SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone

Building upon the successes with the public as well as critics of GTR and GTL, SimBin Development Studios has stepped-up the pace with GTR2, then later this year with RACE: The Official WTCC Game.

True gear heads will respond that never can we have too many simulations at one time. Finding the time to drive them all, therein lies the problem...

With the removal of StarForce copy protection, the developer and distributor have granted many of the sim racers who stayed away from GTR and GTL because of their use of the controversial protection scheme, the opportunity to experience the GTR world.

Some racers felt that GTR was unrealistically difficult because the car slid away from under you with no warning and in circumstances that racers felt should not have led to a loss of car control. GTR2 features revised driving physics which reportedly cure this problem.

Rain effects have been improved, and above all, seamless time transition has been added.

In redesigning the menus, some of the grievances we pointed out in the SimHQ review of GTR have been dealt with, and taking a minor step away from the ”everything-is-locked-and-you-have-to-unlock-it” dictum that marred GTL, GTR2 now features a more sensible approach, as well as a driving school.

Read on and find out if GTR2 has grown into more rounded, mature and realistic simulation.

Installation

Installation holds no surprises for owners of recent simulations based on the ISI engine. The user can choose whether or not to install DirectX9.0c, which is included on the DVD-ROM.

After installation, the configuring software starts up asking the user to choose the preferred shader (DX7, DX8, DX9 or Auto), the resolution and the well known options from ISI's motor regarding Vsync, etc.

Configuring gMotor

Documentation

Receiving my copy of GTR2 from a friend in the US, I had the good fortune to once again be able to enjoy the luxury of a cardboard box significantly larger in size than the DVD boxes used for the European release. While a bigger box takes up more shelf space, I admit to taking great pleasure in holding in my hands a well designed box, with a front that folds out into a double-spread and revealing the box art inside the double page.

GTR2 comes on 3 CD-ROM's, or a single DVD-ROM. "guod" found a version that included the DVD-ROM and a bonus of GT Legends CD-ROMs for $29 at Fry's. So it seems there are multiple configurations of the sim available.

Despite the room inside the box leaving ample room for a 400 page manual, we are still being offered only a slim leaflet describing the absolute minimum of information needed to understand the simulation, and one starts to think that these manuals are only included as a vehicle for the mandatory health warnings (which is not a bad thing, mind you) and for promoting GTR race wear.

Looking for additional literature in the installation's folders and files only revealed a very basic read me.

With GTR2 using advanced telemetry acquisition software from MoTeC, we are still questioning why apparently the developers did not find it good common sense to help the owners of GTR2 with additional information on how to operate and utilize this software. It would help them become overall better race drivers, especially when simulations are often deemed to be ”too hard” and ”too inaccessible” for casual gamers.

Go To Page 2

Click here to go to top of this page.