Volvo The Game is a free 3D driving simulator featuring the Volvo S60 Concept car. It also features virtual recreations of two racetracks, the “Eco Drive Arena” in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the Chayka race track in Kiew, Ukraine.
Game modes include competing against computer controlled opponents as well as best lap-times against yourself or against players from around the world through internet multiplayer.
There’s been a surge in free video-game simulators for fancy car models. In the last year or so I tested two game tie-ins from BMW and Mercedes. What all of these games seem to have in common is top-notch, impressive graphics.
Yet the reason I did not post any of these before on Freewaregenius was that they simply were super-difficult to play, and it seemed like the developers were too focused on impressive production qualities that they didn’t really think to craft the playability.
Therefore you might wonder whether “Volvo The Game”, which as you can see from the screenshots is obviously a beautiful game, has got good playability or whether it also is super hard. The answer is: both. That is, “Volvo The Game” is not an easy game to master and has a definitive learning curve; however, you do get the sense that it is “fair”, and that mastering it is possible and is just around the corner, so to speak. Here are more notes on this one:
- Controls: simple keyboard arrow controls, with options for joystick and even external steering wheel controls.
- Multiplayer over internet: you have to register for a free account using a valid email for this.
- Prodcution qualities: the graphics are super-cool, and the physics are very well crafted. There is a lot of attention to detail: for example, crashing into the side of the track will produce visible bursts of dust and smoke. Little things that make a huge difference. The audi is also very well done.
- Vantage point: press “Tab” to switch camera views.
- Replays: if you’ve had a particularly good race there’s nothing like going back and watching yourself burn rubber. You can play at being a video producer and have a lot of control over the type and placement of the camera throughout. (And no, so far I’ve not had a performance that was particularly worthy of re-viewing myself).’
The verdict: this game is very well put together. It is rather hard at tough to master but generally quite playable
Compatibility: WinAll. Requires a graphics card supporting OpenGL. Enable Asian language support in Windows for a better experience.
Go to the Volvocars site to download the latest version. Skip the intro then click on the box to the right (see image to the right). Download file is approx 588 megs.
