Project CARS Review
Disclaimer:
The following review is based upon the Xbox One version of the game. What's mentioned below isn't necessarily indicative of the PS4 or PC versions of the game.Update:
Slightly Mad Studios are aware of the issues mentioned and are working on fixes for them. Though they cannot give an ETA for the patches on Xbox One due to Microsoft's QA process.Note that this review is accurate as of the time of publishing.
It’s here. It’s finally here. Slightly Mad Studios’ beautiful racer Project CARS has finally hit its official release having been pushed back three separate times across more than six months. Having seen a preview build of the game at the Namco Bandai offices a few months back, I was more than a little excited to get my hands on what would now be a beautifully polished game and play it using my own steering wheel setup.
The preview event had the game running on PS4s for the majority and a PC on a large 4K screen, which looked awesome. Strangely, there was a complete absence of the Xbox One version for some reason. At the time, it didn't really strike me as being out of the ordinary, the event had PS4s and a PC set up, no big deal.
But having played (or at least attempted to) on the Xbox One version, I think I now know why.
Sure, it looks beautiful still. But when you're getting as many frames per second as that static image above, none of that matters.
Go back and look at the praise I was giving the game back in the preview. It was smooth. Silky. I’d ran a race with a full pack of cars and barely noticed any slowdown, but now, I barely got round the first few corners of the Azure Coast when I was hit by one of the issues that seems to be only plaguing the Xbox release, from what I can see.
The first issue I came across was the lack of distinct feedback from the steering wheel. I could feel the tyres skipping around the corners, but I had no feeling of when the car was on the edge, just before breaking traction. This made the cars feel very light and ‘floaty’, sadly removing any feeling of connection with the car.
Next was the frameskip/freezing. This one makes the game unplayable as it is right now. I was heading into a corner when the screen froze. The audio was still working, so I knew the game would come back to life. What I didn't know was when. We're talking 2-3 second freezes here and when it did return me to the action, I was roughly two foot away from a tyre wall, still travelling at 60ish MPH.
UPDATE: This is the stuttering I'm referencing. And I was getting this consistently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeMhHlJ0fJY
Since I want to play this as close to a sim title as possible, with full damage mechanics, this would end my race pretty quickly. If it was certain corners that it happened on, you could maybe prepare for it (not that this should be happening anyway) but because it’s seemingly at completely random times, all you can do is pray that it’s not going to happen during the race.
My first career race was in the go-karts. During the countdown to race start, my kart skipped forward a touch and caused me to false start the race. I hadn't pressed the accelerator up to this point, so I'm not sure where that burst came from.
Lastly, a lack of support for H-Shifters left me confused. At first, I thought I was mis-shifting, slamming the car into the wrong gear and totally missing reverse at one point. Again, did I mention this is supposed to be a sim racer? I’d have thought support for a H-Shifter would have been one of the things they added from the get-go. I've spent a while trawling through the options in case it was a setting I'd missed, to no avail. Especially since there’s support for using a clutch!
Until a point where Slightly Mad Studios release an update that squashes the above bugs making the game playable in some format, I’m putting the game back on the shelf and sticking with Forza Motorsport 5.
Disclaimer:
The following review is based upon the Xbox One version of the game. What's mentioned above isn't necessarily indicative of the PS4 or PC versions of the game.Update:
Slightly Mad Studios are aware of the issues mentioned and are working on fixes for them. Though they cannot give an ETA for the patches on Xbox One due to Microsoft's QA process.Note that this review is accurate as of the time of publishing.
Project CARS (Reviewed on Xbox One)
The score reflects this is broken or unplayable at time of review.
Project CARS is here. But it’s a false start for the Xbox One version of the game. For now, you’re better sticking to Forza until Slightly Mad Studios iron out the kinks.
COMMENTS
Fili - 01:21pm, 13th May 2015
Why are you writing things like that?THIS IS NOT THE TRUTH.
ProjectCARS has few bugs ok (which game doesn't have?), but they are working on a patch. Framerate like a static image? Have you tried exiting photomode?! I don't know how a site can publish rubbish like that..
djd4ws0n - 01:49pm, 13th May 2015 Author
Hey Fili,
Sorry if you don't agree with the content of the review - please remember this is my experience with the game and my opinion of that experience. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this for Xbox One in it's current state. I hear Slightly Mad Studios are working on a patch, and I hope that solves the frameskips/drops at the very least - but because of the processes involved in getting that patch out it could still be a while off.
