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the review:
Grand Prix Legends
Spitting in the face of the casual simulation
Published by Sierra Sports
Posted on 10/28/1998
Pulling out of the pits in Spa
From their early days crafting the superlative Indianapolis 500: The
Simulation through their more recent IndyCar and NASCAR games, Sierra's
Papyrus division has consistently set the standard for racing
simulations. With Grand Prix Legends they have topped themselves once
again, delivering what may be the purest simulation ever created for the
PC, a swaggering, chest-thumping game, one without equal in any other
genre. Eschewing anything resembling a simple mode for beginners, it
seems to say, "You want a mere game? Go play Daytona USA, race boy."
A number of new rules were introduced in the 1968 Formula 1 season to
make the sport safer. Grand Prix Legends models 1967, the year before the
drivers saw racing sanitized for their protection. As you're sliding
around in one of these wingless wonder cars, it's hard not to get high on
the romanticism of that racing era, the thought of drivers risking their
lives by driving on the edge in a vehicle that was a 400 horsepower
deathtrap with wheels.
Watching the replays is incredibly fun
The game does an unbelievable job simulating that type of vehicle.
Fighter jocks can talk all they want about games like Longbow 2 or Su-27
being the hardest of the ***, but they've never faced a challenge
like completing a lap in Grand Prix Legends, even with all driving aids
enabled. It's all about the physics of driving, of weight transfer, of
friction, of torque and horsepower. The resultant concoction is a wild
beast of a car, one that reacts horribly at the limit of adhesion and is
somewhere beyond twitchy and tail-happy. It requires the patience of a
saint and the focus of a surgeon to pilot your Brabham or Eagle through
the streets of Monaco or on the straights of Monza. Few games make you
this nervous behind the wheel, with the feeling that you're on the brink
of a crash. If you think the cars get airborne more than they should when
they hit curbing or trackside objects, it's probably because the drivers
of the era weren't quite as stupid as we are, or more accurately they
knew the limits of their machines and didn't fly into the turns with the
same reckless abandon a modern race car allows. You can't mash the brakes
or stamp on the throttle when you don't have all of those aerodynamic
aids pushing your car toward the ground. You will need to completely re-
learn everything you know about driving a race car.
Running up on the curbing will test that 3D physics modeling
On the downside, all of this amazing physics modeling only works if you
want to commit your life to the game. Unfortunately, most of the world
would rather be a bit more casual about things and want to experience the
thrill of driving the 14-mile Nrburgring without needing an advanced
degree in car-dom. Papyrus scoffs at such thoughts, but beginner modes,
which the game most certainly could use, do not diminish the impact of a
*** simulation; instead, they give the game a learning curve. This
game has more of a learning line-the game starts out wicked hard and
eventually moves on to staggeringly difficult, never dropping to merely
challenging. Even the staggeringly good AI is always set to "beat the
lowly human," regardless of the skill level. Some may find that what the
game gains in perceived realism it loses in outright fun.
Along those same lines, the presentation of Grand Prix Legends is austere
to the point of being nearly boring. It's as if Papyrus is afraid to
prettify any aspect of the simulation. It doesn't announce its presence
with flash-it's all business. Unfortunately, in stripping the art of the
simulation to its barest essentials, they left out some of the
flexibility it should have had. Interested in running a 20 lap race at
Watkins Glen on the hardest skill level with all damage modeling enabled?
No dice, Mario. On the hardest skill level you can only race full races.
And graphically the game is somewhat middle-of-the-road, supporting
acceleration only with 3Dfx and Rendition cards. However, the minor
graphic glitches cannot hide the fantastic job they've done visually
modeling the cars and the individual pieces of their four-wheel
suspension.
Cars break apart realistically upon impact
In the end, you may end up respecting Grand Prix Legends more than
you'll ever enjoy it. UbiSoft's superlative F1 Racing Simulation, for
example, is satisfying as both a simulation and an arcade game, allowing
the game to be tailored to your mood. Grand Prix Legends, on the other
hand, is the type of simulation the *** fringe wishes every game
could be, one that screams "screw the masses, this is as real as it
gets." While this single-minded devotion to absolute realism at the
expense of some playability may spell commercial suicide, it delivers
serious thrills for serious fans of serious simulations.
by Steve Bauman
Requirements:
Windows 95, 98
166MHz Pentium or higher
32MB of RAM
4X CD-ROM
joystick or steering wheel
Multiplayer: 2-20 players, Internet, LAN, modem
?1998 Strategy Plus, Inc.
right direction, >were very minimal.
Exactly - I was reading a 1968 GP year book I picked up at an old book fair,
and much of the introduction goes on at length about how the circuit owners
promised much in '67 about safety, and completely failed to deliver in '68.
Much criticism was singled out for the 'Ring for running the race in
appalling conditions worse than those that had caused the cancellation of
practice sessions! Fire marshalling also came in for heavy criticism, with
untrained marshalls without the proper equipment being too scared to
approach the flames.
- Michael
> >In fact the safety related rule changes for 1968, whilst a step in the
> right direction, >were very minimal.
> Exactly - I was reading a 1968 GP year book I picked up at an old book fair,
> and much of the introduction goes on at length about how the circuit owners
> promised much in '67 about safety, and completely failed to deliver in '68.
...
A book that I recommend every Formula One fan should read is Sid
Watkins' "Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One: The Inside Story of
Professor Sid Watkins". Watkins was hired by the FIA to upgrade
safety. Up until fairly recently, the state of general safety
precautions and on-site medical facilities that he describes is
appalling. Check it out.
Dave Ewing
Not that I disagree with your conclusions, but how surprising is it that
they'll run a race in conditions worse than they'll allow for practice??
The main event is the race, not the practice.
Was it Jim Clark that wrecked at the 'Ring that year? Was this what
brought on the fire marshalling discussions?
Michael.
Quoted text (7 lines)
> Much criticism was singled out for the 'Ring for running the race in > appalling conditions worse than those that had caused the cancellation of > practice sessions! Fire marshalling also came in for heavy criticism, with > untrained marshalls without the proper equipment being too scared to > approach the flames. > - MichaelJim Clark crashed and died at an F2 race in Hockenheim in
1968. People are still uncertain what the exact cause of the accident
was, though evidence points to a burst tyre.
Martin
Nigel Mansell RIP!
Quoted text (10 lines)
> >Was it Jim Clark that wrecked at the 'Ring that year? Was this what > >brought on the fire marshalling discussions? > Jim Clark crashed and died at an F2 race in Hockenheim in > 1968. People are still uncertain what the exact cause of the accident > was, though evidence points to a burst tyre. > Martin > Nigel Mansell RIP!I suppose the pressure to the organizers to run the race is greater - with
the massive crowds there waiting to watch something.
No - as far as I know there were no serious injuries at the 'Ring. Jackie
Stewart won by an amazing 4 minutes in the Matra from Graham Hill. Fire
marshalling was to blame for the tragic death of Jo Schlesser at Rouen.
- Michael
That sounds good - can you put it out as an MP3 file:-)
- Michael
Quoted text (9 lines)
> >I've got an audio tape of the BBC live broadcast from the '68 Ring > race. > >I'll listen to it, and see who burned, I don't remember right now (I > was > >born too late, see!) > That sounds good - can you put it out as an MP3 file:-) > - MichaelIt should be legal, isn't there a 25 year rule?
You could upload it to one of the GPL websites if its small enough?
- Michael
