Looking Back on GTR2

[Paul Jeffrey]

Almost 13 years on from release, does GTR2 still have what it takes to entertain sim racing fans in 2019?

Many considered GTR2 to be one of the all time sim racing greats when it released back in 2006, however plenty of time has passed since those glory days of this sims early life - leaving me to wonder if the title still has what it needs to hold water with some of the more modern racing games of today.

Armed with the 10th Anniversary patch and the HQ Textures update, plus a few cheeky updates to the force feedback settings, we've embarked on a journey back in time to find out if this once legendary sim can still do the business in 2019.

Don't forget to check out the GTR2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment, a great place to continue discussing this olden but golden title, and pick up a few mods too!

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[Eckhart von Glan]

ena pergusa - thx someone for mentioning it. i knew there was one track which i only ever played in gtr2, i can actually still remember one ai race there where i followed a porsche with a big russian advertisement on the wing (some oil company?) for lap after lap after lap. also, the game featured the lister storm! fond memories. wasn't it a jag in disguise? didn't they run a newcastle united skin, black and white?

 

[Koen Verlinde]

Link for those hd etc mods/patches, and do they work in steam-install too? I have original installed somewhere too if I remember right(it's hard to remember what you have in your pc...)

https://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/gtr2-10th-anniversary-patch.21415/
And yes it works on the Steam Install.

 

[roadyroad]

ena pergusa - thx someone for mentioning it. i knew there was one track which i only ever played in gtr2, i can actually still remember one ai race there where i followed a porsche with a big russian advertisement on the wing (some oil company?) for lap after lap after lap. also, the game featured the lister storm! fond memories. wasn't it a jag in disguise? didn't they run a newcastle united skin, black and white?

Yes, Enna Pergusa, what an amazing track for fast racing cars. The deadly chicanes!!! Insanely impressive in a GT1 car! I assume some conversions have been made for other sims but not sure. I've raced on this track only in GTR1&2 and F1 Challenge (on the WSGT mod). I need to find it for Assetto Corsa and the RSS GT1 Mod!

 

[Andrew Harper]

the game featured the lister storm! fond memories. wasn't it a jag in disguise? didn't they run a newcastle united skin, black and white?

Lister were a company that specialised in performance tuning Jaguar Cars (run by Laurence Pearce). I think the most insane one I've seen was the 7 litre V12 XJS. Saw a few at Jaguar enthusiasts club meets some years ago. I think they also did a twin turbo V12 version if you felt like it! lol

Not the most pretty thing in the world after they restyled it but I suppose you can't argue with 605bhp. You could have it with just the engine and chassis mods and pass on the huge wheel arches if you didn't like them

They decided that they wanted to make their own supercar and the Lister Storm was the result. Yes it has a 7 litre V12 engine. Based on the monster that was in the back of the Jaguar XJR-9 at Le Mans.

I was lucky to maybe see ten or twelve races with the Lister in (what was BPR and then FIA GT Championship). It ran in different forms for about ten years which for a GT class car is pretty impressive.

Then of course GT1 went a little bit crazy and the Storm was just outgunned if you like.

Along with the McLaren F1 GTR's a great sounding race car, The ground shook and your ears hurt when they went by

 

[Andrew Harper]

Yes, Enna Pergusa, what an amazing track for fast racing cars. The deadly chicanes!!! Insanely impressive in a GT1 car! I assume some conversions have been made for other sims but not sure. I've raced on this track only in GTR1&2 and F1 Challenge (on the WSGT mod). I need to find it for Assetto Corsa and the RSS GT1 Mod!

San Luis was also one of my favourites in the real life championship. A simple layout I suppose but a unique location and some great elevation change.

 

[Jempy]

I need to try and get my copy to work again. Last time I tried it kept crashing or something, can't quite remember. Think it has something to do with me being on W10 since I last played it.

I've also upgraded to a DD wheel so I imagine I'll have the same issues Paul did where it's not going to recognize my h-shifter and Fanatec wheel since I have multiple USB devices (same issue with Nascar 2003).

Is it especially a problem with a DD wheel or multiple USB devices ?
Personally, I have a G27 wheel, a Fanatec CSP V2 and a TH8 H-Shifter on multiple USB devices of course ... and no problem at all ... all controllers are working perfectly on Win10.

Didn't you forget to start every GTR2.exe ( config or/and game ) with admin rights ? .... else it will not work.
Even Bill2's Process Manager needs those admin rights ... else it doesn't work either.

NB: no need to say I'm still considering GTR2 as the most complete sim until now. Even old and outdated and missing some perfect points surely .... it remains one of the best remembered, the most modded and the most complete of all Simracing platforms.
AC should surely be ... one of its best successors ... but still missing important features as:
better AI, better racing features as penalties, manual pitlimiter, launched starts, Save feature etc ...
NB: forgetting rain and night ... as it will surely be possible within some time by those fantastic and talented AC modders.
GTR2 misses the new bling bling features .... and a better FFB.
Nearly sure a updated GTR2 with more actual features and up to date possibilities + new content should be a better success than a problematic and unsure GTR3 ... often promised and never coming.

