Game Info
Overview | Storyline
| Graphics and Sounds | Playability
| Nice game features | Downs of the game
Comparision to other race games
| Manual | Tips for novice drivers
| System Requirements
News
Game Info
Overview | Storyline
| Graphics and Sounds | Playability
| Nice game features | Downs of the game
Comparision to other race games
| Manual | Tips for novice drivers
| System Requirements
News
Take a final deep breath, concentrate, push down the clutch, rev that engine, slide in first gear, wait for the signal to jump to green and roar away from the starting grid. In the first corner it will show if you are capable to compete against the best drivers in the Formula 1 circus.
Grandprix 2 is the sequel to the already legendary Formula One Grandprix. Chief programmer Geoff Crammond gave this game its state of the art engine. Microprose put realism ahead of everything else. So you can, or have to, optimize and tune your race car in a dozen ways. You can change settings as: spoilers, shocks, dampers, brake bias, gear ratio and much more. Furthermore you need to tune your car for every track differently to be competitive against the rest of the pack. You can choose from pure training sessions to quickrace ( without qualifying ) or single race ( with training and qualifying ) all the way to complete seasons ( 16 Tracks ). Thanks to a new license from Fuji, Microprose was able to include all original teams, drivers, cars, engines, tracks , rules and even the Camera positions from the 1994 season. Luckily you don´t have to pay the enormous entrance fees from Bernie Ecclestone. :-))
But all these great features do have there downside. If you want to speed along with all graphic details turned on, you will need at least a good 133 Mhz Pentium. But if you are a fan of realistic race sims, hurry to the next dealer and get this superb game.
The ultimate goal is to go through a whole season, consisting of 16 tracks, and winning the drivers and construction championship for your team. Before you go into a race you have to drive 2 qualification sessions ( except quickrace ) to get a optimal position at the starting grid. Otherwise you have to start at the end of the field, from where there is almost no chance of winning ( just as in the real world ). You even have the option to drive a warmup-session before the race, as to get a feel of the car with full tanks. And believe me there is a difference between driving with full or empty tanks. Fans of manager games will also like to here that you can set your own pit-stop strategy.
The many menues in the game have nice Formula 1 photos in the background. The actual race is done completely in texture mapping, including lighting and sound effects. You can choose between VGA and SVGA detail. Where the VGA mode is not all that thrilling, you get a real feast for the eyes in SVGA. No other race-sim is that detailed and stunning as GP2. If it would be any more realistic you would think you are watching TV. During the race you can toggle between different view points and even see the view from another cockpit. The only downside of the graphical side, is the tyres don´t seem to be spinning and the steering wheel doesn´t turn at all. This is not quite understandable, as others have putten more effort into this. The sound effects, especially the engine, are great and give the game an even more realistic touch.
Even though Gp2 is a very detailed simulation, the controls are very simple. There is no memorizing of any complicated keyboard commands. The menue structure is well thought out and easy to navigate. The only not so easy part is controlling the camera views. But these should not be used during a race anyhow, as a crash would be for sure.
For driving you can use the keyboard, joystick or wheel and pedals. Even though it stands in the manual, the mouse is not supported. The best feeling is for sure with a set of wheel and pedals. But a joystick will also be a good choice. A big flightstick might not be the best as you don´t have the exact feeling, needed for fast lap-times, with it. I personally use a high quality 2-button joystick and am pretty happy with it.
Novices can choose between 7 different driving helps like for
example, auto-shifting, auto-braking, steering help. Also you
can choose how good your opponents are. Take all together and
it´s just a great game to play.
Comparisionto other race games
The only real competitor is probably Nascar Racing and Indycar Racing from Papyrus. If you just want to race around a circuit once in a while, games like The Need for Speed are probably the better choice for you, as in this one you really have to dig into the subject ( fine tuning ) and spend a lot of practice rounds to be competitive in higher levels. We will have to wait and see how the upcoming title from Electronic Arts ( Mclaren 96 ) can stand against the current leader in racing-simulations-GRANDPRIX 2---.
Against the trend of other manufacturers of only including online help, Microprose decided on a full blown, high-gloss paper book. The first 50 pages describe all the game controls and tune-up settings. The other over 100 pages are a Formula 1 encyclopedia and exact description of each track and team. The whole manual is also full of great screenshots and photographs. Other software-factorys should have a good look at this, and learn :-) .
The only real tip I can give you is: practice, practice, practice and then again practice.
The best course to begin is in Monza as already described in the handbook. Don´t push to hard at the beginning as it can get frustrating never to finish a complete lap without a crash. Use the driving aids until you get a feel for the track.
Minimum
Supported
Thanks to Masayard I recieved this update Info:
Microprose will release an update for Grand Prix 2 next January !!!
The major of the update will contain IPX Network support allowing 2-4 players race at the same time. ( finally )
Also they will make improvements for modem and direct linked play.
The update also contains some features which were removed from the final version, like split times during race,
mouse as a control method, stereo/mono toggle and ability to turn off car textures.
The update does not contain wet weather and season update. :-(
Info received from MicroProse UK.