The word simulation is thrown around quite liberally in the world of PC racing software, almost to the point where fans of the genre have become desensitized to its actually meaning. So when Italian game developer Kunos Simulazioni announced the development of their most recent title, Assetto Corsa, and claimed it to be the most realistic racing simulator ever – we were a bit skeptical, and obviously felt compelled to try it out. Once a simple one man show, Kunos has turned into a full-fledged development team with an abundance of resources and information at their disposal, and they seemingly know what they are doing.

So what is Assetto Corsa? Well according to Kunos it is a next-generation driving simulator with real world circuits, multiple car types, a virtual career mode, and multiplayer races.

Although the game is not due to be released in its full form until second quarter of this year (at least that is what we have been told), the development team has decided to release the game in its current stage, which is somewhere between pre-alpha and beta. Players who purchase the game now have the ability to race a handful of cars on a handful of circuits, and will obviously gain full access to the final build as well as all updates between now and the finished product.

Here is what is being offered currently if you choose to partake in the early release.

Tracks

- Dragstrip
- Drift Course
- Imola
- Monza/Monza 1966
- Magione
- Mugello
- Silverstone/Siverstone International
- Vallelunga/Vallelunga Club

Cars

There are over 10 manufacturers included in it's current state, including the likes of Lotus, Ferrari, McLaren, and BMW. In total, there are over 21 cars to choose from in the current build.

Modes

As we mentioned previously, the game is still waiting to have single race, career mode, and multiplayer added, but there are few modes that are available in the 0.4.1 build.

- Practice
- Special Events
- Time Attack
- Hotlap
- Drag Race(the only current mode in which you can face the AI)

It would have been nice to have the other vehicles and modes at this time, but the developers were very clear about this title being in the early stages of development, and gamers who purchase early would only have with limited access. Basically it just a gift to early adopters who are willing to purchase it at a discounted price through Steam, and are patient enough to wait for the full title to drop in a couple of months.

The final mode that we didn’t mention is a mode that really sparked our interest and should do the same to anyone who is used to racing on the PC. This mode is titled “Modding/Theme.” That’s right, the game will include the exact same tools the developers are using to create the game, to help talented individuals in the community to create most any car or track that they want for this game.

Early Impressions

The minute you jump into your vehicle of choice, the quality is quite noticeable in almost every aspect of the game. From the driving physics, the car models, to each racing circuit, the detail is impressive and draws you in. We tempered our excitement a bit for the simple fact that this isn’t final product, and a lot could change between now and the 1.0 version release. That doesn’t change the fact that most of the cars we tested out felt authentic ripping down a straight away, or navigating an “S” curve.

There is definitely a difference in feel and reaction depending on the car you take out, and the game also offers three different difficulty levels (Gamer, Racer and Pro), plus a fully customizable difficulty you can tweak to your liking..

We raced with all the aids on and off, and there is a drastic difference from each end of the spectrum, which is a good thing. So whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned veteran to racing simulators, the game should offer some level of difficulty and enjoyment at the same time.

As far as camera modes go, there are four of them, and all of them are accessible in the beta: Cockpit, Exterior View, Hood and First Person.

We drove using all of them and each one had their own unique feel, and if you decide to that this game is for you, you will have to decide which camera gives you the view you are most comfortable with.

The game also offers four ways to race in terms of controls, which include keyboard, gamepad, joystick and a USB driving wheel.

We tried out the game using our Xbox 360 controller, and our Logitech wheel, and both felt good and very responsive. The game gives you the ability to tweak the controls to your setting, and we were able to come up with settings that worked great for both the controller and wheel.

We look forward to seeing what this title develops into over the next few months, but were rather impressed with what is being offered so far. There are rumors that the January 17 update will include some type of AI racing involved. We will continue to update our community here on OS as the final version draws near.

Obviously it is a difficult task to judge any game while it is in beta-form, especially a racing title that is void of AI opponents or the ability to race online, and we will hold off on that for now. What we do know is that even in its current stage the game is flat out impressive, both in the way it handles, and the way it looks. The good folks over at Kunos seem to really know what they are doing with this title and we would be singing a song of lies if we said anything other than we cannot wait to get our hands of the full and final build of exciting PC racer.