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View Full Version : Total Immersion Racing Mini Review !!!



halomasterchief
11-26-2002, 05:41 AM
First of all, stop reading this and go out and buy this game!!!

This is a mini review after playing for only 1 hour. I will be posting a complete one on Saturday with all details.

Graphics : 8.5/10 Great circuits, european great ones like Monza and Nurburing. A lot of detail in the tracks themselves.

Sound : 9/10 Awesome sorround sound, specially when a couple of faster LMP cars pass you by going into a chicane. Each car has its own individual sound. Kill the in game music and adjust the settings to full blast on special effects

Gameplay : 10/10 Great car physics, immersive racing game. Cars handle the way they should.
UP TO 18 TO 24 CARS PER RACE!!! Endurance racing, day and night, great replays from circuit camera or pick in dash view, first person from front bumber, or behind car. You also have these views during the race. Faster cars will blow by you in straights or hard breaking into chicanes.

Cars : 9/10 3 classes. LMP : Bentley, Audi R8, Panoz... GTS : McLaren F1... GT : Audi TT, BMW M3...

Replayability: 10/10 You first start as a GT driver for either Audi or BMW, from then on your wins will bring offers to move to betters cars, unlock more tracks, and get the chance to advance to the Le Mans Prototypes (LMP)...

Enjoy the game, Happy Thanksgiving, see you at the track...

steveo_wrx
11-26-2002, 09:28 PM
Wow !! Good news ! :cool: You've got me salivating already, hmc. When did the game get released ? Re: your post on the other thread: I had thought it wasn't coming out until December.
Also the speculated reduction to 6 car fields was a big disappointment - good to hear you relate that such is not the case.

How would you compare it to Sports Car GT on PC or Test Drive Le Mans / Le Mans 24 Hours on the PS2 / Dreamcast (if you are have played those) ?

halomasterchief
11-27-2002, 05:36 AM
Controls :

Right trigger : Accelerate
Left trigger : Brake
Left thumbstick : Steer
Right thumbstick : up/accelerate, down/brake
A button : Downshift
B button : Agression (Press anytime during race to see a triangle above all cars. The color determines how the driver will behave towards your actions. There are 3 color triangles. Red : Agression (increases if the driver is blocked or another driver makes contact with him). Blue : Confidence ( increases as driver succesfully blocks, overtakes, or forces other drivers errors). Green : Defensiveness ( drivers will get defensive on the last lap, or in pressure situations and tend to protect the racing line). Press B button again to turn the triangle off.

To steveo_wrx : Hey man, the game was pushed forward and is still $29.99. A bargain anyway you see it. To my surprise when I saw the gamebox, it said up to 24 cars per race, even better. There is no Le Mans race track, but there are some that will test your reflexes to the max. Comparing it to Le Mans 24 hours on DC, the graphics are better, race tracks give you a better sense of speed and you can notice the change of elevation way better the LM24 on DC. If this game would have included Le Mans, that would have made it a 10/10 for me. Happy Thanksgiving, hmc...

steveo_wrx
11-27-2002, 03:51 PM
Got my copy today, thanks to your tip, hmc. I'm at work now, but can't wait to get home, hook up my MC wheel and fire this baby up. "Gentlemen, start your engines !" :D

Maybe once we get enough players here who have the game, we can get some lap time competitions going on the various tracks.

steveo_wrx
11-29-2002, 01:33 PM
halomasterchief,

Now this game is indeed something special for fans of sports car racing. Funny, when I first booted it up, wasn't too impressed. Hockenheim looked a bit too narrow, graphics nice but not awesome, steering felt a little twitchy on my Audi TT. But the more I played, oh my goodness - this game rocks ! :D

I think the closest comparison is probably Test Drive Le Mans / Le Mans 24 hours - TIR pretty much blows it out of the water with regard to the handling physics. The more cars you drive, the more you can tell they have their own unique handling characteristics. For example, the Noble is more high-strung than the Audi, handles better but it's more of a handful when you push it - you can really feel it struggling to hook up when you give it full throttle out of the turns. Marvellous stuff. This is not too far off the benchmark set by GT3.

