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Project Cars 3
PC3 is the 3rd chapter of the best-seller racing franchise, which brings all the intense emotions, fun, and thrills from the pulsating world of motor racing to vivid life as players embark on a whole new electrifying journey that sees them move from weekend warrior to racing legend.
Another addition to the franchise is a meta-game that dares players to race hard and get in-game credits which you can then use to purchase various cars from the world’s elite brands and race them on amazing and dynamic circuits featuring stunning all-weather conditions.
Race-won credits will also tempt players to buy genuine customization options and performance enhancements for their elite cars lineup, including body, kits, rims, tires, and wheels, as well as personalization options to build their racing personas.
With a completely overhauled and unrivaled controller experience and an even more precise and user-friendly handling model for every level of the driver, Project Cars 3 is the largest, most exciting, and authentic evolution of this state-of-the-art racing franchise.
Is PC3 Arcade or Sim?
PC2, which had an accomplished physics engine, was one of the more lenient Sims when it came to driving physics.
Fortunately, SMS studios claim they have kept the underlying physics engine. However, cars in PC3 still feel visibly different from their predecessors.
PC3 cars are more lenient and less personal in how they move with fewer nuances to fundamentals such as steering feel and weight shift.
As a result, deafening engines feel subdued at best, while other sound effects such as tire squeal are cartoon-like.
The impressive LiveTrack weather system has been retained, but much of its charm has been ruined by the elimination of pit stops, tire wear as well as different compounds.
A wet crack can dry out as the race continues, but the tires on the car will remain the same, becoming what the conditions warrant.
In addition, you might notice mechanical damage whereby a couple of car tuning options have been scrapped.
We also have to mention the sheer number of graphics on the screen, readouts, and displays the game goes back to when driving. In addition, is the jarring in-game music and motion blur.
Of course, you can deactivate most features, but you’re still left with a comparable experience to PC2 apart from what feels like a weakened physics model.
What’s more, a couple of glitches have been carried from PC2, and the graphics seem to have taken a hit too.
Revamped Multiplayer with Programmed Rates
Initial impressions suggest that multiplayer may well be the best part of this game. PC2’s ‘Racing License’ is still available; however, it’s complemented by fresh scheduled races as well as a rival time trial mode.
The latter has you participating in daily, weekly and monthly car and track combos attempting to set the quickest time possible.
You’re placed in a division with equally fast drivers to make this a bit more interesting, thereby creating very close competition.
Meanwhile, scheduled races offer a welcome level of more serious, well-organized racing, with qualifying and sign-ups forcing you to take races more seriously than the average quick plays.
From what we’ve witnessed, there are some good races in this game, but it’s a shame that people who want to exploit similar core sim features such as fuel usage, pit stops, and tire wear like those in Gran Turismo can’t do so.
PC3 Career Mode
Featuring more than 200 cars and 120 track designs, you get a splendid selection of content to rip through in PC3’s massive career mode.
However, if you’re looking to recreate the feel of games such as F3 or Gran Turismo 4, you will be disappointed because each campaign is split into a couple of brief quick-fire races where the objective is gaining as much XP as possible.
You can do this by using higher difficulty settings and hitting goals; as a concept, this treads the fine line between being contrived and fun.
However, XP counters are filled quickly after races, and the achievable goals they create should please you if you’re looking for a quick fix.
Note you can damage your car if you drive into a wall, but with the enhanced controllability and far less risk, wheel-to-wheel racing having a big crash is very rare.
Final Thought
PC3 is undoubtedly a proper racing game with a wide variety of cars and tracks. What’s more, it has a multiplayer mode and a solid physics engine, among other console titles.
However, you might be disappointed that it’s a sim-racing game, and USP has been removed and replaced with a lesser version for itself that rivals titles, although it can ultimately be better.