Racing Sim Super Review, Part 1- GTR Evolution
July 18th 2009 – Adam Bauman

 

GTR Evolution (and it’s sibling, STCC: The Game) is the most recent racing simulation title to be released by SimBin Studios, a developer that has a been responsible for some of the genre’s best racing titles which include GTR, GT: Legends, GTR2, RACE, and RACE 07. GTR Evolution is actually promoted as an expansion to RACE 07 but can be purchased as a stand-alone version that combines the two, giving you access to the cars and tracks from both games.

 

After you get your hands on a copy you’ll find that it’s fairly simple to get started, the game is presented very well and you’ll find that you have access to just about every option you need to tailor the simulation to your style and needs. One thing that sets GTR Evolution apart from the other simulators we’ll be reviewing is the depth of its single player content. The game has all the same hot lapping and custom single player race options that its peers offer but adds in a very robust campaign mode. The content that carries over from RACE 07 includes the entire 2006 and 2007 seasons of the FIA World Touring Car Championship as well as the ability to create custom race series. The simulation of the WTCC series is very detailed and accurately represents all of the same teams, circuits, rules and penalties that were part of the season you choose to play.

 

You’ll find that the newest SimBin engine looks fantastic and has really raised the bar on simulation eye candy. The cars themselves look fantastic and are accurately modeled inside and out. The tracks are also well done, look fantastic, and feel very lively. SimBin has also added some fantastic weather effects that are very convincing in the way that the liquid interacts with the car and wind, and your vehicle will even start racking up bugs and dirt as the race goes on, all of which need to be cleared by your vehicle’s windshield wipers if you want to see where you’re going.

One area that the game seems to skimp on is the representation of damage, both from a simulation and visual standpoint. While the game does allow for bumpers, wings, and a few other parts to be flung from the cars, it just doesn’t seem very convincing and crashes aren’t very exciting. While the whole point of a good racing sim is to keep your car on the track and not embedded in the rear bumper of your opposition, we all know that everyone loves a spectacular multi-car wreck at 160+ mph.

 

From a simulation standpoint the game’s physic engine is great, the vehicles all feel pretty solid and behave as you would expect them too. Much like iDriving, GTR Evolution can be a little unforgiving at times, especially when the rain is flying, but once you get a feel for it you should be able to start turning out some solid laps. The simulation provides good feedback through audio and visual cues, as well as some solid force feedback. At times the force feedback does feel a bit canned at times but won’t leave you confused, just feeling a bit numb. It should also be mentioned that GTR Evo’s AI is actually pretty good, your computer controlled opponents won’t just stick to a pre-determined line and make clumsy attempts to pass , but they seem to actually weigh the situation and can make some pretty sweet passes if you leave an opening.

Much like the rest of the game, GTR Evolution’s multiplayer component is very well done. You have a wide variety of multiplayer options and can create games that support up to 24 players per server, including any number of AI opponents. The multiplayer experience is very smooth and connection problems are pretty much nonexistent.

 

The real icing on the GTR’s cake lies within its huge, dedicated community. All of the previous SimBin titles have allowed the user to import their choice of custom cars and tracks and GTR Evolution/RACE 07 is no different.

There is a huge amount of user generated content available for the game, although some of it varies greatly in quality. With some poking around you’ll surely be able to find enough great cars and tracks beyond the large number included with the game to keep yourself busy for a very long time.

That wraps it up for GTR Evolution. This game ranks pretty high compared to the rest of the race sim titles we’ll be reviewing in the next few days. It’s a great sim and you can’t really go wrong adding it to your collection, once you exhaust yourself playing through the single player content you’ll find plenty of people to race online and can spend hours playing with custom cars and tracks.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment in which we’ll be taking a look at a race sim that actually shares some heritage with the GTR series, rFactor!