Whenever the public hears about a video game being ported, no one really holds their breath. It’s one of those things that tends to rarely hit the mark, but when it does miss, it tends to be the equivalent of a dumpster fire (I’m looking at you Arkham City). And more times than not, the port is outsourced to another studio or publisher. Thus, this is the case with Assetto Corsa. The PC game was originally published by Kunos Simulazioni, however, the port to consoles was handled by 505 Games. A lot of console racing sim enthusiasts have waited patiently for this very day to arrive, and it has finally happened. As they fervently set-up and adjust their gaming steering wheels, the only question is – was it worth the wait?
Not really.
The thing about racing simulators is that they have to be grounded heavily in realism, hence, the “simulator” bit. From the feel of the car roaring through the track, to the way your opponents act and react to your presence; all of that has to be grounded. You can’t have Burnout-esque scenarios taking place, or you can’t constantly be recharging your nitrous every time you pull off a wicked drift; it takes away from the simulation bit. Now, the thing about Assetto Corsa is that it genuinely tries its best to have its wheels planted firmly on the asphalt but it’s not quite there.
The handling of each car is superb, there is no denying that. There is no generalized handling across the vehicle, practically each of them feels unique, and that goes a long way in making you feel like a driver trying out each of these toys for the first time. It’s beautiful. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not an easy feat to pull off – learning the ropes of one car, only to have to repeat that process again when you get behind the wheel of another.
The process is difficult but in a oddly fun, challenging sort of way.
In that manner, it tries to stay true to the simulator roots. On top of that, the game allows you to see each and every detail regarding your vehicle; this by extension not only makes you the driver but even the pitstop crew. Assetto Corsa pushes those boundaries of realism to the point that it feels like something beyond a vicarious thrill. And to go with that realism is Corsa’s graphical prowess in emulating every detail to the point; this goes especially for the tracks. This was made possible due to the fact that they laser scanned each of the tracks right down to the most minute detail (okay, maybe not the most minute but you get what I mean). So not only do you have car models that are meticulous to a fault but you even have brilliantly designed tracks to envelop that experience.
At its best, Assetto Corsa puts the player in a racing simulator that hasn’t been mirrored like this before. However, at its worst, it really knows how to disengage the player from the game; and more times than not, it’s at its worst.
Just a paragraph back, I had mentioned Assetto Corsa’s graphical prowess, however, it should be kept in mind that it comes with terms and conditions. The game was marketed to be at 60 FPS, yet somehow it glaringly shies away from it every chance it gets, and it unsettles the overall drive when you can see the frames stagger mid-race. Coupled with this is the screen tears, which I understand shouldn’t be mentioned because a lot of games face this but Corsa’s screen tears are practically a secondary feature of the game.
This can be problematic when you’re going neck-to-neck with another racer only to have your screen go kaput, and in turn, have you crash into a barricade. It’s almost as though it’s supposed to be a metaphor for life.
The game also flaunts an annoying UI; it clusters the screen and at times comes off as claustrophobic. Personally, I had it switched off for the majority of my experience but then again this is a very subjective qualm but one that still needs to be addressed. Yet, the game’s greatest flaw is the AI. One would assume that in a racing simulator the AI would be programmed to adapt and respond like an actual racer would but apparently they’ve been programmed with the same coding that was used in the Burnout games. Instead of skillfully rolling corners or zipping through the other cars on the track, the AI would take every chance it had to ram into my vehicle.
At times, it almost seemed as though the AI was trying to troll me because even after it inadvertently rammed into my car, it still kept pushing in my general direction as opposed to trying to go around me.
There are plenty of issues with Assetto Corsa (I was nearly about to write about a paragraph’s worth about the game’s ineffectual weather conditions) but truth is that these bumps on the road don’t completely ruin the journey. However, at the same time they don’t ensure that its a smooth drive. I won’t lie – I kept finding myself going back to this game repeatedly because there’s something endearing about the challenge it presents and something beautiful about the way that challenge is presented. If you can look past all the flaws, small and large, then Assetto Corsa is a good simulator. But if you can’t, then your best bet is to head down to the Dubai Autodrome and set yourself up for one of those Audi test drives; at least that way you don’t have to worry about being murdered by an opponent driver every time you take a corner.
This game was played using a PS4 review copy received from the distributor.