However, with the issue I've had on multiple occasions of the game completely freezing up for 2-3 seconds - ultimately leading to a accident and therefore wasted time, I cannot enjoy it at all. I can't even enter a race thinking I'm about to enjoy that experience as there's no knowing when it will happen. In all, it was a huge disappointment for me especially having seen it at the preview event where none of these issues were prevalent.
I've seen mentions of poor controls and strangely, that didn't get me, I found the control to be quite good, with the exception of the weak force-feedback.
Whilst the score of 1 may be construed as harsh, first consider that this game got pushed back three times for additional 'polish' and to deliver to the fans the game that they wanted. An additional six months of development was spent on this title and it still launched with problems like those mentioned. I 'd hoped 2014 had taught developers and gamers alike that we shouldn't be so accepting of games that have issues where the game is broken or unplayable because of them.
b. san - 06:19pm, 13th July 2015
You know, your review is one of the few honest ones out there.
And yes, a large portion of your experience is still applicable to PC and PS4. It's an astoundingly inconsistent title.
The PC version feels like an early access title. Also, even on a 2160p monitor, once you actually get moving down the track, you notice terrible aliasing problems on the objects coming towards you, track lines and horrible shadow shimmer. None of their various aliasing options really resolves the basic fidelity comparably to other titles at this resolution.
The handling is highly inconsistent and does not accurately reproduce real-wrold laptimes on the same tracks/conditions. The FFB does not work correctly session to session and requires ridiculous amounts of tweaking to get 'decent' results. SOme cars are just broken. The pcars 'e30 m3' is like a cartoon version of the real evo, with some truely ridiculous rear-end handling characteristics that no car in the world exhibits.
2bit - 02:02pm, 13th May 2015
Complete click-bait. Hack journalism at its finest. Even some of the worst games made are worthy of a higher score than 1/10.
Congrats on the hits, though.
Hamiltonious - 09:03pm, 14th May 2015
"Our staffer reviewed Project CARS, you won't believe the score he gave it!" would be click bait. This is just a review, as it says in the title.
djd4ws0n - 02:38pm, 13th May 2015 Author
Hey 2bit,
Sorry if you feel that way. I didn't set out for it to quite garner the attention it has - but granted it's taken a life of it's own now with the community.
Honestly though, I'm not sure why we should be scoring games that are largely unplayable any higher then 1 or 2. All that serves is to let the developers think they can get away with releasing broken software, something I'd hoped 2014 in gaming had made gamers more aware of and less likely to defend.
Jerry - 07:09pm, 13th May 2015
Since a few years, every release is a bug fest... Even the PS4 version is not that great especially that blur very visible at the end of the white lines on track.
djd4ws0n - 07:21pm, 13th May 2015 Author
Yeah, it's a shame - but it seems it's becoming the "accepted norm" to release this way. Sorry to hear that you're having problems with the PS4 version too.
Oaty - 07:28pm, 13th May 2015
I think it's an absolute nonsense that gamers put up with it. You'd never accept that for any other product. Imagine buying a DVD and then finding out half the scenes were missing, but the producers promise that it'd be fixed with an indefinite 'update'. It's just mad.
djd4ws0n - 08:52pm, 13th May 2015 Author
Yeah Oaty, I made the following analogy to the crashing issue elsewhere; Say you'd bought yourself a really nice looking car. People go "WOW, THAT LOOKS AWESOME". But whenver you drive it, there's a chance the accelerator gets stuck and it slams into a wall.
No one's saying it looks awesome anymore, and you wouldn't be recommending that car to anyone either.
b76 - 07:58pm, 13th May 2015
yeah. Unplayable on Xbone. Riiiighht...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YKZHScE_Sw
djd4ws0n - 08:21pm, 13th May 2015 Author
Interesting, you can still see some visible frame drops in that video - but certainly nothing as bad as what I'd experienced in terms of complete lockups that ruined the experience. It would have been a different review had it gone as it did in the video.
I'm not the only one seeing these problems though, check the reviews for it on Amazon for the Xbox One. It's a total mixed bag. Some good, some bad. In all I've read though, there seems to be no common ground that causes the problems.
djd4ws0n - 09:17pm, 13th May 2015 Author
This is the issue I've had on nearly every race. It's known problem and should be getting fixed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeMhHlJ0fJY
This, to me, is unplayable where a racing sim is concerned.
