With the launch of the Project CARS in 2015, Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport finally got a solid competition. Unlike these successful titles, Project CARS had a great advantage being a multiplatform game that we could play both on consoles and computers. However, not everything was wonderful. The most common objections to the game were for its driving model, a poor AI driver and a very modest car offer. Everything was supposed to be fixed with a sequel that was announced only one month after the launch of the first game. Now that the Project CARS 2 is right in front of us, we cannot condemn the crazy Slightly Mad Studios’ move because the game progressed compared to its precursor in all possible segments and it is obvious from the very first moment you start the game.

The interface is nicer, smoother and simpler, and this simplicity is also transmitted to the force feedback settings for the steering wheels and controllers. There is no more a whole bunch of sliders from the first Project CARS, in Project CARS 2 there are only a few sliders you can configure along with a text explaining what each slider does.

The biggest achievement of the Project CARS 2 is definitely the FFB and the driving model that is now at the very top of the genre. The damage model has progressed and is striving to reality. Damage is no longer just visual but can affect the driving performance and maneuverability of the car if you decide on that setting.

Changing weather conditions were already among the best in the genre in the first game, and snow was now added, along with ground surfaces. On all these surfaces, the feeling of driving (especially with the steering wheel) was transferred fantastically. Different driving conditions are decent graphically.. This time everything is optimized a bit better than in the precursor, but the problem of game working well most of the time, but cracking on some demanding roads, is still present.

In addition to the usual driving mechanics settings, imposing rules and driving or car preferences, I have to mention one optional setting in the context of sound. The racing engineer may prefer to praise and motivate you during the race, but if this bothers you, you can turn this option off.

A controller in racing games usually cannot compensate for the feeling that the steering wheel with a good force feedback support provides, but the developer can do his part of the job and provide a sense of driving with the controllers in a best possible way. The first Project CARS had a terrible support for controllers and it was impossible to drive without losing plenty of time looking for ideal settings that would fix its terrible control. Project CARS 2 has done a great job in this field as well as with the steering wheel, making life easier with several settings for regulating feedback.

Project CARS 2 manages to deliver something similar to Career Mode in its well-rounded campaign motivating the player to finish the game with the gradual unlocking of new competitions. With the option of selecting the duration of the race and the general career, this mode also brings up competitions with invitations where 44 races await to deepen our career. Each of these races has the challenge that you have to solve to access it.

Outside of the Career Mode, Community Events are an important part of Project CARS. New events come one after another, and we get an insight into what follows in advance. Although many would like it races similar to the Career Mode races, unfortunately here we only get Time Trial competitions with predefined cars on predefined paths.

The online multiplayer is enriched with even more preference options and preferences compared to the first part. Multiplayer in Project CARS 2 offers a wide variety of features and settings that define everything you would define in a custom race. From the tracks, car classes, weather conditions, race rules regulation, as well as the possibility of banning ideal racing lines, assistance, etc. Matchmaking is therefore very fast.

What you will surely look for in some of the multiplayer races are licenses. The license is also an entry ticket for the eSports competition, and it is necessary to progress through the game’s career and online races so that this license becomes even more important. That will allow you to compete with a specific set of players that suits your quality. The game measures your success in races, how many skills you have, and whether you avoid crashing and collision with opponents. It automatically generates your license that increases with your experience.

The amount of tracks is as impressive as in the first game; it’s even better. But what made us happy is the quality and quantity of the cars in the game. I cannot say that all cars are driving the way they are supposed to drive in a simulation like this, but most of them behave just the way that the cars of that class would react in a particular situation, whether it is skidding, driving on different surfaces and the feeling of speed.

The potential problems of this game could be the lagging of the artificial intelligence of the opponent, but the developer is constantly working on it and the results are visible with each subsequent update. That is why the Slightly Mad Studios priorities are well placed this time. It’s been a month and they have not yet announced Project CARS 3, yet they’re tweaking PC2. Even though there are still patches in front of them, Project CARS 2 is already a game that has nothing to be ashamed of next to its competition.

We can conclude a story with what is already mentioned – Project CARS 2 has been advancing almost in all segments with almost astonishing acceleration. Its little flaws do exist, especially in artificial intelligence, but in all else, it is the most complete car simulation on the market. With its depth, quality and scope of content, Project CARS 2 has shown that the Slightly Mad Studios’ access is right and how it is worth listening to the fans and the community. The SMS team proved that there was room for the third competitor on the podium.