 

[BrunoBæ]

Good video Paul - but I have watched a few of your videos and the games engine sound sounds terrible/irritating because when you talk then the games engine volume are completely messed up(almost cut off) by some automatic volume control.
Thats the reason I only bothering to watch your (mostly visually good) videos for a few minutes.

 

[gwaldock]

Good video Paul - but I have watched a few of your videos and the games engine sound sounds terrible/irritating because when you talk then the games engine volume are completely messed up(almost cut off) by some automatic volume control.
Thats the reason I only bothering to watch your (mostly visually good) videos for a few minutes.

I used to be a DJ many years ago: I think what you are complaining about is something like (old-school) "DJ Mute". I, for one, find it easier to understand the narrator when extraneous sounds have been attenuated.

 

[jven]

These games will be around for a long, long time it seems. Recently I was curious about a F1 game I played back in the '90s and don't have any more, and I was really surprised to see it is apparently still being actively played and modded (to some degree). The Wiki page has links to the mod site and full info - that game is 26+ years old!

 

[Shovas]

I used to be a DJ many years ago: I think what you are complaining about is something like (old-school) "DJ Mute". I, for one, find it easier to understand the narrator when extraneous sounds have been attenuated.

I noticed this effect in the GTR2 video, as well, but don't recall it as bad in previous videos.

It was very distracting, though, I'd just prefer quieter game volume while he's talking.

 

[BrunoBæ]

I, for one, find it easier to understand the narrator when extraneous sounds have been attenuated.

I have some background in news editorial and often if a a rookie journalist or ‎trainee came back with a recorded interview they have to be told how to not use (shut off) the recorders auto volume control.
Because nobody could use an interview if the windnoise got up and down according to the speaking.
Even if you could understand the speaking or narrator.
Same here with the engine sound.

 

[BrunoBæ]

Recently I was curious about a F1 game I played back in the '90s and don't have any more, and I was really surprised to see it is apparently still being actively played and modded (to some degree). The Wiki page has links to the mod site and full info - that game is 26+ years old!

You are talking about Geoff Crammonds legendary Grand Prix.
Epic

 

[manu68]

GTR2 is for sure compulsery for any simracing fan. It belongs to history, like grand prix legends , nascar racing 2003, rfactor, Gtlegends.

I launched gt legends last week (so has netkar pro)
Driving the 911 rsr with shifter , clutch , heel&toe remains something really special.
Great sound, nice graphic, great menus, ....
Great game.

Same feeling with GTR2. Never boring.

 

[Andy_J]

Nearly as good as Pcars 2.

 

[roadyroad]

San Luis was also one of my favourites in the real life championship. A simple layout I suppose but a unique location and some great elevation change.

I think I haven't tried this one. I've just watched a video, it seems great indeed. Have to try it on gtr2!

I found Enna Pergusa for Assetto Corsa, a GTR2 conversion obviously. In VR it should be absolutely amazing.

 

[Boby Kim]

No VR...no buy

 

[Damage Inc]

By a mile my most played game ever, I spent hours upon hours of my life playing it......I can still remember the awe of following a Ferrari and ogling the beautiful backend of it. Classic game.

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

I can still remember the awe of following a Ferrari and oggling the beautiful backend ...

same here, boys will be boys

 

[Andrew Harper]

I think what all of us like about GTR2 is because it's such a complete game.

It has all the tracks, it has all the cars (including all the oddball invitational cars for the Spa 24), and all the detail. It was just a brilliant all-in-one simulation of the FIA GT Championship.

The visuals hold up well for such an old game and yes the physics are outdated but for me the overall package is so complete I think that's why a lot of us keep going back to it. Even simple little things like saving during a race weekend, crazy really that little features like this get dropped from current titles.

ACC looks amazing (and I do enjoy racing on it) but I could almost hear the collective groan from all of us when we were told that the grid would be limited. It's an endurance series, there should be 40+ cars at each race that's what makes it special IRL.

I will keep coming back to GTR2, it's still good fun and the GT1's and GT2's were a golden age of motorsport as well.

 

[roadyroad]

I've just found a mod with all the fia gt seasons of the 2000s. I had all of them but the modders really refined every aspects (graphics, physics, AI) for all the cars and tracks for each season. Time for a fresh installation!

After that, you just need to add the BPR and fia gt97 mods (which are unfortunately not as refined but still enjoyable)!

http://gtr2-endurance.forumotion.org/t4167-fia-gt-2000-2009-collection-mod-helsinki-released