Howie Motz - 09:51pm, 13th May 2015
There is a bad smell coming from GamerGrin! They/He gives a score of 1 out of 10 for a game that has a metascore of 8.5 out of 10? He justifies His bad score with the game shipped with a bug that made it unplayable on the one platform he tested, Xbox1. Would everyone in the media reviewing games give an instant killer score? No. Not usually, they give the Developers a chance to explain what the problem exist. Is it wide spread? Is it on only one of the platforms? Is it the fault of that platform than? Evendent'y djdawsonuk wasn't very interested in making a fair review. He didn't even turn the forcefeed back slider up. Instead reporting it has "weak FFB"! I think the grin on GamersGrin is a "dung eating grin"! Becuase he sure is full of it. But I guess djdawsonuk still wins. He got me to give him my Email address to spam! Maybe that's what he was trying to draw?
djd4ws0n - 10:13pm, 13th May 2015 Author
Hi Howie,
Unfortunately, the problem that made it unplayable for me hasn't been affecting everyone, yet it is a known problem and wider spread than just my experience;
http://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showthread.php?23165-Studdering-in-Project-Cars-XBoxOne/page1
I imagine other reviewers have struck lucky and not experienced it. But for me, and my experience
My review score above is ONLY for the Xbox One platform - and a few places seem to have missed the disclaimer at the top that also mentions that it's not indicative of the other platforms. Hell, I even go so far as to saying the preview build I'd tested on PS4 was really good in comparison the this, the retail launched version.
The force feedback slider was already upto 100 and trust me, I'd have pushed it to 200 if that were an option.
(P.S. Your email address is only used to notify you of new comments to this post, nothing else.)
Howie - 10:36pm, 13th May 2015
Thanks for your nice reply. However at the chance of alienating you, I must be honest. How could you be able, or think you are able, to review a racing sim? When you aren't aware that racing sims have a per car FFB slider? That's right. Everyone of the highly rated Simulations, must have their FFB adjusted on a per car basis. In project cars it's set very low by default. 26 our of a possible "200." You'll find that slider in the individual car's garage/setup menus. Now that I've revealed your ineptness. Maybe you could start all over, and end your embarassment?
djd4ws0n - 11:24pm, 13th May 2015 Author
Hey Howie,
I was using a Thrustmaster TX wheel which has been mentioned on the Project CARS forum as having weaker force feedback on the Xbox One over other platforms.
http://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showthread.php?24131-Thrustmaster-TX-Default-FFB-is-Non-Existent-Compared-to-PC-PS4
I see there's some other workarounds (holding the steering wheel during the end of calibration seems to do the trick...) in there that I'll try, but I didn't dive into the per-car FFB stuff on purpose. Tweaking per car at this time may just be time wasted if they're going to patch it or the above workaround works. (Unfortunately, I haven't had time today due to other commitments).
My priority with Project CARS at the moment is now going to be helping Slightly Mad Studios fix the stuttering where I can (linked in my previous comment). When that's sorted and I can enjoy getting round the track without that constantly happening, I'll move onto solving other issues if I can do so from the games settings and it doesn't require patching. I'm also going to be looking into whether this is a problem specifically to the Xbox One/Thrustmaster TX combo - as another user has mentioned there's a clear difference with the "out of the box" experience between the feedback on the two platforms.
I'll be updating as I find out more - hopefully with news of when we can expect the patch and what it will fix for us Xbox One owners!
Rasher - 10:03pm, 13th May 2015
If I had paid $70/£50 for this game on Xbox One based of a 6 or 7 score on a review site I would be PISSED off with that site, this at least tells me NOT to buy this game for now, it is not playable on a Xbox One, score deserved.Yes they can fix it, but should we be paying FULL price for games on release which are not playable? I want a game to play it now.
djd4ws0n - 02:28pm, 14th May 2015 Author
I'd recommend that people pick this up on PS4 or PC, from what I can see whilst there are still some bugs, these game-breakers are limited to the Xbox One release. There's a lot of info on the Project CARS forums about the problems with the release on this platform.
Howie - 03:13am, 14th May 2015
Couldn't reply directly to your last response to me? No reply button? That post doesn't even sound like it's coming from a professional reviewer. You don't have time? You didn't turn on the one "Master Scaler" for individual cars ffb, for the review, because your waiting for the patch? The same patch you couldn't wait for to do your review? The same FFB you reported weak based on a forum thread that said the "default" was to weak? I think you were out to villify this game before you even didn't realy test it. I'll leave you to the flock you attrack to your blog. My first post was dead on.
djd4ws0n - 09:12am, 14th May 2015 Author
Hey Howie,
Couldn't reply directly to your last response to me? No reply button?
