Race Pro: SimBin’s Exclusive 360 Racer & Its History

A closer look at the exclusive racer for the Xbox 360.

by XboxOZ360:

©2008-9 Grant Smythe:

Important Note:

We will be using this section to give you the FULL DETAILS on SimBin’s Race Pro, we’ve had a test run of the game and it’s shaping up very very nicely if I do say so myself. And being a racing-sim nut, it looks like it could give Forza a run for its money. So keep dropping back for all the car lists tracks, classes and details which ideally will be released this week from Atari. This could give Forza a decent run for its money, sorry forza fans, but it’s the truth.

We will be getting XboxLIVE Multiplayer code this week as well.

We have just received new details from Atari, and some detailed car listings and other info and will be placing it up in the next hour or less.

While there’s not a great deal of information around yet on this title, we thought we would compile what we know about Simbin’s exclusive Xbox 360 title Race Pro, so that you could see what you’ll be letting yourself in for when release day comes around on 19th February 2009 (Aust-Europe).

Simbin are renowned for their high quality and track proven Racing Simulation games. Anyone who is deep into PC racing sims knows this and respects them for what they do, delivering more advanced racing games with every iteration.

For full Class details and Road America Video and track information such as Lugana Seca’s Corkscrew, jump over here to the OXCGN’s Race Pro Microsite. It covers all vehicle details, tracks, videos and information direct from Atari and SimBin. You’ll now find a full Race Pro Achievements list waiting for you to check out.

Update:

Please feel free to check out the new OXCGN’s Race Pro Microsite Image File Page where you will find all images including the 2008 Paris Motor Show held on the 4th – 19th October 2008. Or slip over to the RacePro Video Page for several in-game videos, promotional videos and user videos for your enjoyment. You can use the embedded videos on your own site if you wish.

• SimBin’s Race pro Physics and Visualisation:

However, in the past many of the titles, while looking crisp and sharp, weren’t quite what you would call “this-gen” presentations. This is true of most sims, even Forza lacks a certain ‘something’ in the visuals department when it comes to scenery, yet it makes up for it in spades when it comes to vehicle tinkering and physics. But this has been put to rest with this iteration, and it’s evident in any of the screen shots, which you can check out throughout this article.

So what happened to GTR ?

GTR was scheduled for the 360 and was well on the way to being a reality last year. It had been “in the works” for some time and had well renowned publisher THQ backing it up. But out of the blue, THQ pulled the plug and GTR slipped into the realms of forgotten games.

SimBin were adamant that the game would see the light of day, as they’d put too much into it at that point, so they went looking for another publisher/s. THQ was probably not the best choice in the first place anyway, as their main interest is in arcade racers, and certainly not for hardcore racing sims like SimBin put out.

SimBin’s GTR under THQ in 2006

SimBin assured everyone the game was still in the pipeline and they were seeking a new publisher, and whenever they were contacted, they were still optimistic about its appearance on the 360. Well it seems it has arrived, but with a different moniker now . . Race Pro.

Enter Atari to the Rescue.

Late in 2006 early 2007, SimBin moved back with Atari, the publisher who has been fronting many of their PC only titles in the past. So who better to trust their ‘real’ racing title to than those who have been doing their PC titles for some time?

Atari have been fronting Codemasters racing titles on console now for some time (with the exception of the last TOCA series which was published in-house by Codies UK), such as Colin McRae: DiRT (they are working on Colin McRae DiRT 2 atm), GRID (there’s ‘rumours’ that GRID 2 won’t be too far away either) and their upcoming futuristic racer Fuel, so I think it’s back in good hands once again.

The car modeling and scenery certainly is looking great based on screens available so far, which is something we have come to expect from our racers “This-Gen”. So expect a significant jump in detail from the older series on the PC’s to this new iteration on the Xbox 360.

Just viewing the actual screen-shots is enough to show both vehicle and track details, as well as infield and spectator detail. I’m not sure if it will have interactive spectators like in GRID, PGR3/4, but given SimBins eye for detail, and the ability to do these things easily now on consoles, I would expect it to be part of the finished product even in part; say track officials or close to fence spectators.

