Now and then I’ll encounter a display quirk or a bug that may botch a race start, and the AI desperately needs a lesson in first corners, but when I’m out on track wringing ten-tenths out of my car against just the right AI level – one eye on the car ahead and the other on the clouds above – this is about as good as real racing gets right now.

Project Cars 2 is not a racer in which you ever feel compelled to simply go through the motions. It’s a game that centres you firmly as an active participant. It’s a game that makes you want to be a racer, and that might just be the best compliment that can be bestowed upon a representative of this genre. You just need to make sure you’ve got the patience required to work out exactly how best to begin consuming what it has to offer.

There is a lot to really like about Project Cars 2. There’s a veritable smorgasbord of cars and tracks, enough so that there should be something for everyone. The visuals are again top notch. The handling is much improved since the first game. The issues that are there are ones that seem to be at least fixable.

Minus some occasional glaring AI issues, it's off to the races with yet another stunning simulation racer.

Project CARS 2 takes the foundations of its father and builds upon them, improving all aspects, but some areas have received more upgrades than others. This is no doubt a better racing game than its predecessor, with amazing visuals, fantastic sounds, more variety in cars, tracks and events, while featuring a dynamic weather system that stands above the rest of the pack, but the buggy AI sours the overall racing experience. Project CARS 2 also has that feeling that it is made for racing wheel accessories than a controller, and while the improved controller support is good, it’s still not the gold standard in the genre. It’s a rather hectic time for racing fans, with a few games coming or already out within such a small release window that there are many options to pick from for racing fans, and Project CARS 2 deserves attention for bringing great simulation racing, but stands out more for the unique driving-in-the-weather experience that cannot be found in any other racing game.

Controller support has vastly improved compared to the first game, with configuration options and game assists available to tailor your experience.

Racing simulation with a huge but unfulfilled potential. Wonderful visuals and vast amount of content on one hand, on the other there is a constant hunt for a bug fixing and managing the drive model. [Issue#283]