Love the individualized, realistic c0ckpits for every car and the awesome engine sounds. The sound level from the AI cars is perfect too - I'm going to need to get surround sound for this game. I would have preferred a slider to break out the engine sounds from the other sound effects though. The gear whine is too muted in most of the cars I've unlocked (except for the BMW GTR), and the tire squealing is too subdued. The car-to-car contact sound effect is a bit lame too, instead of the solid "whunk" of car hitting car, sounds like somebody banging on a tin shed. ;)

Apparently there's no vehicle damage, fuel consumption, tire wear ? I'm still in the GT series where the races are shorter, so maybe too soon to tell, ditto for pit stops. Did drive one wet weather race at Silverstone in the Challenge mode and it was very realistic.

Are you finding the AI pretty weak in the Challenge mode ? So far, it's no real challenge. Ditto the computer AI in the Career mode. Started on the middle setting Professional, it was way too easy. Changed to Legend and restarted my career - now the level of difficulty is about perfect.

Sorry for the long ramble, but I already love this game.

:) :)

eclipsepix
12-02-2002, 08:08 AM
dang it already...goofed again...
yesterday i finished gt2k2 so i went looking for a new game and was looking at tir, but i didn't buy it cause it was so cheap... usually when games come out around here, if they're really cheap they aren't very good games... now i read your review and i have to sit here for another 3 hrs and wait till the store opens up:(
guess i'll just have to do a couple of laps of gt2k2 to keep my mind off the clock...
great review hmc! thanks for the b'day present..

p.s. ya know whats really cool about racing games??
driving to the game store in a audi tt then coming home and driving the same car virtually, talk about your comparative references... and no speeding tickets any more..hee hee hee. thats what need 4 speed hp is for....now my wife lets me play whenever i have the urge to speed :)

halomasterchief
12-02-2002, 04:15 PM
Well, turkey weekend is over, but this game gets better everytime I play it. Beat the Pro Season with a BMW Pro (LMP), and got new offers so I chose the Audi R8, amazing speed, awesome handling... Then there is this circuit called Sebring... The perfect for my taste, with chicanes, tricky sets of curves, long straights, and then, that sunset... I have so many replays saved with different cars, so that I can watch them when I am not playing, like either eating or showing the game to a friend...Just an Awesome Racing game...

To steveo_wrx : Let me know what is your favorite racing circuit so far... Are you already driving a Pro Level Car and which one?

To everybody playing and enjoying this game, happy racing, hmc...

steveo_wrx
12-02-2002, 06:55 PM
hmc,

I just started my second season in GTS. I got offers from BMW and Dome for the PRO series, but I wanted to win the GTS championship first. I'm playing on Legends difficulty with all driver aids turned off (except that rally game style direction arrow). I started on Pro difficulty but it was way too easy, IMO.

But in Legends, what I'm finding is that I need two seasons per level to win the championship. The first year, you don't get an offer with the best team and I scrape by with 3rd place on the season, win it the following year with a faster car. In GTS, I did okay with the Vemac 320R, but the McLaren F1's kicked my butt on the really fast circuits. Now I'm driving the Lister Storm and I spanked the McLaren's in the first race at Silverstone, so I'm optimistic about the rest of the season. That in turn should open up offers from the better PRO teams. I'm eagerly anticipating driving the Panoz LMP1 with Surround Sound 5.1 cranked up. :cool: :cool:

Tracks ? Haven't unlocked the Japanese one, but I'm actually kind of partial to the two fictitious tracks: Talheimring is #1 for me and I like the bumpiness and elevation changes of Springfield. I also like Monza, Silverstone and Sebring. Hockenheim is so-so and Rockingham sucks with that mickey mouse infield section - but the stadium oval/infield circuits are part of racing these days, so I suppose it is good they put it in there for variety's sake.

steveo_wrx
12-04-2002, 06:26 PM
Hey there, hmc. How's it going for you ?

I finished winning the GTS championship today (LOL, scraped by a McLaren by a 2-point margin !). The team I was driving for (I won't reveal it unless you ask me to), also has a PRO LMP car. This is a car which is not displayed in the default game menu options. I have unlocked it and it's rated higher than the Audi R8 ! I didn't get an offer to drive it in the PRO class yet, but took it for a test run in the Time Trial mode. Awesome !!


