Customer Reviews

Sierra Sports: Grand Prix Legends

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Actually the word about GPL has been out for some time. GPL will challange even the most dedicated racing-sim addict. But it's worth it...

The graphics are still top-notch, but the crème de la crème is that wonderfully defiant physics-model. Even though I'd had other racing sims for some years, my first week with GPL was a joke. But after about 40 hours on the sim, I could at least complete a couple of laps at speed without taking out a flagman, the crowd or another car. Another month and I could actually race a fairly decent race, so long as I didn't get too agressive. These are brutal cars on unforgiving tracks, just like the orginals were. Close the throttle too quickly and you'll swap ends in a second, into a brick building -- run-off areas were often non-existant. There is little wonder that so few drivers of the 1967 era are alive today -- regrettably the cars and the tracks of the day ate them.

Papyrus has done an excellent job with this; except for one glaring fault. The learning curve is near vertical and there is no way to dumb-down the cars (except to reduce damage) for those who demand instant gratification. You'll just have to go through the long (but entertaining) process of learning the lost art of the four-wheel drift -- and you'll eventually learn the benefits (or at least usefulness) of power on/off understeer and oversteer. In some ways these cars drive like non-winged spint-cars on a very wet track -- but perhaps just a bit more volitile. GPL models wheel-spin well about 100mph, and you'll eventually learn that although these beasties are unforgiving, they can be oh so satifying when you finally get it right. The arcade mindset will only frustrate the new GPL driver, but with time the amount of satisfaction you get will be well beyond anything you'll get without four real wheels.

Grand Prix Legends (GPL) is truly a remarkable simulation. It gives you an appreciation of how challenging it is to drive a high powered race car. The graphics (you need a 3dfx card) and sounds are very realistic. The cars behave realistically (i.e. you can spin out at low speeds if you over rev your wheels). This game is for those who enjoy car racing but dislike the cheap arcade style racing games. It is difficult to master, but after a few hours, you can take a car around a lap without too much trouble. The tracks are beautiful and there is one that is 14 miles long! I highly recommend this game, but be ready to spend time learning it.

I'm used to playing F1 2002 and the switch to this game has taken a lot of practice and time. The cars are NOT easy to drive -- no God mode here. The cars are fast, sound great, and respond with the twitch and jump of a real sports car. Brake too late? You're going to crash. Can't hold a perfectly straight line on the 5 mile straight? You're going to flip and your race will be over. The dynamics of this game are a real challenge, but it is worth it. Once you complete a lap (yes, a lap) at speed you'll think you've won the whole race.

You'll need to download some patches, but the game is very solid. There are TONS of car and track downloads out there, including the old LeMans with the 7 mile straight and many newer tracks. Wonderful. Make sure you practice!

True this is a very difficult sim to master but patience pays off! You MUST practice with the lower powered cars or you will be totally frustrated. Once you "graduate" to the big leagues there is no other sim that lets you drive with your throttle like it was done back in the 60's with these fire breathers. I can't express the excitement of setting up for a high speed turn and then using the throttle more than the wheel to get me through fast! I used to watch these races as a teenager - showing my age ;) This is not a sim for people who like arcade style driving. But if you are willing to spend some time with this one you will be rewarded with an exciting driving experience.

In addition to a previous reviewer's note that there is a force-feedback patch out for "GPL" (which provides the best feedback you'll find anywhere), it should be noted that there's also a Direct3D patch, so every 3D accelerator card can be used now with the right patches from the web site of the game's developers, Papyrus.

Patches also exist to allow GPL to be used with the Act-Labs gated shifter unit. That company even produced a standalone shifter specifically to meet the demand of people who used other brands of steering wheels for GPL. They're also currently producing a standalone three-pedal unit for the same reasons, since GPL has a fully working clutch but no one had mass-produced the hardware to support it yet. Can you think of any other single game of any type that has been a significant influence for a hardware company to design controllers for it? This gives you an idea of how GPL makes people addicted to realism.

While you're getting patches, there are simply tons of third-party add-ons for this sim. There are as many new historic tracks out now as came with the game (e.g., Snetterton, Solitude, Crystal Palace, Goodwood, Bremgarten, Anderstorp, Keimola, Croft, Clermont-Ferrand) with several more in development. There are new car graphics, new track graphics, new car shapes (turn those fictional Coventry and Murasama cars into the real Cooper and Honda, and add 3D wheel shapes to all the cars). You can even run a patch that will allow a unique sound for each car, and there are several much better sounds available -- some, like ones I've made, come from actual recordings of the real cars.

