SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone: Review

Hard core simulations are the religious zealots of electronic entertainment — they deliver an intense, often unyielding, hard-core message that is only understood and accepted by a brave few. In the world of PC entertainment software, simulation titles represent only a tiny fraction of the market. In the short-attention-span world of gaming console entertainment, simulation titles are virtually non-existent — seemingly persona non grata.

That last statement should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the electronic entertainment industry. Mainstream console titles have evolved significantly in recent years, but still are focused on providing "quick-fix" entertainment by offering nearly flat learning curves, limited difficulty, and an emphasis on puzzle-solving, plot and storyline over detailed operations and challenging physics. As a result, the complexity, learning curve and demands of a true simulation title are anathema to your mainstream console player. Too hard, too complicated and too frustrating are the most common complaints about simulation titles. Some may enjoy the best aspects of both genres, but by and large the divide between simulation fan and console game addict is about as apples-and-oranges as you can get. And over time, the division over software preference has extended to platforms, with simulations remaining on the PC while games have migrated almost completely to the console systems optimized for them.

An impressively active portion of the simulation community are themselves simulation developers, and they have wondered, “what if we made a simulation for the console?” Certainly a risky concept, since their consumer base plays on the PC. With the market share for consoles steadily increasing each year, there are bound to be more potential simulation converts waiting for enlightenment on that side of the industry. And if the PC gaming industry grows much smaller, it will eventually become unprofitable and collapse, leaving simulation fans without a gaming platform. But more to the point, the future rests with the children of our world, and they grow up to become tomorrows’ simulation consumer... maybe. If they ever find out what a challenging simulation can offer to someone who has tired of less demanding fare.

One simulation development team has dared to act on this ‘what if’ question. SimBin studios joined with Atari entertainment to develop a racing simulation for the Xbox 360 console, based on their experience developing the successful “GTR: FIA GT Racing” PC simulation franchise. The SimBin team consists of both real life racers and racing simulation fans, and their ground-breaking concept was certain to ruffle the feathers of the traditional console gaming crowd.

Did I say “ground-breaking”? Well, that’s not entirely true. About 5 years earlier, SCi released Richard Burns Rally, a racing simulation for console and PC that replicated the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The game was a resounding success in the eyes of racing simulation fans, held in high regard to this day for its superb physics and eye-catching graphics that really put you in the driver’s seat and challenged your driving skills. But it wasn’t nearly as popular with the traditional console gaming crowd, who considered the game’s strongest features anything but praise-worthy. For the console crowd, RBR was a lousy game — and they were right, mostly because it was a sim.

For anyone who keeps tabs on the game console media, Race Pro has been decried as a heretic game title worthy of nothing but derision and disgust. In its February 2009 edition, Xbox Magazine’s Paul Curthoys said, “Its monk-like devotion to pure racing simulation is remarkable... and kind of a turn-off for the rest of us.” and “Race Pro... seems hell-bent on impressing you with the handling of its cars, and nothing else.” I respect Paul’s review because it would be completely valid were he reviewing a racing game. But his comments betray the mainstream's misinterpretation of SimBin’s simulation title when he can’t fathom why the developer placed a priority on physics and car handling fidelity over graphical eye-candy and fictional plotlines filled with heroes and villains. Not so strangely, fans of simulation titles would ascribe mirror-image critiques to any racing game that claimed to be a simulation. But there’s one important catch to Xbox Magazine’s take on Race Pro: Like SCI before it, SimBin never aimed to create a racing game.

They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and a negative review from a source like Xbox Magazine ensured that the sim-zealots at SimHQ would give Race Pro a test drive. But why try a console-based sim if we already have some good PC-based sims? There are a lot of reasons: The excitement of seeing a simulation cross over onto a different platform; the thought that a simulation success on consoles might breathe new life (and capital) into our tiny genre; Or that it might increase the size of our demographic without the use of infomercial mail-order pills! Thus, the SimHQ team went in search of an Xbox 360, and a copy or two of SimBin’s newest racing simulation, Race Pro. Would it be a hard core simulation, or strictly soft core? Could the Xbox 360 crank out the CPU cycles needed to replicate race car physics on the scale of iRacing or rFactor? We’ll soon see if SimBin's trip to the console world has produced a lousy game, a challenging sim, or something in-between.

Like it or not, Race Pro is a significant event in the history of racing simulations. As a breakout simulation title for the console, SimBin has clearly chosen as their target audience the racing gamer ready to make the leap to simulations and their more detailed and challenging physics. For SimHQ’s review of this important and daring new title, we’ll look at Race Pro from two very different perspectives.

First "Magnum", SimHQ's Land and Armor Combat Editor, will share his observations and opinions about Race Pro. Magnum enjoys racing games but is new to hardcore racing simulations.

Then “Chunx”, a veteran sim racer eager to see how SimBin fared in their quest to craft a race sim for the Xbox 360 console, will offer his perspective.

Together these two differing viewpoints should give the reader a fairly comprehensive understanding of how Race Pro performs and what it can deliver to consumers from varied levels of virtual racing expertise. Throughout the review you’ll see both similarities and differences of opinion, each colored by differing gaming backgrounds.

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