Project CARS – It’s Beautiful in the Rain

Andrew Updated on October 8, 2016
2 Comments

Project CARS has arrived on track and is meeting all expectations. It’s both gorgeous and great to drive, even when it rains!

I’ve been excited for Project CARS for some time now and have been pleased with every race I’ve participated in so far. Starting in career mode it’s easy to be tempted by selecting some of the more powerful cars, but knowing the simulation style that’s represented in Project CARS, I decided to go easy for my opening racing season with the game.

Having a less powerful car to fight with for control is definitely a wise option for those looking to jump into the game. The handling of the Renault Clio is actually a great choice to begin with as it turned out to handle much better than I expected. I’m a guy who loves his arcade racers, but I also appreciate the more simulation style as well. However, there’s always that concern about how well I’ll like the controls of a more authentic racing game.

As it turns out, so far at least, Project CARS is a joy to handle. It’s actually very sensitive but easily controlled at the same time. I love it. The less powerful cars prove to be very friendly to the driver as well. Sure, some turns may still reach out and bite those who try and play more aggressive, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with the handling of the vehicles I’ve used thus far as I’ve completed full seasons with the Clio and Ginetta G40.

These two seasons have also allowed me to visually experience what is a beautiful looking game. Whether it’s raining or at sunset, or both, the game is a treat on the eyes. I also appreciate that the view of the track becomes more difficult to see when driving towards the sun, making the game even more realistic in that event.

Season mode with both the Clio and G40 feature 5 championship rounds where players earn points based on performance in qualifying, a short 2 lap sprint, and a 5 lap full race with one required pit stop. Earn points and drive to the top of the leaderboard! I’ve been playing this mode on medium difficulty which is challenging enough, especially if I mess up as there are no restarts or rewinds. Drivers will deal with the consequences of not having a perfect race.

It’s the rain that really makes the game sparkle though as reflections and water spots on the track are very attractive. It’s always beautiful in the rain! Thankfully the rain also doesn’t negatively affect the racing that much as I’ve been able to handling each water-covered track fairly well. I have slid around a bit more, but drivers only need to leave the overly-aggressive driving behind. Smart drivers will flourish in the rainy conditions and appreciate the beauty all at the same time.

The dynamic weather featured in Project CARS really is nicely done. It’s always wonderful to experience the weather as it goes from dry and cloudy conditions to a light rain. It’s also great to experience heavy rain as it really takes away from the drivers’ vision of the track.

I also love the number of different viewpoints drivers can choose from. I used to always drive from the third-person view, but for the first time in a racing game I’m all about the driver’s seat view.

There’s still so much left for me to witness with Project CARS, including races with some of the more powerful vehicles. I have gotten behind the wheel of a couple of the higher class cars, struggling only slightly to grow familiar with the speed and acceleration of those vehicles. I certainly can’t wait for more! Make sure to follow me on Twitch as I’ll be live streaming more gameplay from the PC version of Project CARS.

For now, check out the video below of my first 150 minute live stream session. I play Project CARS at 4K DSR, hitting near 50 frames per second with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan X.


Watch live video from CaffeinatedGamr on Twitch

Categories: Gaming, Gaming Features
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Andrew
Andrew Stevens is a Guest Editor at FanBolt for Gaming and Technology. He has over 8 years of experience working within the gaming industry which includes time at Bethesda Softworks. His unique view of the industry and passion for gaming can be found within each one of his editorials. Andrew also loves PC gaming and enjoys tinkering with new hardware. He also can’t get enough speed when it comes to racing games and doesn’t mind navigating through swarms of bullets in any shmup. He considers Rez as the greatest game ever. Andrew's opinions are his own and do not reflect the opinions of his place of employment.

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  1. andy May 9, 2015

    The rain isn’t that good looking though. Looks like a cheap little effect that isn’t actually next gen looking at all. The drops on the windscreen practically do a fade away effect when hit by the wipers.

  2. Andrew Stevens May 9, 2015

    Also think about how fast you are moving and that there are absolutely no streaks visible on the windshield. It’s definitely not that great at all. But the effect of the sun with the extra glare from a wet road is what makes the game sparkle just a little bit more than usual. It’s not just about the droplets of rain, it’s the overall effect the rain has on the race track. It’s the last 9 screenshots that look nice to me and make racing in the rain a more beautiful thing.

    I should also mention that I didn’t say this was the best looking game I’ve ever seen. It’s just the theme I chose to go with for my impressions article. When racing on a rather bland track for hours and then coming across a track with a few more hills, more green, and the added effect of glare from a rainy day really makes the player notice a visual difference when racing in the rain.