Customer Reviews

Race 07: Official WTCC Game

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Racing fans unite as we search for another racing game that aspires to be as worthy as GTR2. If you have GTR2,then read on. If you don't have GTR2 then go search for it first and buy it before this game. Its hands down the best racing sim on pc ever. That being said, Race 07 is a worth alternative to GTR2. Featuring more than 300 cars in nine different racing classes, RACE 07
includes the full 2006 and 2007 seasons of the FIA World Touring Car
Championships (FIA WTCC) as well as 8 more classes on 32 tracks from
all over the world.
So let us jump into it and start reviewing it!

Graphics: While not the most important part of a game, this still matters. Race 07 has good graphics and very nice details of the cars and tracks. I might even say they are on par with GTR2, but many of the details are missing. The replays are nice and the game runs smoothly on my 7800GSOC card. I run it at near max settings on my old P4HT and 2gb ram. You can change all the views to the typical camera angles, but there is one little difference I really like. There is one camera angle that is over your dashboard only looking thru the glass. It is my favorite because it looks like your are in widescreen format! You can see everything in front of you just like a real car. There is no steering wheel in the way like other camera angles, but just the dash and the glass. Graphics are not as good as Toca3 or GTR2 but it still performs nicely.

Sounds and controls: the game audio is what separates GTR2 from Race07. R07 has pretty much the normal race sounds found it games, but with less detail as GTR2. The engines and shifting are nicely done, but nothing special here. Could have been better, but not the best either. I do love the controls here. Whether you use a gamepad, keyboard, stick, or wheel, you feel like you are racing and controlling the car. Toca 3 race controls are average compared to this game. I love knowing the car will turn when I turn it, and slide thru the corners when i let off the gas. You can very all settings for tire wear, and be careful not to overdrive in corners. You will wear your tires out!

Overall this is a very good racing game. While not as good as GTR2, I like it better than Toca3. The only other game that is equal to GTR2 is rFactor Racing. That game is perhaps the best, even over GTR. YOu can't buy it in a store, but is available for download off their site. So if you have none of these titles, I'd rank GTR and Rfactor #1, and this game next. This is a very good pc game, and it is system friendly. You don't have to have super specs to run it on high settings. A very good racing game!

Let me start off by saying that I dont own GTR 2 or Legends, so if your looking for a comparison this is not your review. This is a straight forward look into Race 07 from a die hard race fan and someone who loves all walks of motorsports. The racing genre is perhaps the most intricate of any sports game on the market today, regardless of platform, so when I play a game like Race 07 I stop and go "Woah". This is what Ive been looking for. Now I'll admit I havent been keeping up on "current" racing titles for the PC, the last time I used my Logitech MOMO forcefeed back wheel was with Underground 2 and since has collected dust in a darkly lit corner of my office. But dont get me wrong, I am all about the old grandfather titles like Indy Car Racing from Papyrus and Grand Prix Legends.

Remember those days when you could call it a "Racing Simulation"? Well those days are back. In the last few years it seems like everything has gotten covered up in graphics advances and alot of what goes into making a good game has disappeared. When I bought Race 07 for my PC I was skeptical for a couple reasons. One was because I didnt know if it would work with my new Vista PC (which is does by the way so Vista users rest easy), and two was wondering if this was just going to be another attempt into making a racing game that hints at being like the old classics. Well this is no "attempt", this is the real deal. Finally a racing sim that not only offers a realistic racing atmosphere but does so in style with lush engine sound and crisp graphics, none of that cheesy cover up blur that can be seen in many of the Need For Speed titles. Race 07 offers several modes of play, including a championship career mode, practice/time attacks, and a decent multiplayer - I'll come back to that.

During installation you will be offered two methods, an online and offline mode. As far as I can tell they are both the same, except for the obvious reason- one allows compitition multiplayer and the other is "single player" only. Unfortunately if you install the "online version" you will have to go through a registration process using Steam. I say unfortunately because Steam turns into one of those annoying autostart programs that usually sit dormant, running in the back ground sucking up precious memory unless turned off. When you goto run Race 07 it takes awhile to start and Im assuming this is because it has to verify with Steam each time - in the long run it proves worth it. The online racing is fantastic.