Replies only go three deep.
That post doesn't even sound like it's coming from a professional reviewer.
At this point it's coming from a disheartened gamer who has been looking forward to Project CARS for a long time.
You don't have time? You didn't turn on the one "Master Scaler" for individual cars ffb, for the review, because your waiting for the patch? The same patch you couldn't wait for to do your review?
Sadly no, I have had other things to tend to since reviewing this game. There's other processes involved between the time I submit the review and the time it appears on site that are out of my control too meaning yes - it's the patch I
couldn'tshouldn't have to wait for to do this review.What you've need to understand here is that this is how the game launched on this platform and this is my review of that experience. I've already mentioned I'll be following this up with more information as and when that patch hits - if it fixes the problem or not.
I think you were out to villify this game before you even didn't realy test it.
Having played this at the preview event and giving it a glowing report at the time, why would I set out to now intentionally vilify the game?
http://www.gamegrin.com/previews/project-cars-preview/
The experience I had with the frame rate drops and stuttering were so detrimental to the entire game that I cannot recommend it.
Out of interest, what platform are you playing the game on?
Truth - 10:57am, 14th May 2015
Are you angry because of the score of Project Cars or are you angry because it's your console of choice? Everything the reviewer has said is true. You can't even play the basic game in any way shape or form knowing you could be in the barrier at any second, no fault of your own. He clearly states the 1/10 is for the Xbox version only. Games should not be released in this state, DriveClub took weeks to be fixed, HaloMCC still isn't fixed 6 months later, Assassins Creed Unity is a broken mess etc. As long as people buy them & reviewers score them as if there are no issues then that's what we will keep getting. What's the incentive to spend extra time & money polishing a game if they get the same score & revenue as they would releasing unfinished, half hearted rubbish? Maybe he could review the PS4 version, then it would get a better score but something tells me that would only make you angrier;-) Well done for having balls to say it and call this crap out that other spineless reviewers daren't djdawsonuk. Much respect from real gamers.
djd4ws0n - 11:16am, 14th May 2015 Author
Hi Truth,
Thanks for the comment. You've hit the nail on the head with your summary of the review.
I really, really, wanted this game and to like it, especially given the preview event coverage - but I wasn't going to massage the score to reflect how much I wanted to like the game. It has to be a case of what I thought of it on the Xbox One at the time I reviewed it.
Howie - 01:35pm, 14th May 2015
I only angry at the dishonestly the "reviewer". So obviously manifested in his review and further post. And now you mimi in yours. No, everything he said is not true. As I've already pointed out. But you fail, (as one of his blind followers?) to acknowledge. The FFB that he reported as being "weak", and as he reported and posted the link too the pCars forums. Was by default set to a weak setting on purpose. But he ignored and said he didn't have time to slide that one "Master Scaler", because he was waiting for the patch? The same patch he couldn't wiat for before slandering the game????? I know these words are all water off of the ducks backs. And I don't want to generate any more buzz at his blog. So I'll buzz off to flowers that are open to share fresh goodness. The only thing that angers me, is the unacknowledged dishonestly I must constantly confront.
djd4ws0n - 02:16pm, 14th May 2015 Author
Hey Howie,
I only angry at the dishonestly the "reviewer". So obviously manifested in his review and further post.
No, everything he said is not true. As I've already pointed out. But you fail, (as one of his blind followers?) to acknowledge.
Everything I've said is true. It's a reflection of my experience with the game. If you were sat next to my whilst I was going through it, you'd have seen the issues first-hand. I've also acknowledged that not everyone is having these problems and that they pertain only to my combination of Xbox One and Thrustmaster TX setup.
The FFB that he reported as being "weak", and as he reported and posted the link too the pCars forums. Was by default set to a weak setting on purpose. But he ignored and said he didn't have time to slide that one "Master Scaler", because he was waiting for the patch? The same patch he couldn't wiat for before slandering the game?????
There's a substantial difference in the feel of the force feedback with the same default settings across the platforms on this wheel. The developers have this as a "known problem" on their forums meaning even they have openly accepted this as a fault and will be working on a fix. How then, does that make my statements on the FFB being weak dishonest/slander?
