If there’s a driving recreation up for assessment, you’d greatest imagine I’ll be placing my hand as much as attempt it out after which scribble some phrases. Besides The Crew Motorfest, as I nonetheless haven’t gotten over the frustration of the primary recreation.
Anyway, what this rambling opening is main onto is the arrival on Xbox of a brand new off street driving simulator, that includes honking nice vans driving via locations you’d wrestle to stroll via. Going by the identify of Heavy Obligation 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 convey one thing new to the desk, or is it simply one other additionally ran? Effectively, strap your self in, we’re going offroad.
I like to begin my critiques by waxing lyrical about narratives and tales, what it’s driving us to try to push a truck via probably the most hardcore of locations. However with Heavy Obligation Problem, I can’t. There isn’t any narrative past “you’re on the beginning line in a truck, attempt to not die!”. Quick paragraph this time round…
What I can speak about is the presentation, and once we are our varied vans within the pre-driving display, all is beautiful. The truck fashions are apparently formally branded and have the true liveries that they do in the true 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 vans look fairly good. Nonetheless, once we come to the visuals discovered whereas we’re out within the wild, driving about, every little thing right here simply seems to be 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 Obligation Problem seems to be a bit rushed, a bit unfinished.
The sound can be a bit far and wide, with the engines of the totally different vans 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’ll be able to’t get it again on its wheels by steering and reversing, however you’ll be able to on this recreation! A lot for a “Extremely reasonable physics simulation” eh?
Effectively, now that we all know that Heavy Obligation Problem seems to be a bit ropey and has no story, how does it play is the following query. And I assume the reply will depend on what you anticipate from the sport, to a big half.
Let me clarify. To be able 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 an excellent job of introducing you to the totally different classes of vans – they are often two axle, three axle, or, anticipate 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 one of the best time on, and the missions do an excellent job of educating you the way to use the handbook gears and likewise the way to lock varied differentials to present one of the best traction throughout difficult terrain. To this point, so good, and I loved these tutorials. In truth, 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 via the beginning gate and located myself in a forest, with no indication of the place the observe went, or the place the tip of the stage might have been. Nope, only a forest, some farmland and a number 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 via. Apparently there are 5 gates to search out on this course, however no map, no on-screen indications and no frickin’ concept which technique 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 via and the precise driving expertise present in Heavy Obligation Problem is sweet and – based mostly on no expertise by any means – fairly reasonable. If you happen to 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 be taught this gorgeous shortly. 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 fluctuate 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 may as well select a view from the passenger seat (why?), and from someplace close to the entrance bumper. Nonetheless, this viewpoint, my favorite in each driving recreation, 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 probably the most sense in “seeing the place you’re going” form of manner, 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 technique to put them the precise manner spherical. A minor annoyance, nevertheless it does add to a rising pile of niggles to spoil the expertise.
All in all, Heavy Obligation problem is an odd duck. It seems to be tough however the precise driving expertise is engrossing, even when it isn’t precisely fun a minute. However then, that is meant to be a simulator, not a enjoyable recreation! The dearth of steering in levels 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 Obligation Problem will really feel like a dream.
