Enthusia Professional Racing

Enthusia Professional Racing isn't perfect, and it doesn't usurp the throne, but it is pretty darn good.

Gran Turismo has been the driving for... oh, you know the drill. Everything else has been just plain arcade in comparison. Finally there's another worthy driver on the lonely simulation road: Enthusia Professional Racing. It isn't perfect, and it doesn't usurp the throne, but it is pretty darn good.

Quantum Mechanics
The linchpin of any driving simulation is the physics model, and this is Enthusia's high point. Each vehicle has its own handling personality, pitching and twisting around four independent wheels, and responding to every wrench twist in the garage. From the predictable stability of a low-end front-wheel drive sedan to the tail-happy raw power of a rear-wheel drive sports car, with all manner of surfaces and weather conditions swirling in the mix, the variety of experience to be had here is admirable. An innovative Visual Gravity System gives moment-to-moment traction and handling data as well. New players may find it to be a moot gimmick at first, but pay attention to it and you'll glean valuable information about how to tweak your car to perform at its best on any given track.

The simulation is convincing, but it's not perfect, and is inferior to Gran Turismo 4's in some key respects. The most obvious problem is that the system is far too forgiving of dragging a wheel or two off-track. Do that in real life, and you'll easily lose control almost instantly. In Enthusia, you'll barely even feel the car pull in that direction. This glaring issue may help to alleviate frustration in rookies, but seasoned vets will find it maddening and inexplicable.

Enthusia is playing second fiddle in other ways as well: it features around 500 fewer cars, and unlocking them amounts to a lottery; you can't buy new parts, only upgrade them through a point system; driving AI is too defensive, with drones that yield at a nudge; graphics, while certainly beautiful, are not quite as polished; and the aural environment is not quite as rich.

That's Not the Engine Knocking
Gran Turismo's not without weakness, so it's odd to see obvious opportunities missed. Enthusia could've implemented even a rudimentary damage model, greatly improved collision physics, or delivered online support; instead, cars remain as invulnerable as ever, impacts still resemble bumping pucks on an air-hockey table, and your gaming bandwidth goes unfilled. The technical trials of the Driving Revolution mode seem unique until you realize they're really just a replacement for license tests.

This is the first genuine competition Gran Turismo has faced in ages, but in the end there's little question who is king. If you find yourself in need of a break from the series master, though, Enthusia is certainly worth your time and money.

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