(Backing this up is the fact that the Project CARS forums currently have a sticky notice on all pages saying: "Xbox One Issues: CLICK HERE TO READ" - and rundowns of all of the aforementioned issues I brought up in the review)
That said - fixating on the issue that means the least in terms of my opinion of this game right now is a moot point. The core problem is the stuttering/freezes. This renders the game completely unplayable and was the deciding factor in the score. I probably could have left out the FFB issue completely from the review and it wouldn't have changed my opinion.
I know these words are all water off of the ducks backs. And I don't want to generate any more buzz at his blog. So I'll buzz off to flowers that are open to share fresh goodness. The only thing that angers me, is the unacknowledged dishonestly I must constantly confront.
Sorry this is making you angry - truly not the intention and I'm taking feedback as it goes. I'm just trying to express my concerns that the game was released broken. Waiting for the patch (which could be a while off due to Microsoft's QA process) is not an option as it would falsify reports for developers. As Truth said; "As long as people buy them & reviewers score them as if there are no issues then that's what we will keep getting.".
b. san - 06:29pm, 13th July 2015
False.
Why are you being intentionally deceptive? Some actual simulators allow per car adjustment. Unlike pcars, you are not required to adjust each one to get an even slightly acceptable level of FFB. Pcars is one of the most half-assed 'simulators' I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with on PCs, including broken fundemental physics and results that are not at all applicable to the real world. It's not any better on the ps4 or xbox one, so it's either the same or worse.
Shift 3 through and through.
Stop shilling.
AmUnRa - 10:48am, 14th May 2015
you are spot on with this xbone version of project cars. The game is not playable on the Xbone and its microsoft and the xbone fault.
They have not made a gameconsole but a topset-box, a multimediabox where you also can play games on. Lot of xbonefanboy's are butthurt now but the xbone version of this game is at max a 2 out of a 10, the game is not playable and 900p?? That is why the xbone is not primary a gaming console. The PS4 version is the best version and scores over 80+ on metacritics and gamerankings.
Come on the xbone version of project cars scores a 64,33 on game rankings. Why is that? Let me tell you the xboneversion sucks big time, and no it is not the developers fault, its the hardware on board the xbone..
djd4ws0n - 10:58am, 14th May 2015 Author
Hi AmUnRa,
Thanks for the comment. Interesting thoughts about the issues being tied to the hardware rather than the software. Would be interesting to hear from Slightly Mad Studios what their opinions are regarding it.
Other than that though - have you got the game on another platform? If so, how are you getting on with it elsewhere?
AmUnRa - 01:45pm, 14th May 2015
Thank you for your respons. Yes i think its the fault of the Xbone-hardware. Proof for this statement?
Look at the games that are out now on the Xbone and the PS4. More than 80% of the games, not the indiegames, are running 1080p or an higher res on the PS4, than on the Xbone, and that is the truth. And the xbonefanboys can accept that. The hardware is the PS4 is better and not a little better, that is a fact.
I am playing projekt cars on the PS4 and the game is briljant. The graphics are great, not like driveclub great, but that is another story.
I have been playing this game with the DS4 and it is very very playable. No problems here, its great. The best consoleversion of project cars is the PS4 version by a mile, thats also the truth.
djd4ws0n - 02:22pm, 14th May 2015 Author
You're welcome. :)
Good analysis, and yeah - I'm not overly enamoured by the lower spec of the Xbox either, though the DirectX 12 stuff looks interesting. Here's hoping that might be the breath of fresh air the One needs to bring it up to speed a bit more.
I'm glad you're enjoying it on the PS4 - I really wish that my experience was better. :( From watching videos of comparisons of the two and my own experience of the Xbox One version, I can happily say that you're right about the PS4 version being the better experience. Even the preview build I played on the PS4 was better than the release version for Xbox One!
MegaXbr - 03:42pm, 14th May 2015
Não conhecia este site, mas já agora que conheço da pra ver que o autor da matéria é só mais um hater querendo chamar a atenção.
djd4ws0n - 03:55pm, 14th May 2015 Author
Hey MegaXbr,
I don't speak Portugese natively, but Google Translate turned that into;
"I did not know this site , but by the way I know of to see that the author of the matter is just another hater wanting to draw attention ."
I can only comment on that translation - and I'm aware that to a native speaker the above may be wrong or has lost some meaning.