Got Surround Sound 5.1 for my birthday today. Plugged that sucker in, now driving the thunderous Panoz LMP1 in the PRO series, cranked up the volume to "shake the pictures off the walls" level and - woohoo ! The surround sound is a must for this game to bring out all the nuances of the sound effects.

eclipsepix
12-04-2002, 07:32 PM
i think we're racing the same car,
i just finished my 2nd pro championship w/ the 'blk 67' lmp car ,and a perfect win record..but it definately took some doin'..
i'm looking forward to the 'blk 14' lmp car, the stat's look reeeally nice!
sorry, i didn't want to give it away either.. but if you have it in time trials you'll know what i'm talking about.
now where's that steering wheel...

may your laps be fast, and everyone else in the rear view mirror... later.....

steveo_wrx
12-05-2002, 04:54 PM
Yup, ecplisepix. It's Car #14 that I have unlocked. Studly acceleration, top speed, braking and handling, one notch away from the max in each inividual category and overall. The thing is wicked fast, the brakes are so good as to be almost unreal. Love that engine sound also, a bit F1 car-like but not entirely.

Mr. Kwik
12-06-2002, 12:03 AM
Hey I just read your guys' posts. Sounds like this is one heck of a game. I am in the middle of splinter cell right now but racing is where my heart is, so it wont be long before I own it! Would you mind answering a question or two for me? Is the game multi player in any sort of way? (linkable) Is there any tire wear? Pitstops? What about caution flags? How about set ups on your cars? OK OK thats enough for now. I really appreciate it guys.:)

eclipsepix
12-06-2002, 08:15 AM
hey kwik,

just thought i'd offer what i know.. yes there's 2 player head to head but i don't know about link up..there's diff options for tuning everything from wings to springs to swaybars and ride height but no tire wear that i've noticed..and a race engineer to help you if you want, you select what you want him to adjust and then after every practice lap you turn,he adjusts your car to suit your driving style.. but like gt3,the skill/real speed is obtained in setin' it up to suit your preferences..
there's 4 main modes s.plyr race,career,time trial,and a challenge mode for unlocking cars.
you can pit during a race,allthough i admit i don't really understand what if anything it does for you, no real caution flags that i know of yet..maybe hmc or steveo have seen them.

note for steveo,
hey steveo whatz up... last night i went back and tried to race the gp class for fun.... (after ripping around at +200mph in our fav little black car) and i was so used to the fiiiiine handling, it was like pulling teeth just to do a lap at 80 mph.. try it for a good laugh...then before you ruin your finely tuned speed reflexs,immediately get back in the 14 and feel that "wholly crap i just took that turn at a 135 feeling...whoa ahhhhhh....

obi wan says: never,never,never down shift 2 gears in the last corner, of the last lap,doing 140, w/an audi on your tail....can you say 360's / 6th place...oops stupid muscle twitch...

may your tires be sticky and your shifts quick.
eclipse out...:)

Mr. Kwik
12-06-2002, 10:32 AM
Eclipse, thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I have to go and turn a few laps on the old reliable (GT3). For tonight at 7:00 is MGTRA (Missouri Gran Turismo Racing Association) night. Should be a good night, last week we had about fifteen to 20 people there and tonight we are expecting more. We now have all six of our ****pits built with the wheels and pedals and t.v's that are all linked up. What a blast! Last week I came home with about eighty more bucks in my pocket when it was all said and done. Well again thanks for the info!

steveo_wrx
12-06-2002, 01:05 PM
Mr.Kwik,

To answer a few of your guestions, there's no flags, tire wear, fuel consumption, vehicle damage or pit stops. Rather odd this latter bit: you can drive into the pits but nothing really happens there. It's as if the developers had intended to include it, but changed their minds and cut out the pit stops in the interests of getting the game out by Christmas.

Races are short - a little too short for my taste, but very exciting none the less. For example, racing Legends Difficulty in PRO category, the races are only 7 laps. One good thing, the seasons are satisfactory in duration: 5 races in GT, 7 in GTS and 9 in PRO. In Quick Race mode, you can set up your own races of up to 25 laps., which is good.

The set-up menu is commendably extensive. Far superior to the crude settings in Test Drive Le Mans. As eclipsepix says, you can do it yourself or leave it to your race engineer.