Those who love real racing titles know that some level of detail is often sacrificed to ensure the physics engine deals out the realistic on-track action. It’s a given in the genre. However, I think we might well be in for a surprise this time around. Judging from a hands-on encounter by GameSpot’s team at Game Conference recently, we are also in for a treat driving wise.

Sure, there’s a Novice Arcady style apparently available for the smash-n-bash brigade, but the real stuff is there for the taking too. None of this mamby-pamby arcade racing, just solid, race line, nail-biting, slip-streaming racing pleasure at its best on harder difficulty.

Expect quick responses from steering, brakes, and gears as well. You’ll feel every dip and rumble strip generating feedback through the controller so you ‘feel’ like you have that 1000bhp fire breathing monster right there in your hands. Of course there will also be fine tuning such aspects as brakes and suspension. But it’s doubtful you’ll see such things as engine swaps, body mods and the like. It’s a racing sim after all, not a Custom Racer like Need For Speed or Juiced.

Imagine flying down the track and heading for the blind Corkscrew at the top of Laguna Seca, or barreling down the long back straight on Road America before that deadly hard right hander that has many a racer in the kitty-litter and slammed up against the barriers before they can blink an eye. The Macau Grand Prix circuit gets in an appearance as well, so expect some nail biting twists, turns and chicains in the 3000 FI series, that is of course if your heart can take it.

I just love Road America, and I’m certainly looking forward to hurling whatever SimBin decides to throw at me. They will have more Downloadable Content available after release, which will include new vehicles and tracks. This helps add more choices to the package by using your HDD without compromising space on the disc so that there’s more room for the pyhsics to do its ‘thang’.

This is an excellent way of allowing you to get more cars and tracks in your game, yet still have a healthy racer in pounding your hands. Although, and I say this with the utmost sincerity, I certainly hope the downloadable cars and tracks can be played in your Career Mode or in Single Player with other AI cars.

One on my pet-peeves with Forza 2 (yes I do have them) is that with their downloadable tracks. They are completely useless in any of the Single Player modes, unless you simply want to beat your own times lap after lap. No real competition to speak of, other than yourself, and that gets boring after a few laps, that’s for sure.

• Enjoy the ride, Race Pro style

Forza 2′s downloadable tracks are basically designed for MP use via XboxLive, something I certainly hope SimBin do NOT copy, as I’ll be one very peeved off old man come testing time. We hope to get early code from our friends at Atari so we can give you (and me) a decent idea of what to expect when we do our Hands-On testing soon.

What we know so far is that RACE Pro offers cars ranging from as little as 200bhp to well over 1000 ponies pounding under the hood. Not to forget the list of championships including such excellent titles as WTCC (World Touring Car Championship), Formula 3000 and Formula BMW.

Of course no racer would be complete without the true tip-tops of racing, the GT cars from manufacturers such as Aston Martin and Saleen or the beautiful looking Audi R8 and Dodge Viper SRT10. RACE Pro has a list of cars exclusively to race in the WTCC series which include manufacturers Alfa Romeo, BMW, Chevrolet and Seat, even the Mini Cooper Challenge gets a crack on the track.

No, no Cat-n-mouse please, this is a Real Man’s Racer. And please, for God’s sake, don’t expect “trucks”, ATV’s and Drag Racing, nor the pleasures of creating your own paint schemes such as in GRID and especially Forza 2. Race Pro is exactly what the title states. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.

Sure, I love creating great paint jobs in Forza 2 (as I will in the the following Forza 3), but when a racing sim is dealing with proper tracks and registered liveries from racing teams, custom paints are a big no-no.

Racing games are meant to be about circuit racing, not drag racing, or ATV racing, or even Truck racing for that matter. Sure, there are classes for these ‘vehicles’ in other games, but this is a “racing sim” based on the various GT and WRC styles (sedan based and F1′s) nothing more. Which is what the Forza series is about as well. So don’t expect to see truck or bikes in there, unless something really stupid happens at Turn10.

We will be dedicating several pages to the game, as well as Forza 3 Turn10 fans, but this is about Race Pro, so we will stick to  that for now. This year, 2009, looks like being a year for racing fans as well. With not only Race Pro, but Colin McRae DiRT 2, Forza 3 and a high likelihood of Grand Turismo 5 hitting the shelves come Christmas time in the US – if all goes according to plan that is.

More great Race Pro Videos:

©2008-9 Grant Smythe:

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