However, MegaXbr, you're right with half of that statement - I'm drawing attention to a game that was released broken. If you check back to my preview of the game, you'll see that I had a brilliant experience with an earlier build on a different platform - and I'd happily have that build sitting with me now over the release on Xbox One.
I have waited for this game for so long, that to be let down this badly was very disheartening.
AmUnRa - 03:56pm, 14th May 2015
Dont get your hopes high on the magic dirX12 for the Xbone. For PC's it will do alot, but not for xbone. I'am not saying that, microsoft said: "DirX12 will not do much for Xbone. "
The API right now is "to the metal" programing for the Xbone. Dont believe guys like misterXmedia, there is no secret "hidden GPU" there is no NDA, that microsoft do not want to talk about. There is no DirX12 secret sauce what will make every game run 1080p and with 60fps. misterXmedia is dellusional and so are his followers. Microsoft fuckt up the hardware from the Xbone and they know it, al they are doing is damagecontrolling. Same thing is happening from the diehard xbonefans.
Howie - 06:48pm, 14th May 2015
Apparantly this stuttering is limited to only a few Xbox1 owners. And neither SMS, nor Microsoft, have been able to reproduce it. If you'd like to help, go here. http://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showthread.php?24922-Please-read-Stuttering-stall-on-XB1&p=909349&viewfull=1#post909349
djd4ws0n - 09:51pm, 14th May 2015 Author
Hey Howie,
Thanks for the link - I posted in another thread on their forums earlier, looks like they've moved the issue to this one. I've been and picked up a caputre device this evening so I can get some footage of it happening and here's hoping I can help Slightly Mad get to the bottom of it!
Sam - 01:58am, 15th May 2015
Out of curiosity did you do anything like reinstall the game or check the forum for any of the workarounds/fixes to try and get it to work?.
Howie - 02:53am, 15th May 2015
djdawsonuk was to busy to check anything before he did his test/review. Only he had plenty of time to write answers to people posting on his blog?! I hate to degrogate anyone so severly; as I feel djdawsonuk deserves. He's hardly able to conger up an ouce of integraty in his responces. He needs to start all over with his "review?". Admitting his failures to put any effort into making this game work, like it is working for ALL the other reviewers. That have given it mostly scores between 8-9. So I guess djdawsonuk thinks he is just some superior gaming critic, that is above all us low life gamers.
djd4ws0n - 09:38am, 15th May 2015 Author
Hey Howie,
djdawsonuk was to busy to check anything before he did his test/review.
I couldn't check anything - I was reviewing this fresh on release. The posts on the forums corroborating my issues didn't turn up till 2 days later.
Only he had plenty of time to write answers to people posting on his blog?! I hate to degrogate anyone so severly; as I feel djdawsonuk deserves. He's hardly able to conger up an ouce of integraty in his responces.
Yes - this isn't my blog, and nor is it classed as a blog either. There are many other writers here at GameGrin. And again, I'm sorry that you feel I deserve the derogatory comments. But I've backed up all of my issues with factual evidence; the developer has acknowledged them and will be fixing them.
He needs to start all over with his "review?". Admitting his failures to put any effort into making this game work, like it is working for ALL the other reviewers. That have given it mostly scores between 8-9.
I don't. This is my opinion of my experience with the game at the time. I've already covered the fact that this issue only affects certain people. You've even linked me to the thread yourself where they are talking about the issue. And, if you've read that thread, you know there's no available fix at this time for it. If this issue hadn't affected me, the game would have scored higher. With such a game-stopping bug in place, it's sincerely pointless trying to workaround the other things - I'm still not going to be able to have an enjoyable experience.
So I guess djdawsonuk thinks he is just some superior gaming critic, that is above all us low life gamers.
I'm just a gamer that's been unfortunate enough to be hit with one of the most damaging bugs to the game sadly. I certainly don't think of anyone that's criticised my review as "low life" - in fact, it's been great to hear that other people have been getting on well with the game.
Have you picked up Project CARS Howie? If so, what platform are you on and how are you getting on with it? You using a wheel or a controller? I'm assuming you've got on much better than my experience with the game.
djd4ws0n - 09:04am, 15th May 2015 Author
Hey Sam,
Initially, I tried hard-resetting the Xbox to see if that would make a difference - maybe some oddly cached files or something, but when that didn't work I tried reinstalling it. Again to no avail.
