TD from veterangamers.com threw down with these impressions. He's connected so it's for real. I vouch for that.
I'm posting here first for you guys. Later on I'll post it on IGN.
CodeXP, you can post this on your website if you'd like. I don't mind.
Just so everyone knows, the version my friend has is a preview build. Therefore, some elements are missing or are still being refined.
But from what I saw, it should be damn good when it's finished.
MODES----------
The modes....Time Attack, Single Race, Career, Multiplayer, Live, Leaderboards and Options. It's pretty much the same as the first game with the obvious exception of Xbox Live support. It wasn't set up for Live so I can't really comment on that.
Multiplayer mode has 16-player system link or up to 4 player for split screen. The game types are Rally, Rallycross, Hill Climb, Ice Racing and the new one is Crossover. In Crossover you and your opponent race on a split lane track and then switch lanes during each lap.
Time Attack is one of the modes that allows you to unlock new paint jobs and you can also compete with ghost data from other gamers.
The Career Mode is split up into 4 difficulty levels: Amateur (21 events), Pro (36 events), Champion (48 events) and SuperRally (this one was still locked)
The events in Career Mode are linear but they do branch off letting you pick the sequence. I don't remember if the first game did this or not.
The events take place in U.S., Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Sweden and Monte Carlo. I'd estimate that each country has 3-4 unique courses that vary with time of day, weather and alternate routes.
The variety of the tracks is comparable to the first game. Some of the downhill courses have long straits for those who feel like flying
CARS-----------
It looks like there are 32 cars in the game, most are locked at first. There were 29 in RSC1, right? I was told I can't list all of the cars because of his reviewer agreement. But here is the list that I can share: Audi Quattro S1, Saab Viggen, Toyota Celica, VW Beetle RSI, Toyota Tocoma (is this a truck??), Lancia Rallye, Volvo Amazon, Subaru Impreza, Ford GT70.
There is a lot more car customization this time around. The tuning is closer to Colin McRae 3.
You have 3 levels of car tuning: Basic, Advanced and Suspension
Basic is close to RSC1....tire type, transmission, steering, gear ratio.
Advanced has brake stiffness, brake balance, power ratio, toe in/out front, toe in/out back. Each of these categories has a slider adjustment.
Suspension has spring stiffness front/back, spring length front/back, damper front/back. Again, each one of these can be adjusted with a slider.
I didn't really mess with the settings that much to see the difference.
HANDLING-------
We alternated between RSC1, RSC2 and Colin McRae 3. RSC2 is the clear winner in my opinion. The handling is undeniably better than the first game. The cars and physics seem more realistic in comparison. It feels less stiff and the terrain changes are more noticeable. But it isn't as sensitive and precise (and as difficult) as Colin McRae 3. I would say it's a nice blend between RSC1 and Colin McRae3.
Car damage has been improved a lot. There are more levels of destruction and it does affect performance. You can lose wheels and mess up your transmission. At one point I messed up my transmission so badly that it wouldn't shift automatically. The only time there was an upshift is when I went downhill. Pretty cool stuff But doors, the hood, the hatch, the tail, bumpers, etc can all break off.
You can adjust the level of damage in any mode except Career mode. And if you're worried about competitors crashing into you, damage favors the crasher, not the crashee. Also, you can turn off collisions all together. For multiplayer, it's like all of your opponents are ghost cars.
GRAPHICS----
The graphics aren't 100% but it looks like it's going to be one sweet looking game. The environments are a big improvement over the first game. There's a lot more objects in the background like a windmill field, waterfalls, a dam, etc. It kills Colin McRae 3 in this area (well, the first one did too imho).
The bystanders look like they were improved a bit. On the same level with GTA:VC character models.
The rain-on-the-windshield effect looks pretty cool too. It's not the typical beading water globs like other games. The rain drops leave little streaks as they drip down the dirty windshield.
The reflections on the cars seem a lot sharper than the RSC1 models. The paint finishes also look more realistic.
I don't really want to comment on the framerate because it's still in progress.
OTHER TIDBITS-----
* If you stray off course, your position gets reset. But it looks like you're given a little more distance this time around. So the reset is less
* There are fewer camera views but some of the views in RSC1 just seemed unnecessary. You have the essentials in RSC2: bumper, hood, chase, follow and cockpit/interior view
* As the courses load you can cycle through driving tips and instructional diagrams showing you how to take curves properly, etc. Really good stuff here
* You can save replays
* I'm not 100% but it looks like Widescreen is supported.
