Project CARS - Xbox One

Project CARS started out as a crowd-funded project to make a car simulation game for Windows PCs and current generation consoles. The community around it has had a very large input into its development and as such has helped produce a game that rivals the likes of R-Factor in terms of features and content. A tremendous effort has been put into every aspect of this racing sim, from the wheel trims to the weight distribution and handling of the cars, it has all been placed under scrutiny and only now is all this effort being shown to bear fruit.

A huge amount of care has been put into some of the smaller details. Take, for example, a cockpit view that, thanks to the dynamic weather system, has the windscreen so awash with water droplets that you'll actually need to switch on the wipers to see where you're going. This might seem somewhat superficial, but Project CARS is about the attention to detail placed on the tiniest minutia that makes it a thing far greater than the sum of its parts and enables the player to really sink into it.

That attention can be felt in the controls, too. The cars throw themselves around the track satisfactorily, to the point where older gamers might be reminded a great deal of the TOCA games Codemasters produced in the PSOne and PS2 era, which eventually evolved into the Grid series.

Project CARS goes back to what makes driving sims so engrossing by letting the player feel every bump, and sense the weight of the car shift as it hurtles out of a corner. With a huge track roster, deep tuning options and pit stop functionality, this is a labour of love that will reward racing fans for their time. more