After arriving on PC over a year ago, Assetto Corsa Competizione finally lands on consoles. For a few days, the all-Italian driving simulation video game has been available for purchase for PS4 ed Xbox One.
Compared to Assetto Corsa, developed by Kunos Simulations, 4 years ago, here you no longer have the impression of losing part of the gaming experience offered by the PC version. Assetto Cosa Competizione turned out to be a excellent title, capable of giving console gamers asimulation experience of a loyalty never seen on these platforms.
However, it is not suitable for everyone, and it's not free from minor flaws. You know, perfection is not of this world.
We tell you everything in this review: put on your helmet and fasten your seat belts, off you go.
Let's start with the basics
Let's start with the fundamental question: what is Assetto Corsa Competizione?
It is a video game that is part of the so-called category of "sim racing“, Or rather of driving simulators on the track.
Unlike games like Forza Motorsport, Forza Horizon or Gran Turismo, which also wink at arcade lovers and are easier to approach, here the experience is simulative and representative of reality as much as possible.
The concentration of the developers has in fact gone in a rather clear direction: to give users an experience that focuses everything on realism of controls, sounds and races than to captivating game modes, breathtaking graphics or other "superfluous" things.
Then there is one substantial difference with the previous, and much appreciated, Assetto Corsa .
In the first effort of the very Italian software houses Kunos Simulations e 505 Gamesin fact, the licensed cars ranged from more or less powerful road cars to various types of racing cars, historic and otherwise, up to some Formula 1 cars.
Assetto Corsa Competizione changes course and proposes the exclusive license of the Blancpain GT Championship.
For the uninitiated, this championship is the official championship for racing cars in the Gran Turismo category, (for now represented by the "only" GT3s), cars derived from very sporty series models.
This category is one of the most popular by fans and one of the most popular in virtual racing.
Also for this reason, Assetto Corsa Competizione loses a bit of choice, of course, but it offers the most demanding players a virtual experience as similar as possible to reality.
So, which car can I use on Assetto Corsa Competizione?
The usable cars on the game are therefore all the cars used in the 2018 and 2019 seasons of the Blancpain GT Championship.
The "donor" cars for this category are some of the most beautiful supercars in the world, come Ferrari 488 GTB, Aston Martin Vantage, McLaren 720S ed altre.
However, since the Blancpain championship is also open to amateur drivers (“AM” drivers in jargon) there are also “less fresh” cars, such as Lamborghini Gallardo, McLaren 650S and others.
The complete list however includes two different lists, divided between the 2018 championship and the 2019 championship.
The "newest" list offers:
- Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3
- Audi R8 LMS Evo
- Bentley Continental GT3
- BMW M6 GT3
- Ferrari 488 GT3
- Honda NSX GT3 Evo
- Lamborghini Huracan GT3
- Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo
- Lexus RC F GT3
- McLaren 720S GT3
- Mercedes-AMG GT3
- Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3
- Porsche 991 II GT3 R
In the 2018 list instead we find:
- Aston Martin Racing V12 Vantage GT3
- Audi R8 LMS
- Bentley Continental GT3 2015
- Bentley Continental GT3 2018
- BMW M6 GT3
- Emil Frey Jaguar GT3 (based on Jaguar's previous sports car, the XKR)
- Ferrari 488 GT3
- Honda NSX GT3
- Lamborghini Huracan GT3
- Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo
- Lexus RC F GT3
- McLaren 650S GT3
- Mercedes-AMG GT3
- Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 2015
- Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 2018
- Porsche 991 GT3 R.
- Porsche 991 II GT3 Cup
- Reiter Engineering R-EX GT3 (a revised and corrected version of the "old" Lamborghini Gallardo GT3)
As can also be seen in the 2018 list, we also find Porsche 911 GT3 Cup e Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo.
These cars, in fact, do not belong to the GT3 category, but are included in the group because they participate with private teams in the 24 Hours of Spa.
These two cars are important because they give life to two single-make championships, Super Trofeo Lamborghini and Porsche SuperCup, which offer a lot of entertainment and are finally playable in an official way by all players. Really not bad.
In the future there will also be additional content, the so-called DLC, to add new cars and new tracks.
