Ferrari Challenge: The Race Experience Review

Eutechnyx is back with the Ferrari challenge series. After its decent debut in 2008, we now welcome the successor in the form of a €15 PSN download, seemingly a bargain. However, at first I found it difficult to determine its value. A quick look at the feature list revealed that new features were hard to find. Sure it has some new tracks and cars, and a whole new career mode, but that’s about it. So in the end, was it really worth it?

cars

Upon entering they offered me a good budget to buy my first car. With the credits I was able to buy anything up to the F430 challenge, a very nice car by the way. I went with the 360 ​​Modena, one of my favorite Ferraris of all time. Big sliders like the FXX, Enzo or F458 weren’t available for more than a few hours into the race.

Ferrari Challenge the Race Experience features virtually every Ferrari ever launched. From old classics like the GTO to exceptionally fast race cars like the 599XX. A huge library of cars, but if you want other makes, you’re out of luck. Standard cars can be customized using a livery editing mode. It adds to the excitement of winning an online race and being able to show off your designs.

fashions

Ferrari Challenge the race experience has the same modes that we have seen in the original. This includes arcade mode, a horrible mode that requires you to outrun every car in an incredibly short amount of time, annoyingly without the ability to save your progress between races. Fortunately, there are better races available in the form of the typical Time Trial, Quick Race, or Career modes.

The career mode is completely revamped and now looks very much like the interpretation of Supercar Challenge. Users can choose between 3 championships in different regions of the world. And depending on the region, only a few cars are accepted to enter.

Careers

Arguably the most important part of a driving game is the race, and Ferrari Challenge does it decently. The race is very close and exciting. It’s especially fun to push and watch the spaces between the cars fluctuate.

Because AI cars are not easy targets, they take over defensive lines and make mistakes (perhaps too much). But they tend to be too aggressive. It felt like driving online but without the steamrollers. The computer was really fast on the hardest difficulty and it will take a while for buyers to catch up.

Some basic tweaks are allowed in the car setup, but it’s no more than the absolute basics. The suspension, for example, knows two settings: soft and hard. Street cars arguably offer a lot less adjustment than their racing counterparts, so it’s not much of a problem.

More disappointing is the lack of dynamic weather, tire wear, fuel and pit stops. These are the elements that can really mix up a race, but none of them are available in Ferrari Challenge.

As great as the races are, I can’t help but feel the lack of proper rules and the satisfaction of winning. There is no engineer and the cars are all identical. So no Ferrari 599 vs 612 races possible. Penalties apply a temporary RPM cap, which is annoying but fair. And when you win you get a couple of points and that’s it. Where are the cheers?

Driving

This has always been Eutechnyx’s strong point. The physics was absolutely fantastic in previous games like Supercar Challenge and it’s great in this one too. Ferrari Challenge the race experience features an updated driving model and it shows. Using my G27 I felt the weight of the car shift sideways and the different characteristics between the cars were very apparent. Some cars suffer from oversteer while others are unstable under braking. Subtle differences make the cars feel truly genuine.

Sim racers will be happy to know that Force Feedback is very strong. The balance of the car is perfectly transferred to the steering wheel, as are bumps and curbs, although a little weak.

With every help you get, Ferrari Challenge becomes one of the most difficult simulators out there. These cars are highly strung creatures. One touch too hard on the accelerator and the car oversteers like crazy, one touch on the grass and the car changes direction. The perfect ingredients for true runners, casual gamers stay away!

Presentation

This is where things go wrong; Ferrari Challenge the race experience does not look good. Circuits suffer greatly from popping textures like trees, an example of very poor viewing distance on the PS3. And the cars are poorly modeled compared to Gran Turismo or Need for Speed ​​Shift. The overall image was slightly tinged with brown and leaves a lot to be desired.

On the other hand, it looks a bit better than the original Ferrari Challenge and looks the same as Eutechnyx’s Supercar challenge game. And when it rains, the game can match the best.

Sounds wise, I’m satisfied. Each car has a unique sound and the crowd cheers as you approach the front straight. Though I wonder if the drivers actually listen to that bit.

Conclusion

Ferrari Challenge racing experience is a great simulator. The cars are hard to drive and the AI ​​cars are challenging and lively. But the graphics leave a lot to be desired and the game has some problems. For Supercar Challenge or Ferrari Challenge owners, it’s hard to justify the purchase. But if you’re new to the series, this is a real bargain.

ferrari challenge review