Unveiled on April 3, GTR Evolution is an extension for a little RACE 07 - The WTCC Game. It is indeed present in two forms: an extension, but also a full title containing the entire contents of a basic game for players who do not have the latter.
The bulk of this extension will revolve around the famous Nürburgring, but it is also the question as the richest ever developed by SimBin with 49 cars divided into 12 different classes and with more than 500 variations. No less than 19 circuits and over 40 different configurations complement things.
Today, SimBin informs us of the establishment of official website of the game and take this opportunity to detail some elements there. New catch and a first video we are here to present the content in more detail, but SimBin does not date more precise than that indicated at the time of the announcement: exit during the summer of 2008 .
FEATURES
* The full 2007 and 2006 seasons of the WTCC, the historic WTCC’87 class, Formula 3000, Formula BMW, the Mini Cooper Challenge, the Radical SR3 and SR4 (in various configurations), as well as the Caterham CSR200, CSR260 and CSR320 Concept
* Intense “single seater” action: on these open racecars SimBin has developed a helmet camera as never seen before. Not only does it accurately resemble the view from inside a helmet, it also has all the visor dynamics the real fan could wish for. The visor gets dirty and can be cleaned by pulling a protective layer of plastic off, the so called “tear-off.”
* 32 different tracks and variations from all over the world, including unique city tracks as well as legendary tracks such as Monza, Zandvoort, Brands Hatch and Imola
* Online World Championship functionality with rankings and leader boards
* Human-like AI opponents that behave as natural race drivers, trying to force the player into error
* Enhanced community appeal, community drivers, customized skins and league-support
The actual modes you will be racing these cars and classes around in are basically run of the mill when it comes to racing games - you have a one off quick event mode, time attack, practice, multiplayer for both LAN and Online, and a championship mode.
The racing in this game is, of course, modeled to reflect the dynamics of real life racing, but it doesn't have to be an ultra simulation if you so choose. Whilst setting up races or events, the game will allow you to define your skill level in one of three groups - starter, semi-pro, and pro - each of which have a 'profile' regarding the game's range of skill related options, which not only include the usual stuff like AI difficulty, auto gearbox and damage probability, but also more advanced stuff like tyre wear, traction control, and even the possibility of mechanical failures.
But lets not kid ourselves, Race 07 is definitely built for the racing enthusiast in mind. While the gameplay can scale down quite easily in complexity and detail, it can also scale up well into the leagues of 'realistic simulation'. On the game's most realistic settings you really have to know what you're doing to drive effectively. The CPU AI is very tough on the harder settings as well but the greatest achievement AI wise in Race 07 is definitely the fact it never loses sight of realism, which isn't impossible robot driving AI but rather authentic feeling AI that can make mistakes and will adjust in real time on the track to your and other AI cars.
Perhaps the only real disappointment I can muster with the racing gameplay in Race 07 is the crash damage model. Crashing in this game isn't exactly poor as stuff like location and performance altering damage is present, it's just compared to the realism otherwise featured in the game, the crashes just seem to be lacking the same sort of authenticity.
Graphically speaking Race 07 is not going to shock too many PC gamers with its visual quality, particularly in the area of environmental detail which comes off as a little dated, but the areas that matter most in a racing game, i.e. the cars and the actual track itself, are more than capable and certainly don't detract from the experience.
There are a few areas that could have used more attention, but most if not all of these are secondary concerns that don't prevent enjoyment. Whether you want to drive around worrying about requiring to apply the perfect amount of brake pressure to nail a corner or not, Race 07: The Official WTCC Game is quality racing gameplay and better yet, if you're a broadband user, you could be playing it in no time thanks to its availability on Valve's Steam.
