The online racing simulator
Quote from Dajmin :It might well be fair, but it's still hideously dull to watch. I'd rather see at least multi-classing in that case so there's 2 car models on the track.
That's another reason to not go with one manufacturer - it's much better to have a load of similar-spec cars together. Like LFS' Turbo class, or the XFG/XRG races. different cars, balanced racing.

I agree. Same car would be fine if you are one of the drivers, but a bit boring for watching the race.

Quote from Dajmin : But here's a question - if F1 all used (for example) Ferrari's current car, what would the driver championship look like?

I´d love to see that. I´m sure more than one driver we think is bad would impress us
I'll probably just stump up the £30 for it, simply cause I am a sucker for a racing game (and Ferrari's ), plus I can use the G25 on the PS3, so thats a bonus
Quote from Boris Lozac :As i read on that Joystick site, this is the game from the guys that did that Sega F355 Challenge?

Nope, that was made (surprise) by SEGA.

The term that is getting thrown around is "spiritual successor".
Quote from Bob Smith :Nope, that was made (surprise) by SEGA.

The term that is getting thrown around is "spiritual successor".

Ah ok, since they mentioned it i thought it's from the same developers and SEGA was just a publisher...

So we probably won't see a simulation from this title, guess the Ferrari Project could be the next big thing (guy from RBR is mentioned to be on the crew)...
I'm just searching for the title that is purely aiming at making the ultimate sim, like LFS, iRacing, etc... I really wouldn't mind trying some next-gen driving sim, maybe someone will do it right, like LFS, or better, why not...
Quote from Boris Lozac :So we probably won't see a simulation from this title

The tyre physics aren't at a sim level, no; this is a semi-sim.
Quote :no; this is a semi-sim.

I am going to start hating that term, I can feel it now.
Can't honestly understand why they've developed it for the PS3, Wii, even the PS2, but not the 360. I thought we was mostly past that stage for 3rd party game developers these days. Because this game does look rather tasty.
Think I'll get it, looks interesting.
I imagine one reason they wouldn't put it on the 360 is because Forza is already a Ferrari Challenge. Ferrari is probably one of the dealers with the most cars in the game (might have less than Toyota and Nissan).
Has anyone played it yet?

I've bought it, played it with a G25... it's not too bad, not the best either. Somewhere between Forza 2, Rfactor and GT5P. It's enjoyable and fun. Somehow reminds me of the old Ferrari Challenge on the Sega Dreamcast.

If anybody has any idea on how to make the clutch work on the G25, that would be greatly appreciated!
I haven't got round to buying it yet.......
Too bad about the clutch, really. It feels weird to shift gears using the H-Shifter... but without using the clutch.

Thing is, it's not just that you can simply slam in the gears without using the clutch. The clutch doesn't even work. It's explained in the options (an arrow pointing at the clutch pedal in a picture, saying "clutch"), but simply doesn't work. If you press it while standing still and then step on the gas pedal, you'll start moving.

Beside that, it's a pretty fun racing experience.
Another few impressions after playing it for some time...

Graphics
A little "overpolished" at places, but overall very nice! The cars don't look as nice as in GT5P, but they are still not bad looking at all (easily better than Forza). Every model is done with great detail. Especially the interiors are really beautiful. The environments look better than in GT5P IMO. Forza Motorsport 2 tracks look bland compared to the ones in FC.

FPS is an issue in Ferrari Challenge. It runs at 30 FPS, and there are well noticeable FPS drops from time to time. It's not running bad, but sometimes it's annoying (let's say in the middle of a corner with cars in the front and back).

Replays are not my cup of tea. They are filled with effects and filters... shaking cameras, etc. The usual "make it look cool" stuff, but completely exaggerated. Beside that, there is no option to change cameras, fast forward, save the replay... in fact, there iis no option at all to do anything in replays. Nevertheless, you might catch a few nice scenes/views sometimes.

Physics
This is a hard one...

It's not easy to find the right description for Ferrari Challenge's physics. It's not exactly a simulation. Because there are too few options when it comes to car setups to begin with. You can adjust a few settings like suspension and ride height... but the only change you can do to your suspension is to decide for "soft" or "hard", just as an example.

The handling and actual physics are not too bad. Some things feel very good. If played with a G25, you get a great force feedback... understeer and oversteer is simulated very nice... you can feel when you start to lose grip... etc. It's pure joy to drive those ferraris at their grip limit. Maybe it's a little overdone, not sure... but it's so much fun to "drift" through the corners in this game! With drifting, i mean the "real" way of drifting, not sliding. There's a moment when you go a little sideways, but your tires still have grip. It's the very moment before you hit the limit of traction/grip, and it's what i call the real drift. But not to start a discussion about that now... i guess you got the idea. And well, this kind of drifting can be done very nicely in Ferrari Challenge, and is a lot of fun!

