I haven't played Pro Mode yet, there seems to be a few bugs in this new area, but I have to say, playing with the Pro teams, I think the racing gameplay now for each stage is fantastic.
The AI really has been improved. Flat stages are much improved, intermediate sprints now interest the sprinters and sprinting teams really chase down breakaways and ramp up the speed at the end of a stage.
Hilly stages were already very good, it's great to see the GC contenders coming to the fore on mountain top finishes. If I have one criticism, I'd like to see riders make more of an effort for KOM points. If you're on a breakaway, it's way too easy to collect the maximum points available.
Playing at 1/5 scale is perfect for me. It's great fun riding some stages when going solo, but I can still fast forward when I need to. When it's hilly you can really see when the incline steepens. The only issue is that we have to start sprinting further out than they would in real life but that's a small concession to make. The game seems much more difficult too overall with the split feed making a big difference.
I love the attention to detail. You see the riders where you expect to see them and I like the addition of the commentator giving info on each rider (Would be great if we had a recognised English commentator ). The animations are great. The flick of the elbow during relays. Riders having a stretch. Riders speaking into the mic and a rider with a puncture stopped and turned with his hand in the air. Riders falling on steep downhill ascents.
It's taken a few years to get it right, but I'm loving it.
The introduction of the PRO Mode is a good direction to take it, but obviously needs a lot more work. I'd love to see the Vuelta and Giro added as well as a load of the other races which would make this mode even better. I guess this is a lot of work in the graphics department though. Not sure how PCM copes with it?
Maybe with the next gen machines it will be possible, as well as adding to the attention to detail. Maybe motorbikes and team cars? lol
ma04hew wrote:
I have to agree with everything you have said. It is a great game for cycling enthusiasts!
I've had good battles for GC as Katusha, but I'm struggling sprinting? Any advice on that- when to begin final sprint?
KOM points are easy to get but finally a good cycling game for consoles
Sprinting is pretty tricky, you need to make sure you stay near the front and in high gear from about 10km out. I usually set a few of my guys to relay to get them to the front and then at 5/6km out launch the sprint and just try and tag onto the back of them. It's pretty dfificult to time so if things go wrong, try to tag onto the back of Kittel/Greipel etc. I usually start sprinting about 1.5km out.
Winning the intermediate is easier because the pace is lower.
). The animations are great. The flick of the elbow during relays. Riders having a stretch. Riders speaking into the mic and a rider with a puncture stopped and turned with his hand in the air. Riders falling on steep downhill ascents.
