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GTR2 - FIA GT Racing Game

So how do I steer this thing?

A racing game may have the most beautifully rendered vehicles and a plethora of options, but no amount of eye candy and features can overcome a poor control system. To use a perfectly appropriate idiom, handling and control is where the rubber meets the road in a racing game. Replicating the feel of a real four-wheeled racing machine is the aim of GTR 2. You won't find loose arcade-style handling here. Blending a usable control system with such a realistic physics and handling system is no easy task. SimBin have done a decent job of accounting for the various control options on a PC. You may drive with a keyboard/mouse combination, or any DirectX-compatible input device - yes, if you're a masochist and wish to pilot your Porsche around the track using a joystick, you may. However, the most common input options are a keyboard/mouse combination, a gamepad or a racing wheel.

If you absolutely refuse to plug any sort of gaming peripheral into your PC, then you have the option of playing GTR 2 with nothing more than a standard keyboard and mouse but this input option will be completely unnatural; even the cheapest USB gamepad will provide you with a gaming experience magnitudes better. If you're dead set on this control option though, note that you'll likely be turning on every driving assist in the options menu just to make it around and empty track without ending up in the wall. In particular, you'll want the Steering Help, Braking Help, Traction Control and Anti-Lock Brakes all set to On.

If you don't yet own a dedicated racing wheel, then a joypad may be your input device of choice. GTR 2 provides is very playable with a handheld controller. While you can use a simple controller with just a few buttons and a digital directional pad, you'll find that the experience is a bit lacking. Moving to a joypad with a simple rumble feature and an analog stick greatly enhances the control aspect.

Simple rumble effects provide a tactile notification of on-track events - for instance, if you've strayed off course or have been bumped from behind. An analogue stick gives a greater degree of control when steering than a digital pad, allowing you to perform manoeuvres which require a greater degree of accuracy. In my testing with the Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows, I was able to leave many of the driving assists off. However, my lap times improved considerably with the Steering Help option turned on.

The pinnacle of the GTR 2 experience is available to those with a racing wheel. But not just any wheel will do: for the full exercise in interactivity, a wheel with Force Feedback support is required. During my testing, I used two different wheels: Microsoft's Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel (facilitated by Microsoft's Wireless Gaming Receiver), and Logitech's cream-of-the-crop G25 Racing Wheel. Microsoft's wheel worked well, but the lack of Force Feedback with current Windows XP drivers dulled the driving sensation (although Microsoft promises Force Feedback support in future drivers, albeit only for Windows Vista). But something was missing and that's where the Logitech G25 wheel comes in.

The G25 comes equipped with brake, gas and clutch pedals, and a first for mainstream consumer wheels. In addition to wheel-mounted shift paddles, the G25 offers a separate shift box, which can be configured in traditional manual H shift mode or Tiptronic-style "flip" switching. The G25 seems tailor-made for GTR 2: setup is a breeze, no matter your preferred shifting style, and the abundance of buttons allow a complete driving experience with only the occasional grasp for the keyboard. Above all, the feel is right.

With Force Feedback effects delivered via two powerful motors, I found it necessary to turn down the effect to keep my hands on the wheel. It took some time to get used to the clutch, but after adjusting the sensitivity from in the game's settings, shifting was a breeze. If only I could master heel-to-toe shifting. Then again, there's a reason I'm driving a Porsche 911GT in a video game and not on the streets.

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