Race 07 review (PC)

Ninety percent of my social group can drive and, with my inability, whenever their presence becomes abundant at my local, I fall silent as they regurgitate and digest each other's knowledge of all things automobile. I resent just how esoteric it feels in the above environment, but my silence isn't grounded in disinterest. In fact, whenever I'm driven around by one of my bloated selection of able-bodied friends, I often ponder the implications and merits of a driver's license and just how awesome it would feel to simply cruise around.

Unfortunately, I've got just under half a year before my questions are answered as I intend to get my intellect confirmed or denied before getting behind the wheel. However, thanks to SimBin's RACE 07, I can go all pre-emptive on driving's ass!

Ignition

Not too pre-emptive, though, since RACE 07's selection of cars aren't always the kind you'd consider appropriate for everyday errands – unless your local newsagents is at the end of a racing strip. Nonetheless, when you've got the choice between a Mini, a Formula 1 car and everything in between to storm around 32 tracks from around the globe, RACE 07 starts to get up to speed with the contenders.

Being the 'Official WTCC game', it's no wonder why your two main challenges are WTCC 06 and 07, and although each of these delivers a thrilling – albeit linear – challenge, the game really comes alive when you start making your own championships and this is really where you should set up camp. Pick your tracks. Pick your car class, and load in.

Makin' Tracks

Once you know your locations and car, you face the basic customizable settings such as Automatic Gearbox and Fuel use. While these are all well and good, if you enter 'Car Setup', you're dragged a little deeper in to the statistical pandemonium – facing (if you want to) a barrage of your car's modifiable aspects. We're talking tire pressures, springs, ride height – all of the things you'd seldom tackle on a real car just in case you end up wrapping it around a lamppost.

These settings are clearly for a more advanced driver sim' user, but the fact it's all available for tweaking delivers a good sense of personalisation to the player – doing what you want, when you want and how you want.

Aww, last place already?!

Now, unfortunately for me, and those like me, not falling under the above 'advanced' category means I tend to adapt the game to suit my ineptitude instead of clear-cut driving criteria. In all honesty, although the game panders to any underwhelming ability, it's still relatively difficult to succeed to a satisfactory degree. The game arouses a Wipeout-esque rage when you're gunning it down the final stretch, quickly closing in on the finish line and almost tasting sweet victory when a slight miscalculation or nudge from an opposing driver loses you several positions and a whole clump of hair.

Much like the cars themselves, however, the AI is also tweakable. This is truly an indispensable attribute because it basically allows the player to heighten or lower the learning curve – gradually increasing it as more and more championships are completed. Of course, you can moan all you like about the other cars, but actually learning to drive properly is the key – it's just nice having less skilled and tenacious opponents to lay the path for such developments.

A True Spoiler... *Cough*

With chequered flags and burning rubber aside, RACE 07 starts to degrade. The game itself is an admirable achievement not just in terms of entertainment but factual accuracy and feel as well. It's just, when comparing it to other racing games such as PGR4 in terms of aesthetics, RACE 07 starts to attract frowns. Several of them. All scornful.

It's not that RACE 07 looks particularly bad, but in this era of epic shading, high-res textures and bountifully detailed landscapes it falls short somewhat - strangely, it looks quite 2D in places.

Finish Line

I usually sport a certain disdain towards PC-based racing games but RACE 07 has forced a rethink. Admittedly, I've changed back and forth from my gamepad and keyboard several times throughout play, but either one is ample input for a game surprisingly suited to the PC. It's lacking graphical glamour, but it more than makes up for it with superb sound effects and music – not to mention deep customization and solid multiplayer. It may be running on an old engine, but it's got life in it yet.