Alright, so, I wanted to dive back into some racing games, and “Project CARS 2” was on my list. IndyCar, to be specific. Man, I’ve got some mixed feelings about this one.
First off, I fired up the game and jumped straight into an IndyCar. My first thought was, “Okay, let’s see how this handles.” I started with some road courses because that’s what I’m most familiar with in real life. Honestly, it felt pretty decent. The cars responded how I expected, and I could really push them to the limits without feeling like I was going to spin out at any second.
But here’s where things got a little wonky. I switched over to the ovals, you know, where IndyCar really shines. And wow, it was not what I expected. The handling felt off, almost too easy, like the game was doing half the work for me. It just didn’t give me that raw, gritty feel I was looking for. It kinda felt like an arcade game, not the sim I thought I signed up for.
Now, I’ve heard a lot of folks compare this to “iRacing”, and I gotta say, they’re right. It’s like night and day. “iRacing” just nails that realistic feel, especially on ovals. “Project CARS 2”, not so much. I mean, I spent hours trying to find the sweet spot with the AI difficulty. Some people say around 110 is where you get the most challenge, but even then, I’m not sure it was perfect, it was still kinda wonky but a little better than before. But everyone has their own preferences, so maybe that’s just me.
Tweaking and More Tweaking
I also messed around with different car setups, thinking maybe I could find a combination that felt more realistic. I tried some less extreme setups, and it helped a bit, but the core issue was still there. The game just didn’t seem to capture the nuances of oval racing like I wanted it to.
Then I started wondering, “Maybe I’m just not working my way up the right way?” I saw some people talking about starting with the USF2000 and then moving to the Indy Pro 2000. They’re supposed to be similar since they use the same chassis. So, I gave that a shot, hoping it would give me a better feel for the cars before jumping into the big leagues.
- USF2000: Felt okay, pretty standard for a lower-tier car.
- Indy Pro 2000: A bit more power, but still similar to the USF2000.
- IndyCar: Back to the original problem. Fun on road courses, but ovals? Nah.
In the end, I’m still a bit bummed out. I really wanted “Project CARS 2” to be my go-to for IndyCar racing, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. It’s a shame because the game has so much potential, and the road courses are a blast. But when it comes to ovals, I think I’ll be sticking with “iRacing” for that authentic experience. Maybe I’ll give it another shot down the line, but for now, I’ve got my racing fix elsewhere.
Oh, and one more thing. I heard they’re adding the Dallara DW12/IR-12 to the game. That’s cool and all, but I’m more concerned about the overall feel of the game than just adding new cars. Anyway, that’s my two cents on “Project CARS 2” and IndyCar. I will keep trying maybe next month.
