Driving ambitions

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Games with similar principles, but alternative philosophies

Two games, two very different propositions: the similarities between F1 2017 and Project CARS are all but non-existent. F1 2017 is the latest in a long line from gaming giant Codemasters and is firmly in the arcade mould of old, aimed at all ages. Indie success story Project CARS 2 (from £34), meanwhile, blurs the line between sim and game, bringing a more realistic experience inside gamers’ homes.

F1 2017 offers the prospect of racing a Formula 1 car as Lewis Hamilton and the game will be a success, as its market is wide and assured. But it doesn’t get close to Project CARS 2 for graphics, variety, feel and sheer entertainment. Mastering, or failing to master, an XJR-9 is far more obsorbing than tackling a Tilke-drome in an F1 car. Like all F1 games the latest is entertaining enough, but it lacks the eyes-on-stalks challenge of Project CARS. But that is the point.