Project CARS 3 Review
It’s hard to deny that the Project CARS series has been one of the most polarizing racing franchises this generation, with the original bordering on unplayable with a controller on console, and its 2017 follow-up facing amass controversy behind its crowdfunded existence and business practices.
Project CARS 3 continues this polarizing franchise trend once again, but this time in a much different way - with it now completely ditching its hardcore, community-assisted simulator foundation the franchise was built upon, in favour of a more accessible and fun sim-cade hybrid.
Because of this, Slightly Mad have faced an uphill battle since its reveal, with more and more details coming to light of how PCARS 3 would be ditching many of its core elements in order to create what hardcore fans would consider a hollow disappointment.
And yet, as someone that’s never been interested in Project CARS, it’s turned out to be one of the best racing experiences I’ve had this year so far, and one that’s been extremely addicting which kept bringing me back for more.
Project CARS 3 offers a lengthy career mode experience for players to get stuck into, starting with traditional lower-end road cars to eventually working up to high-end hypercars and track-built GT machines. With roughly 20+ hours worth of content, including special challenges and invitational events to unlock as you progress through the career, you’ll race on world-renowned circuits across the globe including Silverstone and Nürburgring, as well as coastal locales and stunning farmlands - driving the hottest selection of vehicles with a diverse selection of over 200 cars to pick from.
Despite this, you’ll spend a fair amount of time using a small number of cars as you level them up through the career - unlocking discounts for upgrades which can take your starter Road E car almost up through to the Hyper Car career. Cars can be upgraded or downgraded through the different classes too, making it entirely possible to use your favourite cars in almost every category in the career.
Project CARS 3 even features car customization, with the option to throw on liveries, decals and even change the rims and tires from a ton of well-known brands. Customization can feel very barebones compared to the likes of other racers on the market mind you, with an annoying menu system when placing decals, but hey, its one of the first racing games where you can (somewhat) customize a Toyota GR Supra, what’s not to love? Your move, Need for Speed…
Speaking of Need for Speed, Slightly Mad channels its Shift roots here with Project CARS 3, lending a more arcadey and controller-friendly handling model akin to that of DRIVECLUB, giving cars a level of arcade accessibility and motorsport mastery — with a huge focus on progression, challenges and rewarding gameplay built into the core of Project CARS 3’s DNA which makes it so addicting to come back to.
Every action you make feels rewarding, with near constant accolades being awarded as you complete clean laps or win on specific tracks which will have DRIVECLUB and Shift fans feel right at home. Each career event features three set challenges to complete, much like DRIVECLUB, in addition to corner and racing line mastery, much like Shift, that is satisfying and addicting to complete whilst you race for pole position.
This extends to Project CARS 3’s Rivals mode, where over the period of a month you’ll have a varying selection of daily, weekly and monthly events to compete in against other players across the globe for the highest rating on a ranked ladder. These events can be extremely fun and gives players the chance to try out and level up cars they’re yet to purchase.
Like any other track racer, Project CARS 3 also features an online PvP experience. Multiplayer features its own separate online rating system, which either levels up or down based on your driving etiquette. However, in the grand scheme of things, Project CARS 3 multiplayer is what you’d come to expect from a track racer in 2020. It might not “redefine the track racing experience” but it still provides a fun and enjoyable experience for those looking to take their racing expertise online for some casual yet ramming-filled races.
Unfortunately, not only does Project CARS 3 suffer from an identity crisis, but is extremely unbalanced in many different aspects of its gameplay and progression. The AI being one of the biggest areas, giving you no proper competition as you progress through the career events and no option in the settings to adjust their skill difference. Pass the AI in the opening seconds of an event, and by the end you’ll have gained a significant lead over them where in some cases you’ll finish the race almost 4 MINUTES before them. There are next to no penalties either, play dirty and ram them off the track to get ahead of the pack and at most you’ll receive a brief slow down.
On the other end of the spectrum, some of Project CARS 3’s career event challenges can feel extremely punishing or downright broken – with later Hot Laps and Pace Setter events requiring next to impossible times. Cut the slightest corner and your lap will be invalidated, yet almost completely bypass some and you’ll be perfectly fine. What makes these events even more frustrating is that cars can also be unbalanced. You could take a Hot Lap/Pace Setter event in one car and struggle to earn one star yet take it with another and nail it first time, despite BOTH cars having the same level rating.
Money is another huge issue. While you’ll be showered in XP for finishing events and completing accolades, you’ll earn next to nothing when it comes to money. Races and leveling up in Driver Level increments will offer very small amounts of cash, which is frustrating when there are dozens of expensive cars in the game in addition to purchasing upgrades and even the ability to buy events early.
You’ll often end up roadblocked from progressing in a series due to needing to buy a new car that fits the restrictions to compete in the next set of events, which you’ll either have just under or no cash at all from having to do this for a previous set of events. I typically found myself having to purchase a lower-end car and upgrade it to that class just to be able to complete the next set of races, as opposed to buying the car I wanted that’s already in that class. I’m all for grinding and progression, but this made the game feel as if I hit the brakes and was brought to a complete halt, which started to suck the fun out of the experience.
I know it sounds like I’m tediously complaining, but all-in-all there’s a lot of fun to be had with Project CARS 3 despite the flaws and strange bugs. While many hardcore enthusiasts might not enjoy the simcadey direction Slightly Mad Studios has taken, what they’ve crafted is essentially a spiritual successor to the Shift series and in many ways a sequel to DRIVECLUB what with Creative Director directing this game too, and I’m all for it. (Hell I was expecting the “How Fast Do You Wanna Go?” song to play multiple times in Project CARS 3’s fun drum and bass driven soundtrack).
With Slighty Mad now under the umbrella of Codemasters it does beg the question of where Project CARS fits into their roster of racing game IP, with the publisher already having GRID as its closest competitor, and what these changes/ hardcore player feedback will do to an already polarizing series in the future.
But for the here and now (and first time ever), I can’t believe I enjoyed a Project CARS game as much as I did - 2020 definitely is a strange year...
If you enjoyed DRIVECLUB and the Shift series, you definitely shouldn’t miss out on Project CARS 3.
(Disclaimer: Project CARS 3 was reviewed on PC, Spec Configuration: RTX 2070 Super + Ryzen 5 3600 + 16GB DDR4 RAM. Game was purchased on launch day, no code was provided by Codemasters/Bandai Namco)