Since the release of the first Sony PlayStation, racing games of all kinds have been one of the most popular, sold and played genres. Starting with the historians Ridge Racer and Gran Turismo up to the most current Grid, the automotive titles have always had their large share of the market, but with the same common denominator: none of them is a real driving simulation: even the title of Polyphony Digital, which meticulously reproduces hundreds of cars and tracks, remains a hybrid between simulation and arcade, a sign that the real reproduction of a coherent and 100% realistic driving model remains a taboo on consoles. Fortunately, after the successful interlude of Project Cars, here comes Assetto Corsa, a title by Kunos Simulations that has long been released on PC; Will this long-lived taboo finally be dispelled? Let's find out together!
Minimalism and essentiality!
Once you have launched the title on your console and after having seen the splendid presentation of the title, you will find yourself in front of a decidedly essential menu, aimed at making the player feel immediately master of the situation; in addition to the classic game options, the ability to see the credits and the configuration of any wheel or pad, we will have three macro options available:
- Guide: the classic option to start playing immediately; this selection will allow us to take part in fast races, full races with lots of qualifications, drift and online races immediately, without too many frills. It will in fact be possible to choose the car, a track, set various options and give gas; a panacea for all newbies, the ideal way to learn as quickly as possible.
- Special events: This category includes about a hundred pre-set events from the title, of which only the basic difficulty can be changed: they vary between fast laps, drift, classic races and time attacks, allowing us to test practically every car in the title.
- Career: the method in question is essentially the same as the previous PC version: a mode of difficulty and progressive interest, since it will allow us to make a fortune in the world of motoring starting from the simplest cars to handle up to the most powerful and nervous racing cars in the game.
A decidedly interesting choice menu, but one that comes out defeated by the variety present in any simarcade: on the other hand Assetto Corsa was born as a real simulation, so it was hypothetically unlikely the presence of further game modes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXk3OTuW9Fg
The Real Driving Simulator?
Now let's move on to the strong point of the production, which is what lies at the basis of a simulation title: the gameplay and the driving model. On this you can rest assured: Assetto Corsa is the most simulation we've ever seen on consoles. The driving model created by the talented Kunos is almost perfect, based on months of in-depth studies in the field: in fact, a few sporadic laps on the track will be enough to understand that elements such as aerodynamics, tire performance and wear, asphalt and mechanical damage seriously affect gameplay, totally changing the way your car will respond to you. Testing a different car every time will be like literally changing the game: deepening the answers of an Alfa 155 Touring Car will take a lot of your time and then switching to any supercar will give you the feeling of really changing car, of having to learn the braking times and the cornering response of the new car, unique and indescribable sensations for a motoring fanatic who eats monthly Quattroruote. To this we add an almost perfect force feedback effect, capable of making us savor every slightest interference on the hot asphalt road, and a very varied car park: in fact we are talking about 90 cars available, made in the smallest details in terms of aesthetics and response on the track.; the same can be said of the tracks, even if the fourteen tracks proposed in twenty-six real variations seem to us a little few, albeit masterfully made. We close this session with a dutiful opinion regarding the hardware side: to enjoy Assetto Corsa at its best, a good level steering wheel is absolutely recommended, even though the Kunos guys have done an excellent job on the mapping and sensitivity of the various joystick consoles; summing up, if you are willing to enable some little help on traction and electronics, the joystick can be your driving companion, otherwise it will fly all your life, worth off-track trips and frequent spin.
The rumble is music to our ears!
Let's now pass the technical sector of the title, perhaps the least successful part of this conversion on consoles: the developers have decided to sacrifice some shadow and some level of polygonal complexity in favor of a fluidity and a truly excellent resolution; In fact, Assetto Corsa runs at a very stable 1080p and 60fps, barring imperceptible drops in some sessions on an overcrowded track. The only real flaw can be summed up in an annoying tearing, which at times is a little excessive, while the models of cars and tracks, thanks to the Laser Scan technology, are successful and well-made. Honorable mention should be made to the audio sector, with interesting music for the menus and submenus, and with a truly shocking rendering of the various car engines: never heard anything closer to reality, we assure you. Small final note: in addition to the great value of the price (the title will be sold at 50 Euros from the launch) the real defect of the game lies in the online multiplayer sector, given the impossibility of creating personalized rooms: in fact, it will only be possible to join modes created ad hoc by the Client Server model: an inexplicable choice, which terribly undermines the gaming experience and the possibilities proposed by Assetto Corsa; we hope that the developers will intervene soon.
