Recent reviews by Hellfire_82

In the words of Fernando Alonso, "What you have done!"

Awesome job with this 0.4 update Kunos! Huge improvements in all areas including AI, FFB, graphics and overall driveability. The sneaky introduction of support for Fanatec full force was a nice surprise too!

For those who have been on the fence, now is the time to join the party :)

Due to the hype, a lot was expected from this release and it is fair to say that we have been left disappointed in many areas. Perhaps the publisher wanted to differentiate themselves from the other EA SIM racing titles by releasing a full game?
A lot of these points have been made by other reviewers or influencers, but here's my take.
One of the biggest issues for me is the AI's awareness. It genuinely feels like the AI cars don't know that you're on the same track. Due to this, it's impossible to race fairly and cleanly.
This brings me on to the penalty system, which gives you time penalties when you're forced off track and damage penalties when the AI just rams into you. What happened to track limit warnings before penalties are issued?
The graphics / textures may not be cutting edge, but they do the job and the track and car models do look great. The grass looks amazing and is the best I've seen in any SIM.
I've seen many comments complaining that the FFB is dull and has no feeling. When I first played the game, I had similar thoughts. However, after watching Gamer Muscle's video on PMR Perfect FFB and playing about with the settings myself, I have to say that the FFB in this game is some of the best I've used. This just goes to show that you shouldn't jump to conclusions!
In terms of performance, again I've seen people complaining about low framerates when using high end hardware. I'm not saying that there isn't a fundamental CPU usage issue, but with a 7800X3D and a 4070 Ti Super, I'm getting 75fps on maxed out GFX settings (including 200% draw distance) without using DLSS. When I do use DLSS Quality, I get close to 100fps and when using x2 FG, I get north of 150fps.
During my 6hrs of playtime, I've only driven a handful of the cars available, but I've thoroughly enjoyed them all with their individual characteristics. I have to say that driving a GT1 Viper around Sebring was one of the most fun experiences that I've had in SIM racing. I mostly play on a 32" flat monitor and the sense of speed was amazing!
One of the biggest disappointments was the omission of VR support. AC EVO proved how much of a disaster it can be to introduce a feature that is nowhere near ready. So hopefully the PMR team are working hard to implement VR sooner rather than later.
I could go on with the positives and negatives and why you should or shouldn't buy this game. At the end of the day, no SIM racing title was ever perfect when it was first released and no SIM racing title is perfect now e.g. the completely overrated iRacing. When you buy these games, you're in it for the long haul to provide constructive feedback to the developers and shape the games future. People who just write $%"£ reviews make this niche hobby stale!