You can get now Assetto Corsa for your console. But is this game a huge competition for the already existing and well known franchises like Forza Motorsport or the upcoming GT Sport? We also want to know if the consoles have enough power for this game, so that it can run as the game deserves it. We tested this game not only with the controller, but also with our Thrustmaster wheel. Enjoy the review.

.

.

At first we want to tell you some great news. We love it that the developers implemented the great physics of the game in the console version, too. That means that players can enjoy Assetto Corsa’s same great feeling of driving that you know from the PC version on the consoles. This is also very well supported by the excellent Force Feedback. Unfortunately, we have to say that even a Forza Motorsport or Project Cars can not fascinate us so much about the authenticity we get with this game behind the wheel.

.

Unfortunately, we have to say, that the gameplay changes very much if you play this game with the controller. We do not get the great feeling of driving we get with the wheel. We tried a lot of different configurations, but did not found the right solution to get a chance to play the game as it should be played. Games like Project Cars and Dirt Rally have required our knowledge the same way, but after a while we could enjoy this games with the controller. We could not have any fun to play Assetto Corsa with a controller. This game is made to play it with a wheel. And this is not bad, because, it is a simulation. Bad news for all Fanatec users. According to other sources, this game do not support Fanatec’s wheels on the PS4.

.

Please do not forget that we are testing here a simulation game. Unfortunately, we wished they had update the single player. It is just a simple lining up of one event after another. Unfortunately, this mode is also not well presented. There been a lot of problems with the balancing of the game and we found the same unbalanced gameplay on the version for console. That means, that players do not get many chances  to win a game against the overpowered AI, which is not only very fast, but in addition to that very violent. It happens a lot of times that you get hit in the back or it also happens that the enemies attacks the rear of your car to turn you in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, the penalty system does not work as it should. Especially if you use a shortcut we noticed that the Stewards only act on this if they got some humor to do. At this point we want to add, that this game is a simulation, and that collisions happens in real racing, too, for example in the DTM. This is a part of the race and can be one of many factors for victory.

.

.

We could not win any race even if we set the configuration on the lowest difficulty level. It was only possible for us to reach a good position at the end of the race after we connected and started to play with the wheel. We think that this is the wrong way to motivate player to get better and better each race they drive. It would make us also happy if there been a higher motivation to spend more time in the Setup-Area. At the end it was very frustrating so that we think that players will play only the time races or challenge other players online. We think that simulation should be very challenging but they should also be playable for beginners or people that do not want to buy a wheel for their console.

.

In addition to the career mode, players have the opportunity to play the training mode, time trials mode, some drift challenges and the online mode. To play a online race, you only have the opportunity of joining a season. What we like is that the online mode offers everything players wished for, a huge combination of different tracks and classes of cars. But we wished, we could have something like a lobby or the opportunity to start for example championships. What we like is that it is also possible to play a complete race-weekend which includes the training and qualifications. Unfortunately, a split-screen race is not available.

.

What we love is that they keep on working on this game until they released it for consoles. They added a lot of new tracks and cars. Unfortunately, compared to some similar games, they could add much more. They also do not add races at night or on rainy days. On the other hand, we love that every car has his own individual feeling of driving it and that it is also able to activate the factory settings in the game’s driving assistance. We also love and noticed very quickly how much work the developers put into the modelling of the cars. We also like the game’s and especially the engines’ sounds. We also like it that they included pit stops into the single player mode.

.

We also noticed that you do not drive against more than 15 other AIs at the same time. On the PC version it is possible to drive against 20 or more AIs. They also limited the online races up to 16 players. Unfortunately, we also noticed, that the game’s engine need all the consoles power to run the game in 60FPS especially if you see many cars in front of you. We also have to say that depend to the track and how many players will drive joining the race, it need a long time to load the race.

.

Players are using their mouses to find their way through the games menu on the PC version. The developers had to create a new one for the console. And we have unfortunately to say once again that it is not so good as it could be. We noticed that they do not invest many time and love for the details for this menu. It is really unnecessarily complicated. The structure and design remembers us on old games from the 90’s. What we like is that it is possible to change or to set the view according to your wishes. What we do not understand is, why it is necessary to go back to the main menu to change it.

.

Did we found the first drama queen? Yes: Assetto Corsa will inspire players if you have a very good wheel to play it. This game offers fantastic driving physics, every car has his own style of driving, their individual characteristics are very authentic because of the help of the great force feedback. Here’s a small warning for every player that will use a controller for this game: Because of the very sensible controls it is really hard to drive and even to win a race against the overpowered AI. It is very frustrating because they are very fast and from time to time unfair. Unfortunately, this game does not offer anything more in addition to the great physics, the huge number of cars, the detailed setup options and the with lasers scanned tracks. We think that the developers have to work very hard on the game’s balancing, the boring designed career mode, and the old fashioned design of the games menu. We miss a better damage system, a more effective justice system and different weather conditions. This sounds very hard, but we love it that this game founds his way to the consoles. You have to remember, that this game is a simulation AND THE FOCUS IS ON SIMULATING REAL RACES. We love it that this game shows how great the feeling of driving on consoles with a wheel can be. Because of the great online opportunities we can enjoy a complete track day. This is unfortunately not enough, but a good start. We believe that real simulation fans will have a lot of fun with this game.

.

.

.