14 DAY TRIAL // Few upcoming racing games have generated the amount of hype currently enjoyed by Project Cars. The new title from Slightly Mad Studios, previously known for the GTR and the Need for Speed Shift installments, has amazed lots of hardcore fans of the genre not just through pretty visuals but also through a promise of top notch simulation and plenty of player-oriented features, such as support for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.
At Gamescom 2014, the independent developer brought the game through the Bandai Namco booth and demonstrated it not just on PC but also on a PS4 and even a mid-level laptop.
First up, however, the studio highlighted that it's focusing on three core pillars with Project Cars.
As fans have already figured out, one of them is called “Beyond Reality” and focuses on delivering photo realistic graphics but also authentic handling and unrivaled immersion into the actual racing experience.
The second pillar is called “By racers, for racers” and this cover the importance of feedback and expertise in the racing industry. Slightly Mad Studios already has a proven pedigree but it's also enlisted professional racing drivers, such as Ben Collins, the former Top Gear Stig. Throw in feedback from racing game fans and the studio wants to make sure that Project Cars will appeal to as many people as possible.
Last but not least, there's the “Your journey, one destination” pillar that emphasizes the immersive sandbox career mode. Here, players can choose from different disciplines and complete contracts for teams throughout a season, much like Grid Autosport. As they progress and perform, better and better contracts with tougher races will appear.
In terms of actual mechanics, Project Cars promises unrivaled realism, particularly when it comes to the dynamic weather and day-and-night systems. Rain will affect parts of a track in different ways, based on feedback from pilots who actually raced in the rain on that circuit. The night will be stark black, not just a version of the day with lowered brightness.
Slightly Mad also highlights that, thanks to its technologies and the license to portray the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race, it can deliver an actual simulation of the whole event. If players are that dedicated, they can even race for 24 hours in that challenge.
In terms of actual performance, Project Cars is looking great across many platforms. The PS4 version is quite good and, in order to prove just how versatile and scalable the title is, it was also demonstrated running at 1080p using a mid-range laptop.
Of course, the star is the Oculus Rift version, which was demonstrated using a DevKit 2 model and looked stellar.
Project Cars is set to debut this November for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U.