learn to handle the car, you learn to race sensibly, and you learn at least the basics of tuning the car (NOT upgrading the components or doing dumb engine swaps!). You learn to choose which tires will work best for each race. You learn about pit strategy.

There’s precious little time for all that when you’re grinding dumb repetitive races in a vastly overpowered car so you can get the ‘money’ for cars the fastest.

For all the little things that stopped it from being the ‘perfect’ console race game for racing fans, PC2 is by far the best of the PS4 generation of adult racing games. Maybe it’s not up to rFactor2 or iRacing levels, but it’s the most well rounded ‘sim’ on console.
 
I recently got a second hand Oculus quest and went back to PCars2. Totally blown away with the graphics, especially in the rain. Looks photo realistic. Had Vega64 and it just about run on low so I got a 6750XT and it's good for high/ultra at 72hz.

I recommend anyone who hasn't, to try it out, especially those that already loved it.

Youtube sim racers tend to diss it but I don't see what's not to like. (Although, do the AI have more grip on certain corners?)

Great VR support and options.
 
The YouTube simmers that diss PC2 are all on pretty high end PC’s. And, if I could blow that kind of cash on a sim rig, I’d be on one too, loving the AC modding scene. But I'm on console.

And on console (particularly a PS4Pro capable of doing 4K at the same framerates the regular PS4 did 1080p at) there is simply no competition. Better graphics (GT7) gets you a poor handling and tire model, and better handling and tire models (ACC) gives you a very poor selection of cars and tracks. And OG AC doesn’t run at 4K.
 

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