Others say...

"Great Christmas Gift"
I gave this game as a Christmas gift. The recipient enjoyed it. He liked that the cars handle well and are easier to drive than some other games. Also, there are different cars available than other games.

"Just Buy it..."
This is just another saga in the already great racing series GTR1, 2 and now this.... If you are into sports car racing it just doesn't get any better..... My only complaint is that they don't have more USA tracks... I really want Sebring! Guess I'll have to buy an Xbox 360 with Forza to get that.... AAA+++ great sim.
Howard

"For all you race fans out there- remember Grand Prix Legends?"
Let me start off by saying that I dont own GTR 2 or Legends, so if your looking for a comparison this is not your review. This is a straight forward look into Race 07 from a die hard race fan and someone who loves all walks of motorsports. The racing genre is perhaps the most intricate of any sports game on the market today, regardless of platform, so when I play a game like Race 07 I stop and go "Woah". This is what Ive been looking for. Now I'll admit I havent been keeping up on "current" racing titles for the PC, the last time I used my Logitech MOMO forcefeed back wheel was with Underground 2 and since has collected dust in a darkly lit corner of my office. But dont get me wrong, I am all about the old grandfather titles like Indy Car Racing from Papyrus and Grand Prix Legends.

Remember those days when you could call it a "Racing Simulation"? Well those days are back. In the last few years it seems like everything has gotten covered up in graphics advances and alot of what goes into making a good game has disappeared. When I bought Race 07 for my PC I was skeptical for a couple reasons. One was because I didnt know if it would work with my new Vista PC (which is does by the way so Vista users rest easy), and two was wondering if this was just going to be another attempt into making a racing game that hints at being like the old classics. Well this is no "attempt", this is the real deal. Finally a racing sim that not only offers a realistic racing atmosphere but does so in style with lush engine sound and crisp graphics, none of that cheesy cover up blur that can be seen in many of the Need For Speed titles. Race 07 offers several modes of play, including a championship career mode, practice/time attacks, and a decent multiplayer - I'll come back to that.

During installation you will be offered two methods, an online and offline mode. As far as I can tell they are both the same, except for the obvious reason- one allows compitition multiplayer and the other is "single player" only. Unfortunately if you install the "online version" you will have to go through a registration process using Steam. I say unfortunately because Steam turns into one of those annoying autostart programs that usually sit dormant, running in the back ground sucking up precious memory unless turned off. When you goto run Race 07 it takes awhile to start and Im assuming this is because it has to verify with Steam each time - in the long run it proves worth it. The online racing is fantastic.

Race day or race "weekend" is very customizable with sliders and sidestep menu's to adjust the experience to your liking. Everything from pre-race events such as Practice, Qualifying, and Warmup modes to the number of racer's, their driving skill, and number of laps can be adjusted. But as a mechanic, what really catches my attention is the garage mode or "Car Setup". You can have a pre-configured car loaded for the road course your at or you can pick apart all the different aspects yourself. Camber and caster, toe in/out values, pre load on differentials, suspension hardness, gear ratios, splitter settings to name a few. All can be changed or modified using easy eye pleasing sliders.

The actual racing experience is like nothing I've experienced in a modern game. The feeling of speed is detailed incredibly as every little pit and pothole in the road can be felt - and I literally mean felt if using a forcefeed back wheel. The inside camera mode is awesome, sitting at an eye's level you feel like your in the car. The camera tilts and rolls side to side when going through turns in an effort to show centrifugal force as a driver would feel it (and yes dont worry, there are sliders to adjust these effects too). The sound is very good too, especially while sitting in the pits. Depending on the class of vehicle you drive you will hear other pit crews working, vehicles passing by on the front straight at full RPM, and cars backfiring whiling starting up. All in all, extensive attention to detail.

Oh and for you damage modeling guru's, dont worry, its here. From blown tires to mechanical failures, Race 07 is the real deal. I highly recommend getting a good steering wheel before trying this game, preferably with forcefeed back. I use a Logitech MOMO wheel and it works great. Dont frustrate yourself with the keyboard or other controller, just get a wheel and play the game right. Simbin did an excellent job on the forcefeed back features. You can feel everything from engine vibration to braking friction. If you run over a curb or get a flat tire the wheel will pull accordingly. Fantastic deadzone features are supported as well, controlled with a slider (ignore previous review about lack of deadzone).

