Gamernode: Reviews - Race 07

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• Race 07
• PC
• SimBin
• Viva Media
• October 01st, 2007

The neat part of this game comes in trying out all the different classes of cars. You'll find F3000 cars, Formula BMWs, old-school looking Caterhams, Hondas, Chevys, Minis and a bunch of others. Each car handles according to its real world counterparts and this gives you a varied racing experience each time you switch, not to mention the 32 tracks you can race on from around the world.
 

Multiplayer games are a curse and a blessing. Most online games will be set to real world parameters to mimic the racing events of the WTCC. That means some long practice laps, a qualifying session, and finally, the races. You can burn up a lot of time in just getting to the race portion, and non-fans of the racing logistics may not have the patience to go through this. If you're lucky, you might be able to join a game just as it's finished its practice laps and save yourself some time, but it's a rare event.
 

Championship mode follows a similar strict racing policy and unless you're hardcore, this single player series may really wear you down even before you start your first race. Serious fans of WTCC racing only need apply.
 

Race 07 can be played with practically any interface you want. If you want to race from your keyboard, that's as easy as selecting keyboard from the long list of different devices. Of course using a racing wheel is the way to go, and you'll find no lack of selection here. Gamepads, Xbox controllers, you name it -- no matter which way you go, you'll be able to play with the interface that suits you best.
 

Graphics are pretty good as the race track and cars are true to life. The developers had to skimp on a few things in order to put more power into gameplay and evidence of this is the spectators along the grandstands and courses; they're nothing more than 2D cutouts. You can choose from a selection of camera views, but the one that really gives you the most realistic experience is the inside-the-helmet view.
 

You'll see the car bounce and jitter as you race along the course, and the limited vision available inside the helmet makes you appreciate what real racecar drivers have to do to navigate a course without crashing or spinning out. Sound effects mimic the sounds of your tires losing traction and the engine sounds of cars whizzing by you are effective in giving you that in-the-game feeling. There's even an onboard radio that you can turn on, but I found that just adding my own tracks of classic electronica worked best for me.
 

There are a few bugs and design features in the game which sort of grind on your nerves, such as the inability of skipping beginning cutscenes while using a gamepad, spotty rule violation calls, lengthy load times, and being able to switch to different graphics modes without crashing the game. These issues, most likely, will be addressed in the next edition.
 

The hardcore sim-racing fan will like this title. SimBin's attempt to reach the regular gamer on the street who isn't a racing fan scores points for making a sim racer easier to get into, but the lengthy process of getting ready for a real race may be too much for the novice.

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