I've been digging through my archives, and came across this review of Assetto Corsa Competizione that I wrote back in May (before the release of the console versions and the GT4 Pack DLC). I have rewritten that review below, with a few modifications. I hope you enjoy reading my honest opinion of this game, and keep in mind that I am not a professional game reviewer or critic, but I do try my best.
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First of all, this is a game that is focused on a single racing series, the GT World Challenge Europe (formerly known as the Blancpain GT Series). That means the game features all of the cars and teams of the series, all of the tracks, and all of the rules and regulations. It's like the F1 or WRC games; if you're not a fan of GT3 racing then this game isn't for you, but if you are, then this game's single-minded focus and pursuit of authenticity means that nothing else comes close.
Part of the game's focus on the GTWC is the cars. All of the cars that were on the grid in 2018 and 2019 are here, from the many, many Audi R8s and AMGS to the oddball Emil Frey Jaguar XK and Reiter Engineering's Gallardo. Each car drives different as well. You can spend hours getting to grips with the AMG GT3, to then jump into the R8 LMS and find you have to learn a new set of quirks and characteristics. Throw around a Porsche 911 GT3 R and a BMW M6 GT3, and you'll find that they are quite different animals. Balance of Performance keeps the cars close in terms of outright performance, but each car works best with a particular track and driving style.
For vehicle handling, the game is realistic, but not to the point of being impossible to control. These GT3 cars are not like classic F1 cars; tamed only by those with other-worldly talent. These cars are designed for wealthy businessmen to live out their race-driver fantasies, but that doesn't mean that anyone can win with one. You still have to know what you're doing, and trying to drive like you're in Need for Speed will end with you in the gravel trap. These cars are more approachable than other race cars, but they can still turn into 500-horsepower pinballs with improper driving.
I feel like Kunos Simulazioni are the masters of vehicle dynamics, and they've managed to capture the driving behaviour of these cars without making them excessively difficult to control. I remember a conversation I had with SimRace1's receptionist about how sim-racing developers and gamers are perhaps confusing realism with difficulty. For example, I could never really get on with Project CARS 2, try as I might, and it always felt like I was driving on a knife's edge. Assetto Corsa Competizione is a different story, and while the cars may be a big part of that, anyone who is used to the original Assetto Corsa will likely be right at home here.
The tracks are also beautifully recreated, having been laser-scanned, and each provides a different experience. Diving through Paddock Hill at Brands Hatch, opening the taps down the long back straight at Paul Ricard (no chicane for the GT layout!), or pushing around Monza's sweeping turns in the ultimate test of downforce; you'll be racing all around Europe in the pursuit of victory.
The sounds are another area in which Kunos excel, and ACC may be their finest work ever. Each car sounds exactly as they do in real life (and having attended the Blancpain GT Series round at Brands Hatch, I can confirm this!), and the in-car sounds are to die for. The screaming V10 Audi and Lamborghini. The howling Porsche 911. The thundering Bentley and Mercedes-AMG. You also have the other sounds: the squealing of brakes, the screeching of tyres approaching the limit of adhesion, the whining of straight-cut gears, the crackle of backfire and anti-lag. Just like the handling, the sound contributes heavily to each car's unique character. It's not just the cars either; each track also has unique atmospheric commentary taken from the actual race events.
Graphically, this game is outstanding. The details are beautiful, and this game has something the old Assetto Corsa couldn't manage without mods: dynamic weather and a full day-night cycle. It is entirely possible to run a full 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, running into the night with the risk of the heavens opening up at any moment. If there is a downside to this graphical excellence, it's the performance. This game is VERY graphically intensive, and while you can happily hotlap with the graphics turned up to Epic settings, even a modest lineup of opponent cars can cause framerate issues and stuttering at this level of graphics, at least on my laptop. A full grid of 30+ cars is something I would only really attempt with a dedicated gaming PC. Another issue I need to acknowledge is Virtual Reality, and while I don't have a VR headset, the performance in VR mode is apparently very poor, so keep that in mind.
DLC? There is one pack already out: the Intercontinental GT Challenge Pack. This adds four new tracks, with Mount Panorama, Laguna Seca, Suzuka and Kyalami all receiving the same attention-to-detail as the existing European tracks. This is probably the most realistic Suzuka I've ever come across, and going full-send through Mount Panorama's mountain section is suitably bum-puckering. You also get the liveries of the teams that competed in these IGTC endurance races, which is good for variety. In the future, we're expecting a GT4 pack, adding entry-level GT cars which will undoubtedly make for very exciting racing, whether on their own or in a multi-class field. This would bode very well for the second incoming DLC pack, adding the remaining tracks of the British GT Championship. Having also attended a round or two of the British GT Championship, and witnessed the simultaneous GT3 and GT4 battles, I am confident that Assetto Corsa Competizione could become one of the finest GT racing simulators available.
My conclusion to this rather long review? I'm going to go back to what I said in the opening part. You've really got to be into GT3 racing to like this game, but it's single-minded focus on the GT World Challenge Europe delivers an authenticity that no all-in-one racing game could hope to match. If you have a system capable of handling a large number of cars with great graphical detail, then this is the best-looking, best sounding and best-driving GT3 racing simulator you'll come across, and if that's the kind of experience you're looking for, then you won't regret picking this up.
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And so that concludes my rewrite of the ACC review I wrote in May. I wrote another review of the GT4 Pack DLC for this game soon after it released in July, and I will be rewriting that review for this blog as well. Stay tuned!
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