For example, in the fall they will come 11 cars GT4 totally new, which will increase the cars available in the game by 50%.
READ ALSO: Assetto Corsa Competizione arrives on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
And the tracks?
As for the circuits available on the game, we also have the official licenses for all circuits of the Championship.
We find historical and classic circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort e Zolder, the very Italian tracks of Monza e Misano.
However, the complete list includes:
- Barcelona
- Brands Hatch
- Hungaroring
- Misano
- Monza
- Nurburgring
- Paul ricard
- Silverstone
- Spa-Francorchamps
- Zandvoort
- Zolder
There are also four circuits included in the DLC Intercontinental GT Pack, namely Kyalami, Laguna Seca, Mount Panorama (Bathurst) and Suzuka, soon downloadable on all platforms.
Interface and game mode: finally user friendly
One of the critical points of the console version of Assetto Corsa was that it had a not very user friendly and intuitive interface, as well as a reduced amount of modes.
Today the music changes: Kunos and 505 have greatly improved this sector, and finally offer the public a 'easy and complete interface even on console.
All menus are easily accessible with Joypad or steering wheel, and include modes for all tastes.
In fact, we have the possibility to choose whether to play in Single Player, opt for the mode Multiplayer online, improve our guide with the Practice Mode (and we'll come back to this later) and to test ourselves in a new one Career mode.
Opening Career Mode We will be greeted by Mirko Bortolotti, Champion of the GT Blancpain 2017 Championship, who presents us with our challenge: prove our worth on the Lamborghini Huracàn Super Trofeo, to become a Junior driver of the Lamborghini team.
After having demonstrated our worth on dry, wet or night, we will be able to enter the "stable" of young Lamborghini drivers, get noticed by the various teams and make our way up to the GT championship, or to the wonderful endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Yes, you heard right, 24 hours. On Assetto Corsa Competizione they can be played “sprint” station for 10 or 20 minutes, or “Endurance” station from 3, 6, 9, 12 or 24 hours.
If you think that no one is crazy enough to run a 24-hour run on a video game ... you are wrong, and in fact this possibility has been welcomed with incredible joy by the fans, who can finally test themselves like real pilots on variable weather and storm conditions. for several hours.
The game engine
This leads us to talk about the game engine of this new chapter of Kunos Simulations.
For the first time, in fact, the Italian software house abandons its proprietary game engine, ed adopts Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4.
A game engine definitely appreciated in other very different uses, including even Fortnite.
The UR4 though surprise when used on a driving simulator.
In fact, the graphics are not at the level of games like Forza Horizon 4, capable of giving an almost photographic realism, but it still reveals itself definitely taken care of.
In Assetto Corsa Competizione, ambient lights, car interiors and circuits are faithfully reproduced, albeit without exaggerated realism, which is not what users of a game of this type want.
In a real driving simulator though the star is the car, and here you are never disappointed.
From a graphic point of view, all the cars are treated in detail.
All the cars present are faithful to reality and very beautiful to look at, almost more cared for than the rest of the setting
But where they shine is in dynamic behavior.
The cars are planted on the ground, they never give a floating sensation.
The disconnections and ups and downs of the different tracks are felt on the behavior of the car, and to be able to master the behavior of the car there are several hours of play.
The audio on the other hand is almost perfect… from the inside.
If you use the view from the cockpit, from the hood or from the nose of the car (preferred by the most hardcore gamers), the sounds of the cars are reproduced perfectly, and consistently for each car.
You will hear then the scream of the V10 on R8 and Huracàn, the gurgle of the V8 on the Aston Martin Vantage, and the sound rauco del 6 cilindri boxer on the 911.
Also environmental sounds are perfectly reproduced. The noise of tires, grass, skids and even gravel, with the pebbles gradually detaching from the car once out of the gravel are in fact almost perfect.
There is, however, a discordant note: the acoustic performance of the accidents and, above all, in the tracking visuals they are not up to par with the other components.
Too muffled, too "fake", a little distant. Ok, that on Assetto Corsa Competizione you lose a lot by playing "in the third person", but with perfect care of the car even "from behind" you would have achieved audio perfection.