Out of the box, GPL is quite dated (it was released in 1998). But with the official patches and the best of the third-party updates, it is transformed into something that looks like it came out today. It's just terribly unfortunate that its difficulty (hey, there's a reason only a handful of people could properly race these cars in real life) and its lack of Direct3D support out of the box gave it an initial bad impression, turning it into a commercial failure. Even magazine reviewers who panned GPL when it came out have been re-reviewing it a couple years later, saying how wrong they were and admitting that they're now addicted to it. You will be too. Your steering wheel may never leave your desk again.

I think there is unanimity about the quality of this simulation . I just want to highlight the fact that, as soon as you install it as a 1998 graphically obsolete software, you have just put the foot in the door. In the next hour(s), through free downloads from the web, you will polish it into what I think is still the best road circuit simulation in 2004 : photo quality graphics, hundreds of circuits sometimes better than the originals ( you'll find the old Monza with the oval, Ile of Man TT, Limerock Park, Oulton Park, Le Mans, Laguna Seca ....) . Someone provides force feedback, someone else a Nurburgring tutorial ... it never stops. There are online leagues everywhere from Brazil to Sweden and you get all that stuff, legally, for less than $10 . Come on in !

GPL is a drivers game, so if you want arcade, play something else. I have been playing car/racing sims for many years, and been able to master most of them pretty quickly with my wheel. I started playing GPL over a year ago and only within the past 2 months have i been able to win a race on the easiest level. The realism is amazing, as the circuits are inch perfect, which is amazing within in its self, as most of the programmers would never have seen these tracks in real life.

I have been fortunate to have had a ride around the old Kyalami GP track many years ago, before it was torn down, and playing legends was extremely realistic.....too realistic in fact, as i am sure that is the case with all the other tracks.

Driving the car, can only be enjoyed racing with all the computer aids (traction,Braking and steering help) disabled, with the car in GP mode. The cars are evil tank slapping sliding monsters with the tendency to bite you hard should you not treat it with respect. But get the car hooked up on a fast lap, and the adrenalin will flow with the force of a dam wall bursting.

Realism comes at a cost though as it is best enjoyed with a PII or faster with plenty memory and it has to have a 3D card.

I have networked and played Gp3 but legends networked with other machines makes for the greatest racing I have ever had.

When I bought this game 1 month ago (November 2002), four years after the inital release date of 1998, I was extremely skeptical about how well this game would stack up. Many games from only 2 years ago now look awful and are unplayable due to poor graphics, so I couldn't imagine that a game produced in 1998 would look anything less that ugly.

How wrong I was. The games producers have released patches that allow modern graphics cards to display the game nicely, and for every track and car in the game, somebody out in web-land has produced a high resolution graphical update.

In short, the game might not be as hyper realistic looking as some games, but it is by no means ugly. In fact, at times, the game is downright beautiful to look at.

Coupled with the amazing game play and a new force-feedback steering wheel, this game has provided me with one of the most engrossing PC gaming experiences I have ever had.

For anybody who likes a challenge and has the patience to work on something that doesn't provide immediate results, then I highly recommend this game -- it is one of the great masterpieces of the PC gaming world.

What an amazing gem of programming this is. It's now 18 months after its release, and I'm driving it as often as I did the first month. And though I'm having fun, I still have much to learn. If you were placed in one of these 1967 death traps with probably the greatest imbalance between speed and traction that technology ever allowed to exist, you would have to start slow and then work your speed up to the white-knuckle, death defying, and exhilarating levels that could only be experienced by the best drivers in the world. Until now. With practice comes the immense satisfaction of duelling at the edge of control in a mercilessly realistic recreation of the beautifully rendered historic tracks of that never to be repeated period of auto racing. These vehicles feel responsive and alive in a way that now makes all other racing sims feel artificial and canned. Frustration yes, also fatigue from intense concentration, heart-stopping close calls, a brilliant sense of hell-bent speed, and moments of exhilaration: all will be discovered by those who stick it through with Grand Prix Legends. And when you start to get the hang of it, head to WinVROC online and race against other sim jockeys. If your nerves can stand it!

Although the out of box product may appear somewhat dated, please note that the Papyrus design team have released a "GPL 2004 demo" as freeware, and this is in effect a complete upgrade to this product, produced with the co-operation of many modders/designers. There are new car graphics, sounds and force-feedback effects. Combine this product with the freeware "demo" and you have a state of the art historic F1 simulation which is still a bear to drive. The out of pocket expense is ridiculously low, given the price of new sims, and I would recommend this (with the upgrade--find it yourself) without reservation. But be warned: this is an uncompromising simulation, and hardly suitable for a casual gamer.