I'm personally looking forward to this one alot. Improvements all around over the first and I loved that one.
I'm posting here first for you guys. Later on I'll post it on IGN.
CodeXP, you can post this on your website if you'd like. I don't mind.
Just so everyone knows, the version my friend has is a preview build. Therefore, some elements are missing or are still being refined.
But from what I saw, it should be damn good when it's finished.
MODES----------
The modes....Time Attack, Single Race, Career, Multiplayer, Live, Leaderboards and Options. It's pretty much the same as the first game with the obvious exception of Xbox Live support. It wasn't set up for Live so I can't really comment on that.
Multiplayer mode has 16-player system link or up to 4 player for split screen. The game types are Rally, Rallycross, Hill Climb, Ice Racing and the new one is Crossover. In Crossover you and your opponent race on a split lane track and then switch lanes during each lap.
Time Attack is one of the modes that allows you to unlock new paint jobs and you can also compete with ghost data from other gamers.
The Career Mode is split up into 4 difficulty levels: Amateur (21 events), Pro (36 events), Champion (48 events) and SuperRally (this one was still locked)
The events in Career Mode are linear but they do branch off letting you pick the sequence. I don't remember if the first game did this or not.
The events take place in U.S., Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Sweden and Monte Carlo. I'd estimate that each country has 3-4 unique courses that vary with time of day, weather and alternate routes.
The variety of the tracks is comparable to the first game. Some of the downhill courses have long straits for those who feel like flying
CARS-----------
It looks like there are 32 cars in the game, most are locked at first. There were 29 in RSC1, right? I was told I can't list all of the cars because of his reviewer agreement. But here is the list that I can share: Audi Quattro S1, Saab Viggen, Toyota Celica, VW Beetle RSI, Toyota Tocoma (is this a truck??), Lancia Rallye, Volvo Amazon, Subaru Impreza, Ford GT70.
There is a lot more car customization this time around. The tuning is closer to Colin McRae 3.
You have 3 levels of car tuning: Basic, Advanced and Suspension
Basic is close to RSC1....tire type, transmission, steering, gear ratio.
Advanced has brake stiffness, brake balance, power ratio, toe in/out front, toe in/out back. Each of these categories has a slider adjustment.
Suspension has spring stiffness front/back, spring length front/back, damper front/back. Again, each one of these can be adjusted with a slider.
I didn't really mess with the settings that much to see the difference.
HANDLING-------
We alternated between RSC1, RSC2 and Colin McRae 3. RSC2 is the clear winner in my opinion. The handling is undeniably better than the first game. The cars and physics seem more realistic in comparison. It feels less stiff and the terrain changes are more noticeable. But it isn't as sensitive and precise (and as difficult) as Colin McRae 3. I would say it's a nice blend between RSC1 and Colin McRae3.
Car damage has been improved a lot. There are more levels of destruction and it does affect performance. You can lose wheels and mess up your transmission. At one point I messed up my transmission so badly that it wouldn't shift automatically. The only time there was an upshift is when I went downhill. Pretty cool stuff But doors, the hood, the hatch, the tail, bumpers, etc can all break off.
You can adjust the level of damage in any mode except Career mode. And if you're worried about competitors crashing into you, damage favors the crasher, not the crashee. Also, you can turn off collisions all together. For multiplayer, it's like all of your opponents are ghost cars.
GRAPHICS----
The graphics aren't 100% but it looks like it's going to be one sweet looking game. The environments are a big improvement over the first game. There's a lot more objects in the background like a windmill field, waterfalls, a dam, etc. It kills Colin McRae 3 in this area (well, the first one did too imho).
The bystanders look like they were improved a bit. On the same level with GTA:VC character models.
The rain-on-the-windshield effect looks pretty cool too. It's not the typical beading water globs like other games. The rain drops leave little streaks as they drip down the dirty windshield.
The reflections on the cars seem a lot sharper than the RSC1 models. The paint finishes also look more realistic.
I don't really want to comment on the framerate because it's still in progress.
OTHER TIDBITS-----
* If you stray off course, your position gets reset. But it looks like you're given a little more distance this time around. So the reset is less
* There are fewer camera views but some of the views in RSC1 just seemed unnecessary. You have the essentials in RSC2: bumper, hood, chase, follow and cockpit/interior view
* As the courses load you can cycle through driving tips and instructional diagrams showing you how to take curves properly, etc. Really good stuff here
* You can save replays
* I'm not 100% but it looks like Widescreen is supported.
I'm personally looking forward to this one alot. Improvements all around over the first and I loved that one.