La pioggia looks good from an aesthetic point of view and is rather realistic in the way it makes the track more slippery on the line and more stable off the line.
Too bad for the absence of a more realistic aquaplaning. If you pass over a puddle, in fact, the car breaks down almost imperceptibly.
Too bad: he had come close to the aquaplaning system of, for example, Project Cars 2 would have been really perfect.
In the driving model of this game in an almost perfect picture two details clash.
On the one hand, the force feedback of cars always seems a little too light, you would like it just a little harder even at the highest level.
On the other hand, however, in an almost perfect driving context where even the so-called "marbles", or pieces of rubber detached from the wheels that make the track incredibly slippery, collect, does not satisfy the response of the curbs.
If you take them a little, you hardly hear their intervention on the steering wheel and the behavior of the car.
If you take them even a little more or at a slightly higher speed, the car bounces and goes off the track.
In this, the PC version is almost perfect in terms of realism, and it is one of the few places where the console game lends its side to its "brother" for PC.
And how do you drive on Assetto Corsa Competizione?
The simple answer is: really good.
But you don't want the simple answer, but you want to know more.
Let's take a step back, and go back to the first Assetto Corsa. This title was as good and simulation on PC as it was a bit subdued and on console.
Today the difference, although still slightly noticeable, is very subtle.
Small disclaimer: we played Assetto Corsa Competizione on PS4 us steering wheel, therefore the driving sensations refer to the experience with the steering wheel and pedal set.
We also tried playing it with the joypad more casually, and in the end you will also get our impression with the pad.
The car is always agile, precise, and behaves very much like a real GT3 car.
If you enter the corner too hard, understeer takes over, the car does not turn as much as you want and you go off the track.
If you give the throttle too early, oversteer takes over, the car swerves and you go off the track.
If you exceed the steering inputs, however, the car will get nervous and it will be very difficult to control.
How is it noticeable by these words, Assetto Corsa Competizione is not a "catch, drive, win, hello" game.
It needs a good dose of knowledge of the track, basic driving techniques, trajectories and specific behavior of each car.
All the cars in the game have a well-determined character.
Mid-engined cars such as Ferrari 488 or McLaren 720S are great on narrow and winding tracks like Zolder, but they are also sharp in reactions and must be driven with precision and cleanliness.
Front-engined cars like the Aston Martin Vantage are less agile but much more stable on tracks like Silverstone, while driving the huge Bentley Continental GT3 is really challenging as the “mammoth” dimensions of the English supercar are clearly perceived.
In this settings and temperatures play a crucial role.
A set-up with attention to the smallest details among the hundreds of settings available between suspension angles, the level of incidence of the ailerons, electronics intervention and systems such as ABS and traction control are things that you absolutely must master if you want to get relief times.
Likewise, if the tires are cold, the car will be uncontrollable in the first few corners, and there will be a need for great expertise in the early stages of the race, or in the night stages of a race.
Finally, in the early days of the game, there were gods frame rate problems, fixed below 30 fps.
Now, after a few days of "settling in", the frequency is fixed at 30 frames per second for PS4 and Xbox One e One S, and gets up to 60 fps per PS4 Pro e Xbox One X.
For more demanding gamers, those extra 30fps can make all the difference in car control for faster reactions and corrections.
However, considering that this is a technical limitation of the consoles, let's say that if you look at the technical package offered by PS4 and Xbox One and One S, the result obtained is definitely satisfying.
Single player game: very aggressive and ... "stubborn" artificial intelligence
While these types of games are at their best when played against real online opponents, it must be said that the single player mode of Assetto Corsa Competizione defend themselves very well.
The difficulty level of the cars controlled by artificial intelligence can be calibrated.
Depending on our results in the first "releases" of the Career mode, the difficulty will be set to a level suited to our driving skills.
The single player game modes allow, in addition to taking part in the Career mode, to train alone in mode Practice, to get carried away with cars, circuits and refine our setups.
It is then possible to take part in all or part of the GT Blancpain Championship with 3, 6, 9 or 24 Hours races against AI and finally to take part in Special events, race scenarios where you are catapulted and asked to reach a specific goal.
For example: you are at the end of the 24 Hours of Spa with a car damage. The Special Event requires you to pit, repair the damage and finish the race in the highest possible position.
