Developer / Publisher: Slightly Mad Studios
Distributor: Bandai Namco Games
Price: 49.99 $ (or regional equivalent) for the standard edition. Prices may vary depending on platform / region.
Platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One (Wii U & Steam OS / Linux planned aswell)
Release Dates:
Distributor: Bandai Namco Games
Price: 49.99 $ (or regional equivalent) for the standard edition. Prices may vary depending on platform / region.
Platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One (Wii U & Steam OS / Linux planned aswell)
Release Dates:
- Digital: May 7th 2015 (Midnight worldwide release on Steam)
- Retail: May 7th 2015 (Europe & Australasia), May 8th 2015 (UK), May 12th 2015 (Americas)
- Minimum spec
CPU – 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400, 3.0 GHz AMD Phenom II X4 940
GPU – nVidia GTX 260, ATI Radeon HD 5770
MEM – 4GB RAM, 1GB VRAM
HDD – 18GB - Recommended spec
CPU – 3.5 GHz Intel Core i7 3700, 4.0 GHz AMD FX-8350
GPU – nVidia GT600 series, AMD Radeon HD7000 series
MEM – 8GB RAM, 2GB VRAM
HDD – 18GB
Project CARS (Community Assisted Racing Simulator) is a racing simulation developed by the British game developer Slightly Mad Studios (NFS: Shift / GTR).
It has involved the community itself for game development, extensive testing and, especially, funding, through a new process known as World of Mass Development (WMD).
Over 80.000 people participated in the creation of the game through the purchase of Tool Packs, allowing different types of involvement stages in the development.
It sets itself apart from classic Crowdfunding due to its members receiving a share of the game's sales generated within the first years after launch as a return on investment.
Project CARS provides a number of different ways for you to play: Career, Solo, Online, and Community.
These make up the four pillars that are represented in the logo and are a testament to SMS' wish for players to have complete freedom and variety when playing:
The Career mode is entirely open and allows players to select any kind of race series / location they would like without having to unlock them.
You can then compete in a whole season in karting, Formula A (the game's equivalent of F1), Le Mans and many more.
Solo play allows the players to create their own unique track / vehicle combination with custom race options, weather and with up to 45 opponents.
Online play accommodates up to 32 players on 64-bit windows, restricted to 16 players on consoles and 32-bit windows, with a wide variety of hosting & lobby options.
A less known aspect is the Community pillar, also called the Driver Network, which lets you race against ghosts and compete on track-specific leaderboards.
More options will be added later, such as community events with rewards and special races as well as a e-sports type annual championship, the "SMS-R Championship".
During your races, your engineer will provide you with helpful hints and comments about the race, and interacting with him allows you to plan ahead for pit-stops.
In-depth information about the physics and common questions about the driving model are available straight from the Project CARS wiki.
The game features over 60 cars ranging from small Karts to Supercars, Road cars to Open-wheel racers, Retro and Prototype cars, with more to come through DLC.
All cars come with complete customization options (set-up) and changeable liveries.
They are also subject to a realistic damage model, impacting performance, a full on tyre simulation and an option for "real assists" to mimic their real life counterpart.
Some of the vehicles: (complete list via header link)
Alpine A450, Ariel Atom Mugen, Aston Martin Rapide S Hydrogen Hybrid, Audi R18 TDI LMP1, BAC Mono, BMW M3 GT (E92), BMW Z4 GT3.
Caterham Superlight R500, Ford Mustang Boss 302R1, Formula Gulf 1000, Gumpert Apollo S, Lotus 78 Cosworth, McLaren P1, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
Pagani Zonda R, Renault Clio Cup, Renault Mégane R.S. 265, Ruf CTR3, RWD P30 LMP1, SMS Formula A, SMS Kart 125cc (Kart01), W Motors Lykan HyperSp.
Project CARS has a large roster of race locations with over 30 unique locations and over 110 different courses (including licensed circuits, look-alikes and original ones).
The locations: (click the header for a complete track list)
With different courses, time of day settings, dynamic weather and the different car series, it provides one of the most varied track roster to date.
The game supports a wide variety of controller options, from keyboard to gamepads and of course racing wheels: (complete list at header link)
Most Thrustmaster and Fanatec wheels are supported on all platforms with Logitech wheels only being officially supported on PC for now.
Reviews:
See the Review thread
Metacritic scores:
PC, PS4, XB1
Digital Manual
Will my computer run it ?
Most computers run the game pretty well if you're willing to play with the settings some, reflections and rain are particularly heavy hitters.
Technical analysis
Digital Foundry launch performance analysis (consoles)
Digital Foundry Face-Off
Visual guide (performance tweaking - settings explained) [PC]
What editions are available ?
Digital edition
Limited edition
Standard edition
Launch Trailer
NeoGaf's DigiProst special videos
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Images:
Credit to several pCARS members for the screenshots (erick, sbon, r8tedm3 and many more...).