Race day or race "weekend" is very customizable with sliders and sidestep menu's to adjust the experience to your liking. Everything from pre-race events such as Practice, Qualifying, and Warmup modes to the number of racer's, their driving skill, and number of laps can be adjusted. But as a mechanic, what really catches my attention is the garage mode or "Car Setup". You can have a pre-configured car loaded for the road course your at or you can pick apart all the different aspects yourself. Camber and caster, toe in/out values, pre load on differentials, suspension hardness, gear ratios, splitter settings to name a few. All can be changed or modified using easy eye pleasing sliders.

The actual racing experience is like nothing I've experienced in a modern game. The feeling of speed is detailed incredibly as every little pit and pothole in the road can be felt - and I literally mean felt if using a forcefeed back wheel. The inside camera mode is awesome, sitting at an eye's level you feel like your in the car. The camera tilts and rolls side to side when going through turns in an effort to show centrifugal force as a driver would feel it (and yes dont worry, there are sliders to adjust these effects too). The sound is very good too, especially while sitting in the pits. Depending on the class of vehicle you drive you will hear other pit crews working, vehicles passing by on the front straight at full RPM, and cars backfiring whiling starting up. All in all, extensive attention to detail.

Oh and for you damage modeling guru's, dont worry, its here. From blown tires to mechanical failures, Race 07 is the real deal. I highly recommend getting a good steering wheel before trying this game, preferably with forcefeed back. I use a Logitech MOMO wheel and it works great. Dont frustrate yourself with the keyboard or other controller, just get a wheel and play the game right. Simbin did an excellent job on the forcefeed back features. You can feel everything from engine vibration to braking friction. If you run over a curb or get a flat tire the wheel will pull accordingly. Fantastic deadzone features are supported as well, controlled with a slider (ignore previous review about lack of deadzone).

Now comes the exciting part, Multiplayer. I never thought that racing on the internet could be this much fun, but oh god is it ever. I found myself drafting cars, flashing to pass, and fighting through corners with other players in Race 07 just as if I was in a structured single player race. The options are very much the same as single player, offering full customization over the "race weekend" with number of practices etc so on. Lag didnt seem to be a problem even on higher ping servers and while some "ghosting" will happen for the most part its contained and well avoided. The chat menu's could use some improving and a voice over option would be nice but all in all perfectly ok for the experience. And hey, we're not here to talk, we're here to race!

Finishing up the review is hard because Im sure there is so much I'm missing, not to mention I havent tried everything myself. I cannot stress enough that this is for real race fans. Please don't buy Race 07 thinking its some PS2 game where cars bounce off walls, although there are a number of driving "assists" which can be toggled on or off with, yep you said it, more sliders. So if you were a fan of the classics and want to treat yourself to a real race game, get Race 07. It wont disappoint.

Come race me online! "GoBeamerGo"

12.01.2007
XW

I have GTR2 and find that Race 07 has much better (and updated) graphics and effects. While GTR2 offers night driving and headlamp effects, Race 07 runs FLAWLESSLY at 1024x768 max settings on my P4 3.0 CPU whereas GTR2 hiccups badly with the same settings. The performance monitor feature of Race 07 automatically adjusts settings to maintain a desired FPS without sacrificing video quality (from what I could see). Overall, I felt Race 07 is a much more polished product than GTR2 in terms of graphics.

In terms of gameplay, Race 07 offers a tad more variety with the front-wheel drive vehicles like the Seat Leon, Chevrolet Lacetti, and Alfa Romeo. The BMW doesn't excite me as much, just like the real BMWs. I drive nothing but RWD cars in real life, so I am inclined to try "new" things with racing simulators. I forgot how much fun it could be with a front-wheel drive car. The only thing I wish Simbin would do is release a racing simulator with rear-wheel drive, front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive cars in the same game. They modeled the torque steer very realistically in Race 07's FWD cars, along with the throttle lift-off oversteer.