Now comes the exciting part, Multiplayer. I never thought that racing on the internet could be this much fun, but oh god is it ever. I found myself drafting cars, flashing to pass, and fighting through corners with other players in Race 07 just as if I was in a structured single player race. The options are very much the same as single player, offering full customization over the "race weekend" with number of practices etc so on. Lag didnt seem to be a problem even on higher ping servers and while some "ghosting" will happen for the most part its contained and well avoided. The chat menu's could use some improving and a voice over option would be nice but all in all perfectly ok for the experience. And hey, we're not here to talk, we're here to race!

Finishing up the review is hard because Im sure there is so much I'm missing, not to mention I havent tried everything myself. I cannot stress enough that this is for real race fans. Please don't buy Race 07 thinking its some PS2 game where cars bounce off walls, although there are a number of driving "assists" which can be toggled on or off with, yep you said it, more sliders. So if you were a fan of the classics and want to treat yourself to a real race game, get Race 07. It wont disappoint.

Come race me online! "GoBeamerGo"

12.01.2007
XW


"Is this even a SimBin title?"
The previous SimBin titles have changed the world of racing simulation software, truly remarkable!
To be able to 'feel' every little change in car setup must be appreciated by every motorsports fan.
I do own GTR ~ GT Legends ~ GTR2 so please refer to my previous reviews.

But Race '07 is something different.

There is no support for the original red Logitech Momo wheel....
either it is absolutely undrivable OR no force feedback effects at all!!

My driving is In Car view, so without any feedback effects it ends up being like a cheap 'game'.
I have made corresponence with SimBin and thier partners, they say create a profile. It doesn't work, TRUST ME.
So in the mean time I have done various time wasting reinstalls of all direct and indirect software, ending up in huge disappointment.

The fact that this software was released without support for wheels they have in the past,.... is very unlike SimBin.
My biggest fear is future SimBin titles being like this.




"Not As Good As GTR2 but What Is?"
Racing fans unite as we search for another racing game that aspires to be as worthy as GTR2. If you have GTR2,then read on. If you don't have GTR2 then go search for it first and buy it before this game. Its hands down the best racing sim on pc ever. That being said, Race 07 is a worth alternative to GTR2. Featuring more than 300 cars in nine different racing classes, RACE 07
includes the full 2006 and 2007 seasons of the FIA World Touring Car
Championships (FIA WTCC) as well as 8 more classes on 32 tracks from
all over the world.
So let us jump into it and start reviewing it!

Graphics: While not the most important part of a game, this still matters. Race 07 has good graphics and very nice details of the cars and tracks. I might even say they are on par with GTR2, but many of the details are missing. The replays are nice and the game runs smoothly on my 7800GSOC card. I run it at near max settings on my old P4HT and 2gb ram. You can change all the views to the typical camera angles, but there is one little difference I really like. There is one camera angle that is over your dashboard only looking thru the glass. It is my favorite because it looks like your are in widescreen format! You can see everything in front of you just like a real car. There is no steering wheel in the way like other camera angles, but just the dash and the glass. Graphics are not as good as Toca3 or GTR2 but it still performs nicely.

Sounds and controls: the game audio is what separates GTR2 from Race07. R07 has pretty much the normal race sounds found it games, but with less detail as GTR2. The engines and shifting are nicely done, but nothing special here. Could have been better, but not the best either. I do love the controls here. Whether you use a gamepad, keyboard, stick, or wheel, you feel like you are racing and controlling the car. Toca 3 race controls are average compared to this game. I love knowing the car will turn when I turn it, and slide thru the corners when i let off the gas. You can very all settings for tire wear, and be careful not to overdrive in corners. You will wear your tires out!

Overall this is a very good racing game. While not as good as GTR2, I like it better than Toca3. The only other game that is equal to GTR2 is rFactor Racing. That game is perhaps the best, even over GTR. YOu can't buy it in a store, but is available for download off their site. So if you have none of these titles, I'd rank GTR and Rfactor #1, and this game next. This is a very good pc game, and it is system friendly. You don't have to have super specs to run it on high settings. A very good racing game!