Re: Assetto Corsa Available Now For Xbox One & PlayStation 4, Post Your Impressions
Received Assetto Corsa today for XB1. Played a few practice sessions and a race, so these are early impressions.
In a tidy box: Assetto Corsa is a mess. This table of rubbish was set for me by mediocre to bad reviews and feedback from sources I trust. No one was wrong.
This game suffers from many problems. A list of filthy laundry:
1. The car count is weak. Additional cars are available through DLC. But it's irritating that all of the Japanese cars -- I'm a Mazda zealot -- only are available as DLC. Even with DLC, the number of available cars is weak compared to this game's closest competitor, Project Cars.
2. The track roster is weak. Classics such as Brands Hatch, Silverstone, Spa, the Nordschleife and Monza (including 1966 circuit) are present. But I didn't see a single North American circuit. Nothing from Asia, either.
3. The graphics are PS3 quality, at best. It's pretty disconcerting to blocks of pixels and sprites in a game released in 2016, but AC takes you back in time graphically. It's not nostaglic. It sucks.
4. The framerate is appalling. I don't know the difference between 50 and 60 FPS. But I know this game is running 30 FPS or less, and there are times it chugs like a slide show in some corners with heavy traffic. A bit too much draw-in and screen tearing, too.
5. The racing line either is all on or all off. There is no "corners only" option like in Project Cars or Forza 6. Not a biggie but still grating.
6. The force feedback lacks nuance for a game that supposedly features laser-scanned tracks. Project Cars offers far better tactile feedback of the track surface, although AC's trigger feedback under braking is sublime.
7. The racing AI is just as bad as everyone says. I'm running at Monza, preparing to enter the Lesmos, when two cars approach me. I hold my line to let them pass, and one of them just plowed into the back of me and spun me even though I gave him plenty of room.
Now, for the positives:
1. This game handles VERY well with a controller out of the box. A refreshing change from Project Cars. I probably spent three to four hours of tweaking to find a controllable setup with a controller in Project Cars.
2. The driving model is very good. You get a fine feel for weight balance and tire grip, with varying, predictable control. The Lotus 49 dances on a knife edge, as expected. The BMW Z4 GT3 sports car is far more pliable. Still, I think the Project Cars driving model creates a better impression of weight transfer and tactile sensations than AC. I don't think the gap between the driving model in AC and Project Cars is nearly as large as many say online. If the AC driving model rates 9 out of 10, then PC probably is 8 or 8.5 out of 10. AC's driving model is far more predictable, which I like.
3. The game features "Factory" assists settings, like Project Cars. Use this setting, and the car will be presented to you in the way it is/was to actual drivers. The Lotus 49 won't have ABS or traction control, while more modern cars will. Love this.
I bought Assetto Corsa for $17 used through Gamefly. I can't recommend it, even at that price. The driving model is very nice, but everything else in the game is so underdeveloped or bare bones that this probably will be nothing but a hot-lapping game until I trade it in, probably pretty soon.
AC on consoles reminds me of a dilapidated wooden outhouse built on a perfect concrete foundation reinforced with rebar. Great foundation supporting a dank sh*thouse.
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Last edited by pk500; 12-03-2016 at 06:15 PM.
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