The Formula 3000 line of vehicles were modeled extremely well. Inside the cockpit, you look through the helmet visor and can see bugs splatter against the visor. Hitting the "Tearoff" key will remove that tearoff, essentially wiping off all the bug splatter. The brake rotors turn red when they get hot. All of these small details REALLY add to the experience of driving one of these ultra-quick race cars. I have to give kudos to the developers. They know exactly how to make a racer or race car enthusiast feel at home even in a computer game.

I did not find any bugs thus far with several hours of gameplay. There were quite a few glitches that I found with GTR2 but Race 07 was very polished overall.

Steam has racked up a lot of complaints and fortunately SimBin allows you to install an OFFLINE version of Race07 that lacks multiplayer features without requiring registration or the use of Steam. The ONLINE version can be installed on the same computer and requires registration. This at least allows the player to decide what they want to install.

The sound effects are spectacular. You can hear the brakes squeel just like a set of real racing brakes. The visual effects are interesting as well; the wipers, helmet visor tearoffs, and the particle effects add an extra dimension to the experience. The Lacetti's engine sounds like a beast and it is a shame no one is making a production version of a WTCC car with a similar engine.

The new tracks like Macau and Pau are simply amazing. My favorite GTR2 track, Anderstorp, makes its comeback in Race 07 with new textures and some minor changes (all for the better).

Cons: The game takes awhile to start up from the desktop, and loading the a track takes awhile. The headlights don't appear to serve any use in the game other than as daytime running lights.

I liked GTR2 but I am enjoying Race 07 even more mainly due to the better graphics and different cars. Now I understand why Jason Plato and Tiff Needell love these European hot hatches and small cars.

I just learned that there will be an expansion pack for Race 07 WTCC that allows you to drive all of the GT class vehicles and on a few extra tracks (including Nordschleife). I have been waiting years for SimBin to develop a bug-free Nordschleife/Nurburgring track. All of the player-made versions have bugs that become extremely frustrating. One example is hitting the carousel only to find your car "stuck" in a FIA curb.

Games made by this company are hidden gems. Just as GTR2 was a solid title, Race 07 doesn't displease. If you like arcade style racers, this isn't your game. If your into Gran Turismo or Forza..this will probably be right up your alley. If your a newbie, there are lots of settings available to give you driving assistance. Over time though, you'll start to turn off these features. And...the price is amazing! Caution though...starting to play Racing sims can be contageous. I found myself wanting a better steering wheel, then a special seat, then a buttkicker....now I'm wanting a multi monitor setup.

I purchased Race 07 before I purchased GTR 2. I was and still am pleased with Race 07. GTR 2 is an improvement, but since Race 07 has different cars, both products are good to have. The interface of GTR 2 is refined over Race 07. Race 07 is a very good simulation game. And by the way, in my opinion you should not waste your money and more importantly, your time, on GRID. GRID is most certainly not worthy of my time and money. I have reviewed it with some detail.

Got this game really cheap of Amazon for under $10. Although I found that it doesn't run well on Vista or eMachines laptops (shocker!) I will soon upgrade the graghics card on my XP desktop. Once I got the Online version (Steam) to run on my laptop it was awesome, even on low graphics and minimal effects. I can't wait to upgrade other computer and get to play it without lag. I would definitely recommend playing the game with a gamepad or racing wheel, it supports the arrow keys/WASD setup but that's not very fun. I love Simbin products and will buy more of their products in the future. Would recommend to a friend.

I have been playing the SIMBIN race games starting with the first GTR. Realistic simulation and fun to drive. I'm too old to drive on the track anymore but this helps me turn and burn again. Race 7 is a first class racing sim. Are the cars too slow, then hop in the F3! Beat my 1:45.201 at Monza. I'm sick and old it will be easy.

Game was delivered on time, no problems. The game itself is very realistic, but somewhat difficult to get started. Like all racing games, trying to turn is difficult with the keyboard but might be better with the attachable steering wheel (sold separately of course)

Anyway, my kids are better at this game than I am, but that is to be expected since they don't have any real driving to compare it to.

It's a good game well run with Vista , very good and fast delevery.
Thanks

I like this game. It has great graphics, the replay mode is like watching the race on TV but better because of the different angles and a nice collection of vehicles. If you like racing sims, get this one.