Graphically, it's really nice. I think the brown tint is them overdoing it in trying to create an evening atmosphere.
In terms of sound, the engine noises are the most critical thing and they're simply below par. In fact, I thing they're worse than their PS2 games. I'm actually quite surpised as normally their engines noises are perfectly ok.
The other noises - tyre sounds are virtually non-existent except the same skid noise they've been using for the past 5 years and the rumble noise over the rumble-strips. No noise of rubber on tarmac. No brake-whine, gear change noise, or general metallic and rattling noises from the cockpit, etc. It's all a bit clean.
Try listening to something like Race07 on PC - sounds really nice, great engine noises but all the other noises really add. I've not actually played it (my PC is ancient) but there are plenty of videos on Youtube -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K-jpeX-jF0. Helps bring the game to life.
But the sound is simply disappointing, not the thing that determines that I won't buy the game.
The infamous Codies AI is back. Yes, the AI cars make mistakes, they always have, but it's just utter chaos, as always. The races are nothing like real racing, just a shambolic arcade-smash-em-up. Some people will love that, personally I have no interest. There are plenty of Burn-out style racers out there but I want proper racing, sim racing. This game isn't it. Codies' games never are any more.
It might seem fun in a demo but experience with their previous games has taught me that when you come to buy the game and try to participate in and win races, the AI is just one big piss-off.
- you'll be tasked with winning a 2 lap race (the ridiculously short races being another major bug-bear)
- starting from about 14th (another bug-bear)
- every single AI car will always make a perfect start (another bug-bear) - have you ever seen an AI car make a bad start in the demo? No.
- they'll all be able to take corners at unfeasibly high speeds
- they'll be given speed boosts to help them pull-away from you (or catch you up) to make sure every race is "exciting"
- they'll be programmed to crash into you regularly, bash you off the track, but try the same to them and you'll be black-flagged or will come off worse in the crash anyway, no matter what angle you hit them at.
- they also clearly scritped some events in their previous Race Driver games (eg. the same identical event will unfold no matter how many times you re-start a race).
Their AI has been like this for the past 4 or 5 games and the demo suggests it's just the same. Seriously, I've come to loathe Codies AI.
However, the main reason I won't buy it is because the physics is as bad as it gets. There's nothing there. It's pure arcade.
Like you say, it's an arcade racer and you need to treat as such. I agree. Indeed, they've not even bothered to try and hype it up as a sim this time. But just because they're not being dishonest about it's lack of sim qualities doesn't mean I have to like their game. I don't like arcade racers and I certainly don't like this one. I've adopted that same attitude with their previous
simulations - "ok, it's not a sim so just treat it as the arcade game that it is". But I get bored with it so quickly.
Their TOCA2 game back in 1998 was one of my all-time favourite games, I played it for years. But they've gotten further and further away from that ethos of try to simualte in favour of crash-em-up, manic racing. It'll sell well, but I won't buy it.
You seem to be hung up on car damage - that a big plus for you in a racer?