One word of caution, your race engineer can be a bit of a nincompoop at times. Two examples: At Monza, I was slip-sliding around like crazy in the wet, having to tiptoe through the turns, brake very early. Meanwhile, my race engineer was busily fine tuning the gears. I go into the set-up menu and WTF ?, the downforce is minimal. I added some wing and bingo, immediately shaved 6 seconds a lap. At at Rockingham, a circuit with a tight infield section requiring lots of wing, after I set a lap record, the dummy reduced my downforce and I had to go in and put it back the way it was. However, you can edit what he does and does not adjust. One strange bit, even though you can change tire pressures, no option to change between slicks and rain tires !

So, this is no sim, but hella fun nevertheless. Hey, your Gran Turismo club sounds great. Uh, you guys are putting some money down for cash prizes as well ? :D :cool:

Mr. Kwik
12-07-2002, 11:18 AM
Well I need some more practice I guess! got killed on the rain track and most every night track that we ran last night. I lost about 45 bucks but I guess 10 of it went towards pizza. I won a few and also had the fast lap a few times (fast lap means extra bonus points) so it wasn't a total slaughter. If anyone is interested I can send pics of the race last night.

halomasterchief
12-08-2002, 07:48 AM
Hey steveo_wrx :

been playing lately the challenge mode and so far I am in the endurance race with all german cars. I like the way the bmw m3 handles in the chicanes, feels a little heavy under hard braking, and the way the suspension jumps when hitting the painted bumps on each inside corner... On one occassion I had a 3 second lead in hockenheim, only to lose it under braking and finish in the sand trap... I did not hit anything, got back in the track, and passed the cars again to finish first... In the replay noticed something that blew my mind away... When I lost control under braking and tried to overcorrected, the bmw m3 went sideways into the sand trap and saw the detail of the rims that went from spinning at full speed to a complete stop, and then back again to full speed when I peeled off back to the track. You can even see the lock nut in the center of the rim, only to disappear before your eyes in a blur when you accelerate again. I hope there is a TIR part 2 in the making already, and to the people responsible for this game who may read this article... PLEASE, include Circuit de la Sartre in Le Mans, France!!! Glad you got your sorrund sound system steveo_wrx, once you try it, there is no going back to stereo mode!!! crank that sorround sound, and see the grin thru your helmet, everytime you leave one of your opponents in the dust, hmc...

eclipsepix
12-10-2002, 01:10 PM
hello again racers,..

just wanted to let you in on the latest news.. last night i went to race my last race of the season,in my audi pro, i won by a hair after a nasty spin out in the last lap..whew!!!, but anyway when i got to the team offers screen i was pleasently surprised to see an indy car!!!!!!!!!! the rockingham cart car...it's blue w/wht letters.. hello max stats!!!!! your gonna loooove driven this thing!!! it's really fun in the drivers view too....
going racing now..later :D

steveo_wrx
12-22-2002, 02:46 PM
Okay, put TIR aside to play Splinter Cell for a while, but I went back to it yesterday. Finished the whole PRO championship at a sitting and sorry to report that the AI can be beaten easily in Legends w/ all driving aids turned off once you have the Bentley or the Audi R8. So I won the rather useless CART car and unlocked Extreme difficulty.

Just like the other levels, start all over again in GT with only the Audi or the Noble. Here's some good news !

1) Longer races. The GT races are now 25 laps - now we're talking. :D I don't know yet what's the length of GTS and PRO.
2) Pit stops ! The GTS and PRO cars were making pit stops during my first GT race at Silverstone. I don't know if this is merely for cosmetic effects and you don't come into the pits yourself when you get to those cars. Hopefully such is not the case, though I suspect with no pit crew animations, fuel or tires changes, it'll probably be something more like a "stop and go" penalty.

The bad news, the AI is still not that tough, at least judging by the first race. I won it in the inferior Audi TT. Well, we'll see.

RacerX0311
12-22-2002, 07:06 PM
Wow I am a big racing game fan and I thouhgt this game was suppose to be very bad. Most reviews I seen were like 3 out of 10 so I passed it up. Looks like a store run before long for this game. Thanks for the great reveiws of this game. It sure sounds awesome