If you try and get sideways with the cars, then it's still on a simulation level somehow, but it feels too easy i think. This might be becasue of the way the G25 acts in FC. I didn't make any kind of tests to really find out, but when you look at the wheels of the car, they stop turning at about 120 degree steering wheel rotation. However, when driving, turning it further, will still feel like you're actually steering further. On the other hand, it doesnt need much rotation to countersteer for a big slide.
I dunno how to describe it best, but this is why the game feels like arcade to me. You can control the slide like in a simulation, but if you are used to 720-900 degree of wheel rotation, then Ferrari Challenge feels arcade-ish, becasue it's only using 240 degrees i fear.

It sometimes feels similar to GT5P (becasue the in car view looks almost as good in FC), but without all the GT flaws. You feel the weight of the car, it doesn't feel weird when drifting, it doesn't "float" around in grass or dirt/sand, etc.

This might only be my personal taste/impression tho. Overall the physics in Ferrari Challenge are very good i'd say. I might go that far, and say they are the best on a console. Some people will still like the physics of forza 2 better. Point is, they might be better in fact, but it's hard to tell. Both games have a "different" feel of physics. While some things are done very nicely in forza, some other things are done very well in FC. It's a matter of taste. But for me, together with an incar view and the G25, FC is the clear winner.

It feels a lot like playing on a good old arcade machine, but at home, with modern graphics. I can't tell if it's really just the steering wheel rotation that does it for me. But it has exactly this kind of arcade machine/game feeling. Together with simulation-like physics...

Sound
As far as engine sounds go, Ferrari Challenge is pretty damn good. The rest of the sound effects are not bad, but not mind blowing either. But just for the engine sounds, you gotta love this game. They are still samples, sure, but they sound bloody nice!
If you ever wanted to feel like driving a ferrari, then this game probably isn't a bad way to have it simulated. And the engine sounds are a big part of that.

Tire sounds are better than in GT5P, but not as good as in Forza 2.

The noise of the car (suspension, chassis, drivetrain, etc) is very good. Reminded me of Rfactor the most. There's a lot of noise in race cars, they sound like you'd expect them to, more or less. A lot of gear whine(?), shifting noise, braking noise, etc.

In short words: Good sound effects, outstanding engine sounds.

Fun/Gameplay
This is an easy one...

Ferrari Challenge does one thing very well. It creates a good and intense racing experience. It's a long time since i've had so much fun with a racing game. It's a game where it is a real joy to drive fast with a car, to drive a car at its limits. Some of you may remember how much fun F355 Challenge on the dreamcast was... it's exactly like that! Only with better physics and graphics...

The AI may help here aswell. First they are not very smart, but they learn from you. With time, you will see how they improve, and races become harder and harder. You will see how they try to outbreak you (not always succesful (lots of fun!)), how they try to block you, copy your favourite spots for overtaking, etc. You sometimes almost feel like driving against real players.

It really creates the feeling i remember from F355 Challenge, and it's simple and pure fun/joy (a good wheel is a must IMO)!

The only bad point i can think of is the clutch which isn't supported. This would easily double the fun.

In short words: Full fun factor!

Summary
Go get it!
Since they came out with a patch, there is. You can choose between four settings. Automatic (which would be the way it was before), easy, medium and hard.

However, i'd rather see clutch support (and 900 degree support) for the G25 sometime soon.
I must get round to buying this one day..........
#45 - JJ72
my friend got it last week.

he is now trying to get rid of it on ebay.
In the UK?
Right, finally got round to buying this, only because Morrisons are doing specials on games this week, so I managed to pick it up for £25.....

Thoughts, overall, its a good game.

Graphically, it's stunning, really good looking, tracks and cockpits seem very dark though, had to bump the brightness up alot to be able to see where I am going, the fixed cockpit viewpoint isn't great, if you are going to fix the viewpoint, at least make it so you can see the dials, because it almost makes the cockpit view pointless if you can't see anything in the cockpit.

Aurally, mediocre, sounds are ok, not visceral enough for me, a bit muted.

Physics are nice, the F430 around Monza is a lot of fun, you can feel a fair bit of weight transfer, you can hold a slide, only thing that bugs me a bit is the gear change, can be reluctant to downshift sometimes.

Other things, I can't understand the point of the challenge cards, and the challenge card game, why?, also, the fact that you can't re name your player?, why?, I understand this is coming in a patch, but it's crazy to leave it out in the first place.

Seems like a rushed release to me, the whole UI is a bit of a mess, and not very intuitive, which is a shame, because at it's core, it's a decent console racer.
Hey Player1,

The point of the card game is to give something to the people who are easily bored...

The gear change is only an issue with the pad, use your G25 with the H-Shifter, and the problem is solved (feels weird to use it without the clutch tho).
But it doesn't actually do, or achieve anything?
I dunno if there is a reward for unlocking all the cards... but i guess not. It's just for fun... reminds me of those car-cards we had when i was a child, maybe that's why it didn't bother me so much, hehe. But yes, it's a quite useless feature to be honest.

FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG