It isn't common that you see a high budget racing simulator hit the market, especially these days when Gran Turismo games are as rare as flying unicorns. So, it goes without saying that racing enthusiasts are excited to see what will become of Project CARS, a game that vowed to be true to the spirit of racing during its crowd-funding campaign. Arriving May 7th in the United States, it won't be long until we find out.
To help you get an idea of what Project CARS is all about, we've put together a guide. Check it out in the gallery below.
Project CARS - Everything You Need to Know
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An expansive track list
A total of 52 tracks will be included in the game. These tracks range from world famous LeMans courses to some of the best Grand Prix locales known to man. There are even unique point-to-point tracks through Cote d'Azur and California Pacific Cost.
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rnYou can see the full track list here. -
A healthy mix of vehicles
Project CARS focuses on several racing styles, from Grand Touring to Le Mans, and GT to Modern Open Wheel. There's even Kart racing present in the game.
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rnThese different styles of racing are represented well among the game's cast of vehicles. You can see the full list of cars here. -
Sandbox racing
You are given free reign to enjoy the game's entire cast of cars and tracks from the moment you pop into the game. Unlike Forza and Gran Turismo you don't have to earn your vehicles. Even in Career mode you can choose to jump into an open wheel car and race at high speed right off the bat. You drive at your own pace in this game. -
There\'s multiplayer
Project CARS has both Online and Community modes. In Online you can make Public, Friend, and Private lobbies to customize how you play with others. Once in a lobby there are several options for fine tuning the environment, including the ability to fill out the line-up with A.I. if you'd like.
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rnAs you race online you will gain Experience, and other players can see various pieces of information about you on your public profile such as your favorite cars. -
Epic multi-day events
With Project CARS' focus on realism is its replication of real-world events which in almost all cases include multiple stages. These stages include qualifiers and shakedowns. Slightly Mad Studios believes that this format lends itself to a more epic timeline between races. You'll watch the same track change between races due to weather and time of day. -
From the makers of Need for Speed: Shift
The development team behind Project CARS is highly experienced. If you're a racing fan, you might be familiar with Slightly Mad Studios from its work on Need for Speed: Shift, a game that many would argue is one of the best racing simulators during the past decade outside of the Gran Turismo and Forza franchises. They also made Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends and World of Speed. Now, they turn their attention to their most ambitious project yet. -
Racing physics at their best
True racing simulation has been a lost art form over the years even with the increase in processing power increasing potential. Slightly Mad Studios went all in with Project CARS, enhancing its previously impressive Madness engine which ran Need for Speed: Shift. This improved engine uses a variety of complex computations to produce some of the most true-to-life physics the world has ever seen in a video game.
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rnIf you're a racing newbie, you'll be glad to hear that you can enable driver assists to make cars easier to handle. -
Professional input
Racing drivers Nicolas Hamilton, Oli Webb, and Ben Collins were a part of the design process. Their input was valuable in ensuring that Project CARS is true to racing's spirit. -
Virtual reality is here
Oculus Rift will be supported at a future date, and so will Project Morpheus. This will be the racing game to play for those with virtual reality headsets. -
Love for racing wheels
Slightly Mad Studios has posted a supported racing wheel list which includes all of the most popular options on the market. To view if your wheel is supported see here. -
Yes, there\'s a Wii U version
Project CARS will arrive on Wii U later this year. It is unlikely to sell a lot of copies, but will help expand Nintendo's software line-up.