When I was reviewing it, none of the workarounds had been found at that time, so I was unable to try them. That said - there's currently no workaround for the stuttering issue that makes it unplayable. I'm going to capture some footage to send to Slightly Mad Studios in the hopes it might help them work out the problem though.
Musculman - 11:36am, 16th May 2015
This review is disrespectful to both that have done the game and those who participated in the beta and an insult to human intelligence, that put a rating of 1 based solely on these bugs and downs of frame is the least ridiculous with the amount of bugs that bring video games lately ... Since neither gameplay, or simulation, or sound, or IA, or options or online is valued ... NOTHING
djd4ws0n - 09:44am, 18th May 2015 Author
Hey Musculman,
I'm sorry that you feel this way about the review.
"put a rating of 1 based solely on these bugs and downs of frame is the least ridiculous with the amount of bugs that bring video games lately"
If it were solely a couple of frame rate issues, it would have had a better outcome. However, having the game freeze completely for 2~3 seconds at a time is a complete game-breaker and made it unplayable. I can forgive some bugs at launch, but not one that has this much of an effect on gameplay.
David Willis - 05:39am, 17th May 2015
This post is silly. I got this game the day it came out (complete with launch patch), and other than having difficulty joining an online game on live (which is common for any new release) I havent had a problem with the game at all. Sure the controls were a bit wonky but with a few adjustments I had a setting that worked great for me. Im not sure what could cause a difference of frame rate but I never had a pause of 2-3 seconds.
djd4ws0n - 09:51am, 18th May 2015 Author
Hi David,
I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the game - I really wish that I could be enjoying it too. Fortunately, the freezing issue isn't affecting everyone, looks like I've managed to stumble into a bad combination of something that's made it affect me. I'm trying to help Slightly Mad Studios with debugging it though.
jonhuggs - 07:56am, 18th May 2015
I for one support this score, if the game locks up, drops frames, etc it should be scored accordingly. I have the game on PC and it's fine but I would be really unhappy if I had gotten it for xbox one and I'm crashing all the time due to it lagging on me. It's like AC Unity where I was super excited for this Awesome game, went and got it on PS4 and it was a laggy, buggy mess, yet some reviewers were giving it high 80 - 100 with the rational that they'll just patch the bugs in a few weeks. It's just sad that alot of the AAA games nowadays are buggy, over promised under delivered DLC fests. Good On you for actually reviewing your experience with the game and not just what you think the game will be once it's patched
djd4ws0n - 10:21am, 18th May 2015 Author
Hi jonhuggs,
You've hit the nail on the head and I agree completely with your statment about AC:Unity's scoring too. For me, it's unfair to all developers, not just those involved when things are scored with the rationale you mention.
For the developer of the game, it breeds an ideology that it's acceptable to release with bugs and negatively affect the experience of your most loyal crowd - the day one purchasers.
But I feel it's also disrespectful to other developers that have ensured as bug-free a release as possible for their title - why should a game with sizeable technical problems score as well because it's possible to be patched? From what I recall reading about AC:Unity, didn't they scale back on some of the nicer graphical options with the patch to 'fix' the issues? Again this isn't something that should be rewarded with an artificially inflated score.
TGK - 09:29am, 19th May 2015
There are clearly some pretty substantial issues here that have made it very difficult to justify getting this game on Xbox One. It is a true shame that the game on this platform has been released as such for, as you mention, it played/plays really well on PS4.
Massive props for keeping your cool with a lot of negative and frankly uneccessary comments and keeping that professionalism. Regardless of the size of the company/website reviewing the game, impartial and legitimate reviewing is all we as gamers can ask for.
You've done GameGrin proud here.
djd4ws0n - 01:38pm, 28th May 2015 Author
Thanks,
As I mentioned elsewhere, there's no point in retaliating with an angry responses. I just hope that Slightly Mad Studios manage to get a patch together soon!
MightyAllen - 01:24pm, 28th May 2015
Good review and a honest decision to down-rate this game for its release-condition and severe bugs on XBOX.
Don´t feel annoyed by the WMD-trolls. They follow everyone not rating their game in a positive way.
djd4ws0n - 01:59pm, 28th May 2015 Author
Hi MightyAllen,
Thanks for the comment and I'm glad that you've picked up on why this review is what it is.
I've not been annoyed by the comments made on it either, I've tried to respond to them all, whilst remaining respectful for all involved. After all, I imagine that their disdain at the score is a feeling matched by the experience with the game.