Game Stock Car 2012 60 Minute First Look

Pete Walsh July 4, 2012

There is no shortage of talent and experience in the Reiza Dev Team and it’s because of this I decided to give Game Stock Car 2012 a look, not just any old look though but one with seriously high expectations.

One gotcha straight up with Game Stock Car 2012 is that you only have 60 minutes to assess the game before the trial period expires. Anyone who knows much about sim racing knows that it can easily take longer than 60 minutes to get a game setup and running, or even just to begin to get the controller to your liking let alone begin to explore cars and tracks included in a game. It’s a risky strategy – a hiccup or two and your hour is up, in the blink of an eye. Is 60 minutes enough to sell a sim racing game? Hmm…

Anyone familiar with rFactor (1) should feel immediately at home in GSC 2012 as the UI and general workings of the game have a lot in common. Straight up however 5 of the 60 minutes were used up configuring in-game settings (Display, Difficulty etc) as well as resetting the Config utility which seemed reluctant to remember my screen resolution.

Game Stock Car 2012 60 Minute First Look

GSC has on very effective screen that lets you select car, track, layout, race details etc all in one place. There are UI glitches in this one-stop-shop approach e.g. not being able to open the Stock Car tree when then Camaro tree is open, but overall it’s a super quick way of getting you racing ASAP, important stuff when you only have 60 minutes to trial the game.

Game Stock Car 2012 60 Minute First Look

TBH I was disappointed with the game visuals out of the box and with the 60 minute limit didn’t really have the time to tinker and try to improve them. What I wanted to go is get out on the track and try out the cars and this is where Game Stock Car 2012 doesn’t disappoint.

Basically in the short time available all the cars included in the game – the Camaro, the two Formula cars and the V8 Stock Cars – were fantastic fun to drive, but ultimately for me it was the V8 Stock Car that stood out. From the cockpit view the V8′s look, sound and drive superbly – sublime sim racing! The last 30 minutes flashed by in the Stock Cars competing against credible AI before the trial timer abruptly closed the game without warning.

I really enjoyed the driving in Game Stock Car 2012, probably more than any other sim racing game I’ve tried recently. Do I want to go back and play it more? Sure! Was 60 minutes enough to completely hook me on it? Not really no. As much as I enjoyed the driving, the overall experience felt rushed and pressured. I think something like 120-180 minutes would be better. Will I buy it? Hard to say, but I am seriously tempted!