When discussing racing games, you’re going to run into a lot of…”opinions,” let’s call them. Racing fans are always going to offer their thoughts on what constitutes a “real” racing game. 

 

Some play all racing games, regardless of the type. Everything from Split Second to Gran Turismo is considered ok. Then there are those that dislike the intricacies of a sim racer and just want to tear around at great speeds and endless NOS. That’s cool as well. On the flipside, there are those that swear by sim racers and can’t stand arcade racers simply because it’s not realistic enough. Hey, if that’s your cup of tea, then more power to ya. And then you have those lovely folks that nitpick even further, making claims such as “Gran Turismo is a REAL sim, and Forza is not because ______” or “Only PC sims like iRacing are acceptable because _____.” Those guys? Not so much fun.

 

But I digress.

 

The reason for my little mini-rant above is because I recently got a chance to participate in a closed beta for a new upcoming PC sim called RaceRoom Racing Experience by SimBin, makers of some pretty beefy racing cockpits and also the racing classics GTR and RACE. RRE has the unenviable luck of going up against PC racing sim giants iRacing and rFactor, both of which have fans that are a passionate bunch. Make one mistake, and you will immediately be branded “arcade” and shunned in the hardcore sim racing community faster than a leper showing up in a quarantine zone.

 

As far as the beta goes, does RRE manage to hold its head up high?

 

In short, yes it does. It’s a very well made racing game, and though many of the options are still locked at this point, I had a chance to try out more than a handful of different cars and tracks. Let’s just say if your version of a “real” sim racer is how quickly you can lose control of a car, then RRE is your game. I’m no slouch in the sim racing department; I’m no expert by any means, but I’m certainly no slouch either. I own a racing wheel setup and I play everything from Forza to iRacing. I play these regularly, and it came as a nice shock/surprise when I suddenly had to learn from scratch all over again when booting up RRE for the first time.

 

Now granted, I don’t know what it’s really like to drive a GT2 modified McLaren MP4-12C…pretty much none of us do (which is why it’s important to take all those “critics” on the message boards with a huge grain of salt). I would imagine, however, that RRE’s representation is pretty darn close to the real experience. However, I DO know what it’s like to drive a Ferrari 458 on a racetrack, and it’s nice to know that a lot of the techniques that I learned on the track actually translate extremely well to RRE (despite the fact that a stock 458 is still nowhere in the same league as any of these race modified beasts).

 

For starters, it’s clear that SimBin is into the little details, and that shows in the wealth of options given to the player. There are a few different difficulty levels you can set. Nothing new here; you’re looking at an amateur setting where rules such as track cutting and whatnot are a lot more forgiving, and a much more realistic model, where you can tweak little things like tire wear, damage settings, etc.

 

 

If you choose, you can even jump deeper into the customization route, going so far as to adjust variables such as brake bias, tire pressure, suspension, traction control, differential, gearing ratio, etc. Again, these are features that any good, meaty racing sim should have, and even though RRE is not really bringing anything new to the table, by giving gamers the options, it certainly goes a long way in legitimizing RRE as a PC sim contender. The closed beta I played seemed to still need a bit of work in the visual damage department, as I often slammed head-on into a guardrail all top speed and walked away with nothing more than a dented bumper and hood.

 

So, now down to the nitty gritty; how does RRE play and look? Really, really well. I played the game with both a Xbox 360 PC controller and also with my Logitech DFGT racing wheel, and both offer a great experience; though, if you happen to be a seasoned sim enthusiast, you know that a controller is NOT the ideal means of input. Regardless, if you’re going to use a controller, then the Xbox one is the way to go due to its “spongier” triggers offering a more accurate touch with the acceleration and braking.

 

However, like I mentioned earlier, you really need to use a steering wheel and pedal setup, preferably one with force feedback. The little nuances that are only noticeable via a wheel setup make RRE a whole different game than when played with a controller. With a wheel, you can feel all the tire grip. You can control your over/understeering with much more accuracy. Overall, using a wheel just gives a lot more touch.

 

Because the game is currently in beta, most of the cars and tracks are locked, but I was able to get my hands on Bathurst, The RaceRoom Raceway (a fictitious circuit in France), Hockenheimring in Germany, Circuit Park Zandvoort in The Netherlands, the Portimao Circuit in Portugal, and a couple of hillclimb courses. Obviously there will be more to come; In fact, it seems there will be quite a bit of track selection, just most of them are locked at this point. Of course, now that the game is in open-beta, any locked courses or cars can simply be unlocked with an in-game purchase.

 

Cars include a variety of different classes from GT1, 2, and 3 to classic touring cars, CR1 Cup cars, hillclimb legends, and a variety of prototypes and concepts. Personally, I’m not a big fan of cars like LMPs or anything like that, so naturally I gravitate towards GT2 and 3, and touring car classics. My personal favorite car of the whole bunch is the BMW 635 CSi…one of my favorite cars of all time.

 

The thing I noticed most about RRE right off the bat is how sensitive the handling is, both with the steering and the acceleration/braking. Again, I need to stress that I have never been inside any of these race cars, but I get the feeling that the unforgiving nature of the handling in RRE is very close to how it is in real life. And again…this is mostly specualtion. In RRE, if you so much as twitch to quickly on the wheel, you will spin out. If you start a race and bury your foot on the accelerator, you will spin out. If you come out of a corner with a little too much gusto, you will spin out. If you brake too hard from high speeds or in a turn, you will spin out.

 

If it’s one thing that I learned on the racetrack in the 458, it’s that “smooth equals speed.” That translates perfectly here in RRE.

 

Basically, unless you have assists on, you’re dealing with no hand-holding at all. There’s no assisted steering for controllers either; purists should be very happy to hear that. Even in Amateur mode, most of the assists come in the form of corner cutting and track rules; there’s a slight difference in the handling, but you’re still going to have to really pay attention.

 

Graphically, the game looks great. Even in beta form, there’s a lot to be impressed with, and there’s a good amount of detail from the tracks, to the trees and bushes in the distance, to the cars themselves. There were a few glitches that I ran into here and there, and to be honest, I don’t know if there’s going to be better reflections on the cars themselves in the final product. But other than a few small details that seemed somewhat lacking (damage, reflections, etc) the game is gorgeous. It’ll be interesting to see what makes the final cut.

 

If you are at all a fan of sim racing games, I urge you to give RaceRoom Racing Experience a shot. It’s free; what’s there to lose? From what I’ve played so far, it can easily stand up to the best PC sims out there. It’s a boatload of fun and is a nitpicker’s dream come true if you’re at all into car customization. Give it a shot, and keep a close eye on this one!