If there’s a driving sport up for evaluation, you’d greatest imagine I’ll be placing my hand as much as strive it out after which scribble some phrases. Besides The Crew Motorfest, as I nonetheless haven’t gotten over the frustration of the primary sport.
Anyway, what this rambling opening is main onto is the arrival on Xbox of a brand new off highway driving simulator, that includes honking nice vehicles driving by way of locations you’d battle to stroll by way of. Going by the title of Heavy Responsibility Problem from Nano Video games and Aerosoft Video games, this comes that includes the official licence from the Europa Truck Trial league (nope, me neither). However can it carry one thing new to the desk, or is it simply one other additionally ran? Nicely, strap your self in, we’re going offroad.
I like to begin my opinions by waxing lyrical about narratives and tales, what it’s driving us to attempt to push a truck by way of essentially the most hardcore of locations. However with Heavy Responsibility Problem, I can’t. There is no such thing as a narrative past “you’re on the beginning line in a truck, strive to not die!”. Quick paragraph this time round…
What I can speak about is the presentation, and after we are our varied vehicles within the pre-driving display screen, all is gorgeous. The truck fashions are apparently formally branded and have the actual liveries that they do in the actual world. Whereas I’m certain that is pretty for these of you on the market who observe this league, I used to be none the wiser. It’s not precisely Gulf or Martini racing liveries, is it?
Nonetheless, the vehicles look fairly good. Nevertheless, after we come to the visuals discovered whereas we’re out within the wild, driving about, every part right here simply appears a bit final gen. It’s all kind of blurry and vague, with a few of the worst pop-in I’ve seen since Tomb Raider on the PS1. Heavy Responsibility Problem appears a bit rushed, a bit unfinished.
The sound can be a bit all over, with the engines of the totally different vehicles sounding remarkably alike; a uninteresting roar. The remainder of the sound results are fairly underwhelming too – in the event you fall off a bridge in your truck, for instance, (not that I ever did, you perceive) then you definately’d anticipate it to sound like the tip of the world, however no, it’s the identical as in the event you bump a tree. Additionally, on the realism scale, when a truck has fallen over, I’m pretty certain you possibly can’t get it again on its wheels by steering and reversing, however you possibly can on this sport! A lot for a “Extremely practical physics simulation” eh?
Nicely, now that we all know that Heavy Responsibility Problem appears a bit ropey and has no story, how does it play is the following query. And I assume the reply is dependent upon what you anticipate from the sport, to a big half.
Let me clarify. With a purpose to get absolutely onboard with the driving that HDC presents, it’s all the time a good suggestion to check out the tutorial missions first. These do job of introducing you to the totally different classes of vehicles – they are often two axle, three axle, or, await it, 4 axle rigs that we take out for a spin. All drive barely in a different way. Clearly a nippy little two axle truck is the hare to the huge 4 axle tortoise, if you’ll. Every tutorial consists of a course that you need to drive and get the very best time on, and the missions do job of instructing you the best way to use the handbook gears and likewise the best way to lock varied differentials to provide the very best traction throughout difficult terrain. To this point, so good, and I loved these tutorials. The truth is, I used to be raring to exit into the world of in opposition to the clock competitors, particularly given the presence of on-line leaderboards and the like.
Think about my shock then that, when sat on the beginning line in my little sport truck, I drove by way of the beginning gate and located myself in a forest, with no indication of the place the monitor went, or the place the tip of the stage might have been. Nope, only a forest, some farmland and a choice of sheds and timber. By driving round aimlessly I managed to interrupt the truck, fall down a ravine, off a bridge and get totally misplaced. I by no means noticed one other gate that wanted driving by way of. Apparently there are 5 gates to seek out on this course, however no map, no on-screen indications and no frickin’ concept which option to go. The purple mist quickly descended and I give up out to play one thing extra enjoyable, like Lies of P. It’s a lot much less irritating.
Battle by way of and the precise driving expertise present in Heavy Responsibility Problem is sweet and – based mostly on no expertise in any way – fairly practical. For those who attempt to go up a hill in too excessive a gear, the truck will grind to a halt, and going over rock strewn pathways wants all of the differentials to be locked, however you study this gorgeous rapidly. Toggling the diffs, the gears and the steering to get to the place you need to go is fairly engrossing, I’ve to say.
The digital camera views range wildly in usefulness although. The default is the in-cab view, the place we’re sat behind the steering wheel that strikes with nobody touching it, which is a bit spooky at first. You can even select a view from the passenger seat (why?), and from someplace close to the entrance bumper. Nevertheless, this viewpoint, my favorite in each driving sport, does appear to be mounted behind the bull bars on the entrance of the truck, which diminishes its utility considerably. The ultimate viewpoint is behind the truck within the third particular person, and whereas this makes essentially the most sense in “seeing the place you’re going” sort of means, it does considerably kill the immersion.
The opposite odd factor is that the digital camera controls have the axes inverted, and I can’t discover a option to put them the precise means spherical. A minor annoyance, nevertheless it does add to a rising pile of niggles to spoil the expertise.
All in all, Heavy Responsibility problem is an odd duck. It appears tough however the precise driving expertise is engrossing, even when it isn’t precisely amusing a minute. However then, that is meant to be a simulator, not a enjoyable sport! The dearth of steering in phases might put you off, but when driving a truck aimlessly at a heady 13mph for hours on finish is your concept of enjoyable, then Heavy Responsibility Problem will really feel like a dream.
