12
32-
Assetto Corsa Competizione is not for the faint of heart. Indeed, this is not a game for those of us who feel overwhelmed when we drive manual in Forza Horizon 4. Instead, Assetto Corsa Competizione delivers an insanely focused and incredibly detailed experience that easily rivals the heavyweights of the genre, such as Forza Motorsport 7 and Project Cars 2, and even goes well beyond what those games have accomplished in some respects.
Borderline unplayable on a keyboard and just about acceptable on a gamepad, Assetto Corsa Competizione is a true simulator at heart, best played on a hefty gaming wheel and in front of a massive screen. This is precisely where the game comes into its own, and what its uniqueness manages to shine through. Here, we're going to be taking a look at what sort of racing does Competizione aim to deliver, and what it is that you should expect from it.
First things first - the main difference between Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione is that of width and breadth. Already a very competent sim-racing title, Assetto Corsa exists to deliver a wide variety of racing vehicles for virtual drivers to enjoy: ranging from street-legal sedans over regular racers, all the way to veritable beasts such as the legendary Mercedes-Benz C9. Each of these vehicles is quite unique when it comes to handling and driving stats, and most simulator fans could find something to have fun with. Competizione, on the other hand, is the official racing game of the prestigious Blancpain GT Racing Series, which means that it is, by default, way more focused than its predecessor.
Offering precisely 17 vehicles in total, Assetto Corsa Competizione can afford to go into extreme detail in regard to every aspect of their handling, and showcase them in a much more impressive light than virtually any other racing sim can. Where others attempt to balance quantity and quality, Competizione instead goes ham when it comes to the quality of its models and their realistic representation in-game - all of it courtesy of Unreal Engine 4, which is being pushed to its absolute limits here. There's no going around the fact that Assetto Corsa Competizione is astoundingly beautiful, and with LaserScan tech being used to translate racing tracks into digital form, this game is as authentic as it could possibly get right now.
True to its name, Competizione is also designed with a hefty multiplayer component. With both dedicated servers and a fully-fledged matchmaking system, the game all but ensures that there's always this or that community-organised event going on, and with up to 30 vehicles on a single track, to boot. Such a focus on balanced, well-oiled multiplayer hijinx means that the game is also set to enter the e-sports scene with a running start, if you'd excuse the pun. Since there's no licensed racing game romping about when it comes to e-sports, there's no better candidate to fill this niche than Assetto Corsa Competizione, really.
With all of that in mind, one question remains: who is Assetto Corsa Competizione for? And the answer is deceivingly simple - it's for the perfectionist. If you're looking for a competitive, skill-based racing sim that aims to deliver a virtual racing experience that's practically 1:1 with the real deal, Competizione is as good as it gets at the moment. Even if you're uninterested in multiplayer racing, the game's surprisingly good AI will give as good as it gets.
In short, Assetto Corsa Competizione is sleek, minimalistic, and almost brutal in its goal to attain practically absolute realism. It's pretty damn phenomenal, really.
Get in the Game ! 
