You have racing games and you have racing simulators. Racing games focus on having fun. And Racing simulators on the other hand focus on having…fun as well! But the amusement doesn’t come from stealing a car and blowing it up, or driving a warthog. No, it comes from you being able to drive a car with certain unique parameters that define said car in real life, and with the right tools you can legitimately feel yourself driving around a corner smelling the burnt rubber coming from your tires. Assetto Corsa fits in the second category that’s for sure, but is it any fun in all its realism and pebble scanning?
Scanning is the new HD!
Assetto Corsa is the racing simulator by Kunos Simulazioni. The dev’s name already sounds like an actual lab where they test cars doesn’t it ? And these guys actually did just that ! Using laser scanning technology they went berserk on the realism of the cars and tracks in this game. There are a lot of famous tracks and gorgeous representations that look so good thanks to the scanning technology. For me their version of the German car Valhalla « Nürburgring » aka Green Hell is just the best ever. The 20.8km of asphalt have been scanned fully into this game so this track is possibly the best virtual representation of this famous track ever to be featured in a car « game ».
The game shines offline and online. No Lag, only realism!
But I’ve said it before, this isn’t a game. This is full blown bananas as a simulator can get! Every car looks like its real counterpart, and the console version of this game is definitely offering the most realistic representation of any car in any console title. Everything looks crisp and has the highest level of detail. Online as well there’s no downscaling that is visible to us at least! Even the different cockpit views look fantastic! You can almost smell your leather or Alcantara interior! If you’re rocking a wheel rig of your own for added realism (how it should be played but I’ll come back to this later on) you’ll be pleased there’s a new cockpit view that dropped the wheel so you and your wheel accessory really feel like an extension to your car onscreen. There’s dust build up and great solar flare effects. The light and shadows are cast realistically in every corner you look at. HD textures that will bring a tear of joy to all of us, car dudes! Visually this game is a beast without compromise!
Visually this game is a beast without compromise!
The BMW is strong is this one
The selection of cars is also really nice although as an Audi guy I felt a bit let down. There’s almost 3 times more BMW’s to choose from. I mean it’s not bad, all the good Audis are there but these two German car brands are mortal enemies and I feel the developers all drive a “beamer” to their work somehow…
But that is just a personal note I wanted to share, I can always go for the Mercs. My own little compromise. “There’s enough to choose from” is what I really want to say, every major supercar or hypercar is in the game and there are some classics also to please every car lover no matter what “house” you belong to. As I’ve said these are created using breaking technology that even today, after the game’s release in 2014, now on the console editions, still look crisp and breathtaking.
I don’t have a $399 wheel rig… is it worth it to enjoy this game to the fullest?
Now the real question everyone asked themselves… Can I play it with a controller? Yes you can! There is some tweaking to do in order to be able to do so as a newcomer to the genre. That’s for sure. But there are plenty of videos online with great setting-layouts that can help you. I tried some of them and I found a good one that worked for me. But let’s face it. This game was created with one thing in mind: realism! It just begs to be played with a decent wheel and pedal accessory. Those who bought an expensive one ($399) rejoice, as this game takes all the advantage out of your rig. The force feedback is amazing and yes you will be able to do a 360° spin while driving. But where in Forza you can do it straight out of the box with some button mashing on your controller, in Assetto Corsa your will do it after numerous tries getting to know your wheel rig. But holy Moly, does it feel great once you master it. It is harder to pull off in this simulator but the satisfaction and sheer force feedback you get from it are just so much more rewarding! This is the way it is meant to be played!
So who was this game made for? Actually everyone! There’s, of course, a price to be paid. The newcomer will have to spend some time mastering the settings (there’s a lot of them but Hooray for realism!) but eventually they’ll find the sweet spot and be able to collect their favorite cars and moments on the tracks. But it is clear that this game was made for hardcore racers in mind looking for realism, satisfaction and dedication. You can actually describe this game like getting a Lamborghini Countash. It’s beautiful to look at. But if you want to drive it like a pro you’ll have to spend the time and dedication not to slam it into a wall.
Conclusion:
A great community online, great physics and photorealistic graphics… They even add free updates with cars like the all new Maserati Levante! Which is not another SUV, it is a Maserati! Assetto Corsa is a beast within the racing genre and the devs are in touch with the fanbase. (Check their Twitter!) Assetto Corsa was rated by us as what it really is: a simulator. And with that in mind it is simply put the best out there! It might look scary for newcomers and there’s a steep learning curve to adopt when playing the game first hand. But it is worth every penny to the right racing enthusiast!
