After a year of being in early access, Le Mans Ultimate is finally upgrading to its Version 1.0 update that will bring players all kinds of new content and vehicles to play with as they attempt to claim victory against their opponents. Before this update is released, I have been able to try out Le Mans Ultimate‘s V1.0 update and its plethora of content.
The Gameplay Behind Le Mans Ultimate
Right off the bat, let’s talk about the gameplay that is present within Le Mans Ultimate and how realistic it can be. During my time with the title, I found that the driving of each vehicle felt incredible, as each vehicle had its own challenges to overcome.
Whether it be getting the right speed on a corner, ensuring enough time to brake, or just simply ensuring I didn’t spin off the track, there were plenty of learning curves that I needed to overcome over my time with the title, and it is safe to say that with the time I spent on the title, I did begin to get used to driving the different cars in Le Mans Ultimate, but I will admit, I did crash a whole bunch.
Due to the realistic driving simulation that Le Mans Ultimate uses, it is incredibly difficult for a player who is not experienced in this type of racing game to simply load up the game and win every race they enter, but for those who persevere, it is possible to adapt and learn the necessary skills to overcome these obstacles.
For me, I found no overall issues with the gameplay within Le Mans Ultimate, as it felt realistic, challenging, and just overall fun, but due to my own lack of experience and skill in the racing genre, I did find myself struggling in my races, as I would either be spun out by my opponents or constantly mess up a turn and end up face first into a wall.
This itself is a testament to how realistic the game is to the sport and how it isn’t as simple as just getting in a car and driving full speed till you get to the end, but how it requires all kinds of skills to complete a race, let alone win.
The Car and Race Track Details are Phenomenal
One of the most important features within Le Mans Ultimate is how each of the tracks has been recreated for gamers using laser scanning of each race track to give them the realistic feeling of each location as if they were racing on it in real life.
Understandably, I cannot comment on how realistic it feels to drive on these tracks in real life, as I haven’t done so myself; however, I can talk about how my experience with each track felt within Le Mans Ultimate. For me, driving on these tracks felt as close to real as they could possibly be, as each turn, weather phenomenon, and wind condition was taken into account.
When it comes to a standard racing game, each track has numerous twists and turns that could feel unrealistic or stupidly challenging, but with Le Mans Ultimate, this isn’t the case, as the tracks are essentially identical to what professionals have raced on over the past few years.
What is a racing game without its cars? Absolutely nothing, so it is safe to say that Le Mans Ultimate went above and beyond with the numerous cars you can take for a spin, whether it be the detail of the wheels, the sponsorship logos, the steering wheel, or just the shine of the paint. Each little detail has been carefully rendered for players to enjoy within Le Mans Ultimate.
To avoid overloading the players with too much happening at once, it makes sense that the game doesn’t animate each individual action that the driver would do in a regular race, as that would tend to become distracting for a player in a game like this, but that hasn’t stopped Studio 397 from carefully recreating the different interiors of the cars that players can drive within Le Mans Ultimate.
For me, detail like this is what makes games like Le Mans Ultimate incredible, as all the small details are there for the player to see, so it scratches the itch of those looking for a realistic attention to detail but also provides the player with the possibility to put themselves in the seat of the driver both mentally and physically for those who play the title on VR.
On a lot of occasions, developers of these types of games could opt for the easy route and simply ignore the inner workings of the car and just stick the camera on the bonnet and leave it at that, but Studio 397 has gone above and beyond and provided players with a fairly extensive view of the inner workings of the car as well as the realistic reactions of the driver to the players actions, giving players that sense of realism and accuracy.
My Overall Thoughts on Le Mans Ultimate
In conclusion, my final thoughts on Le Mans Ultimate were that it was a very challenging and realistic game that kept faithful to what the sport is all about while also providing gamers the opportunity to put themselves in the driver’s seat of some of the most powerful cars in the world. Although the learning curve was steep, it was totally worth it in the end to finally beat those other racers while also refining my technique.
Le Mans Ultimate
Le Mans Ultimate is the official game of the FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans that puts players in the driver’s seat as they take on countless races to achieve victory against their rivals.
Summary
Le Mans Ultimate, for me, was a fun and realistic experience that put me through numerous challenges that I had to overcome throughout my time with the title. The best part for me was how much detail was included in the game, as each vehicle and location was incredibly detailed right down to the smallest detail.
HOURS PLAYED: 8
PLAYED ON: PC
- The detail on the cars and race tracks was incredible.
- Controls were simple and easy to pick up.
- Plenty of options for players to choose from to either help inexperienced players or challenge experienced ones.
- Loading screens were rather tenuous and took a long time to load.
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I am a long-time writer who enjoys talking about numerous different game genres as well as playing them. My main focuses are games like Helldivers 2, Warframe, and so much more.