Single player races are very useful for training your "race pace", or rather their speed and consistency in the race, and to achieve this goal the cars of theartificial intelligence.
Your "virtual" opponents are actually i Official drivers of the Championship, and have a level of "skill" commensurate with the level of the real counterpart.
You will therefore find it difficult to overtake Mirko Bortolotti on the track, if you find him in front of you ...
If you then set the difficulty to a very high level, between 80 and the maximum, 100, AI will really give you a hard time.
There are very fast, and almost infallible: in several hours of gameplay I have never seen a mistake made by the AI.
This leads the player to have to become infallible, forced to improve their driving skills to excel.
But let's say that not even see an error, an accident or a backcountry in a multi-hour Endurance race-based game makes your nose turn up a little.
The last thing that is out of place in a very positive picture is that the AI follows one and only one trajectory.
Only on the straight will they overtake you, but if you are slower and you are in the ideal trajectory, expect a small (or a big ...) buffer.
Artificial intelligence slows down, but it doesn't swerve to avoid you: Such a pity.
Ah, you can too regulate the aggressiveness of the AI, but be careful: at 100 they are definitely aggressive, perhaps too much.
The rating: the more you play, the better, and… the more you play
We come to a crucial point of Assetto Corsa Competizione, which will make fans of the genre incredibly happy and casual players a little less enthusiastic: the rating.
What does it mean?
For this new chapter, Kunos and 505 have decided to take the rating from some "rival" simulators, or a series of rider-player ratings.
These scores are used to succeed in indirect players of similar level in competitions, without having an excessive discrepancy between the participants in the same race.
The rating consists of 6 macro-components:
- Pace (the Pass), that is the speed of a driver compared to the others: it takes into account the positions in the standings in the tests and in the race, and the competitiveness of the laps launched.
- Car Control, that is the ability to better control the car, without skidding, crashing and without “overdriving”, that is to say exaggerating and going through the curves too quickly.
- Consistency, that is, being able to maintain a more or less fast race pace during several laps.
- Track Competence, that is the ability to cover the greatest number of consecutive "clean" laps without errors, off the track or cuts.
- Safety, that is the ability to compete against rivals in a sporty and safe way, without causing accidents with every overtaking.
- RaceCraft, translatable as the ability to compete, that is to be able to overtake and battle with other drivers, implementing clean overtaking maneuvers, leaving room for other drivers and respecting the rules of racing.
As you can see, there are several parameters that they do the identikit of each ACC player.
In addition, there is a seventh rating that assigns a number of stars, from 1 to 3, for each circuit.
These "stars" indicate the player level on that track, and are very important to be able to access some multiplayer races that require the maximum number of stars to be able to participate.
How do you improve your rating? Simply by driving.
You can only improve your rating by doing a lot of practice, refining your set-ups to be at ease with the car, training on the various tracks to reach the fateful 3 stars.
To improve Safety and Racecraft, however, we need to take part in many races, always be polite and respectful of others, and thus progress to "fight" against better and better riders.
This type of system certainly is unattractive to a casual gamer, who just wants to turn on the console and drive.
For those looking for a challenge, trying to improve every time they get behind the wheel and want to compete with increasingly good drivers, it is a really interesting and very welcome incentive.
Practice mode will thus become your best friend: every lap spent practicing will give you a higher rating, so you can compete with the best drivers around.
Be warned though. Be very patient, why the curved cut rules are very strict, and it's a snap to lose your 4 perfect laps on any circuit.
Multiplayer game: hard the right, with a big lack
Let's focus on the real edge of any self-respecting driving game: multiplayer experience.
See one well-maintained and above all stable multiplayer part from the very beginning it is certainly an excellent business card.
I have never encountered annoying freezes or the need to restart the console.
Even playing with ping and connection speeds not excellent, the game is incredibly fluid and linear, with no nasty surprises.
I have never encountered car movements dictated by poor connection, connection errors, "ghost" contacts or excessive lag: everything is fine from this point of view.
The driving experience is the same as playing in the other modes, so the user interface is easy to navigate, never confusing or difficult to interpret.
There are different car settings that can be changed while driving.
