SimBin's first console outing in their racing simulator, known simply as Race Pro, is something that some Xbox 360 owners have been keeping their eyes on. Much in the same vein as a Forza Motorsport, Race Pro is a game that puts the cars above all else, but has this resulted in sacrifices of other aspects of the Race Pro driving experience?

Gameplay:

As with many games, it's the Career mode that will be the main consumption of any good racer's time spent at the wheel (or their controller). The Career will first see you trying-out for races to see if you can hit the required time, here you earn points and later can buy in straight to a racing event without having to first pass a try-out. Other modes of play include Championship, which combined with the online multiplayer offering and Career; these will likely be the modes of play which will see a vast amount of hours put in by the racing faithful. The Championship mode puts you in a season environment, where you pick your class of racing car, and it's here that clearly SimBin have focused their attention, with a vast amount of car classes on offer, with detailed vehicles to compete in within each class. The Championship, depending on chosen class, will see you racing through many events, with each race running for 5 laps. Time soon flies here as you can easily spend 10+ minutes per race, with there being plenty of races to keep you busy.

Graphics:

The interior or cock-pit view is something that first became common with PGR 3, since then it seems every game has incorporated one and Race Pro is no different in this regard, as well as of course pertaining the other usual expected view-points. The visuals aren't technically poor, they're just severely lacking detail in some areas. The cars themselves look fine, it's more the environments, while accurate to their real-life counterparts, they suffer from simply a lack of detail, as well as some framerate and screen tear issues. The screen tear or v-sync issue is always present, but more noticeable whenever you take a corner. Race Pro's not pushing any boundaries in the visual department compared to other games, so it's sad to see it suffering these minor technical hindrances.

Thankfully there is a refreshing relief of variation to the tracks, as many are excruciatingly dull in their presentation. It is however the other tracks that see you racing through various streets filled with buildings, and many on-looking spectators that break some of that dull mold that the first impression gives with the earlier tracks.

Sound:

It's the audio that baffles me, a lot of racers do attempt to have some sort of soundtrack with a mixture of different racing tunes on offer. Race Pro, while it has all the necessary sound effects, along with the rumbling engines, it seemingly has no racing-esque soundtrack what-so-ever. Never before have I realised how vital music is to a racing game. Race Pro is already a hard game to grasp, but if you “get it,” and it may take some time for the more casual racer, it'll likely happen when you just so happen to be playing some music in the background, which as with most games, makes the experience that much more bearable, as opposed to enduring some form of gaming torture.

Longevity:

The length of the game depends on the player, it can potentially keep you racing for a long while, what with the Career and Championship classes to battle through, as well as taking the online multiplayer for a spin. For those that find the the game enjoyable, then you will be here for a long time, for those that lose their sanity within an hour's play, then it really varies as being short.

Overall:

Race Pro isn't likely to be a game that finds its place among the favourable pile of recent Xbox 360 racers, the fact that it's a simulation racer however will likely have it appealing to the more enthusiast of realistic racing fans. I feel that anyone that liked Forza, will appreciate Race Pro, whilst they're still vastly different games outside of their simulation similarities. Ultimately Race Pro's strongest point is the amount of differing vehicle classes on offer, but it's the poor presentation and even lack of a soundtrack that make it difficult to recommend. For those gamers that have forked out for a racing wheel for their Xbox 360, then they may be eager to get another title to get some more use out of that wheel; with the difficulty options to fiddle with, then it may be worth a look-in for the enthusiasts. Even the trailers can be very deceptive in regards to what you think it may play like. Rather than fork out the dosh, a rental may be best to test the engine first, otherwise you may get burnt. If we see a sequel at some point, I'd hope that it gets some more under-the-hood work done to make it a much more 'enjoyable' experience. Race Pro as it stands certainly lacks the sensation and thrills that you get from so many other racing titles that are already available.