It is possible to adjust the intervention level of the traction control and the ABS, it is possible to modify the balance of the braking between front and rear, the mapping of the engine in order to favor the power or the fuel economy. You can even finely choose how much traction control should “cut power” - a really fine adjustment, but very useful.
But what works in favor of a great multiplayer experience is the presence of a spotter and a graph showing where the opponents are in the race.
The spotter (who also acts as a track engineer and warns the driver of the state of the car, session results and more) is able to communicate to the driver the position of the other cars on the track.
Basically, the spotter there will tell, only in English at the moment, if you have a car on your right or left, and also when the side previously occupied by an opponent is free.
This same information is then replicated by a radar that appears in the center of the screen with your car represented in green with the car next to it in white, which moves in real time on the small radar.
This concept, taken up by some simulators such as iRacing, is incredibly useful to be able to play well even without having an ultra-wide screen or a workstation with 3 screens to increase the field of view (not even supported by ACC for consoles).
All pink and flowers? No, because the multiplayer it has two major flaws.
The first is the impossibility of being able to create both private and public lobbies: you have to be satisfied with the (few) lobbies available, often full.
The second, on the other hand, is always related to this aspect and is thesmall number of participants per lobby. Of course, with fewer cars you guarantee excellent stability and fluidity in online, but limiting the inputs to 15, 10 or even just 8 cars is definitely limiting for a game that makes online gaming its main component.
What if I want to play Assetto Corsa Competizione with the Pad?
Although this is a game that screams and clamors for the use of a steering wheel and pedal, many will wonder if it is possible to play with the classic Joypad.
Even on the previous Assetto Corsa it was possible to play with the Pad, but between the impossibility of customizing the keys and almost non-existent feedback, it was definitely not recommended to buy it without a steering wheel.
Assetto Corsa Competizione, however, takes a good step forward and reveals itself playable with the classic "paddino".
Of course, you need to increase the driving aids, decrease the pace a little and set the steering sensitivity well.
But once you have made all the settings correctly, the game reveals itself much more enjoyable than expected.
You can have fun, you can also get an acceptable race pace and, if you lose grip, you can save the day.
Certainly if you are interested in competing even online on this title we advise you to buy a steering wheel.
In fact, to fully enjoy Assetto Corsa Competizione it is not necessary to buy a professional steering wheel.
A simple Logitech G29 / G920 or Thrustmaster T150 is enough and further to begin to really enjoy the title through and through.
Bottom line: it's not suitable for everyone, but for some it's perfect
As always, it's time for conclusions.
Did we like Assetto Corsa Competizione? Yes very much.
It had really been a long time since a so realistic, fun and challenging simulator was not available on consoles.
Compared to the PC version, it loses very little in terms of realism, driving feedback and performance.
Of course, there are no 60 Fps on the "base" consoles, but in the end it is an obligatory renunciation due to the hardware of the consoles, and after getting used to it for a moment, this "problem" is no longer noticeable.
Said this, is a game suitable for everyone? Absolutely not.
Assetto Corsa Competizione, to be better understood, must be faced by true enthusiasts.
You sit there, turn around, until you get better and see the results.
It is not the classic "parlor" game how could be the various Gran Turismo, Forza or F1 to a lesser extent.
You can play with the pad, but you lose a lot. It is possible to play with active aids, but it remains very challenging if you do not have the basics of driving on the track.
It can be played every now and then as a normal driving game, but even then there are games that prove to be better for this use.
Ultimately, this game is just perfect for car enthusiasts who really want to drive from home. For fans of Endurance, Gran Turismo championships and racing in general it is perhaps the best game out there for consoles.
It certainly has its flaws, such as some multiplayer features still absent, the relative poor choice of vehicles and the aforementioned need for commitment and dedication.
Kunos Simulations and 505 Games, however, have accustomed us to constantly update and gradually add new modes and possibilities.
For this Assetto Corsa Competizione is promoted with full marks: for the praise, look forward to the next updates that make it even more of a must-have for all fans.
Assetto Corsa Competizione
For 
- Perfect for driving enthusiasts
- Sounds reproduced to perfection
- Reference for console driving games
- Driving realism at the highest level
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