CrueTrue wrote:
Thanks for the heads up. I played the 2007 version a couple of days ago and enjoyed it.
How's track racing?
Very nice, a little easy at points though, the AI is kind of stupid unless you play on professional mode. New rider models look awesome on the track though.
I've got 2009 but not had a chance to play yet (I had 2007 but not 2008). As am travelling on the Eurostar to Brussels tomorrow it might be an ideal time to give it an initial play.
I never got 08 but I was a big fan of 07 so jumped on 09 when it was released (got 1 of 2 copies in the whole of Canterbury!). It's definitely an improvement, looks better too. Still a bit easy except on hardest but hey, I like being flattered and it allows you to build dream teams a bit more easily!
My big problem is that if a green jersey checkpoint is coming up your riders won't attempt to break away although the AI riders will. Very annoying, but not annoying enough to stop me playing.....
Sky have the money but the other Brits kept the passion.
Why not check out my story of sexy new team Film4 - Asahi in the PCM10 Story section?
Much wub to: Cav, Millar, Lovqvist, Cunego, Hinc, Voigt, Cancellara, Menchov.
Wub to: Wiggins, Boonen, Beppu, Kloden, Gesink, Rogers, Moncoutie, Roche.
To cut a long story short - I don't own a pc at the moment (I'm limited to using a pc at work, friends or parents house) but when I do purchase one and get my own internet connection I will purchase and download PCM 11.
But after being a member of this forum for a short while, and being an avid cycling fan for many years now, I decided that I needed to invest in a game like this for some extra entertainment and fun. I have a PSP, but could not find the PCM 10 on PSP anywhere in my country (at least that's the last version on PSP I think they released), But I found and bought a copy of PCM 09 for my PSP and started playing a few nights ago.
So here's my review:
Graphics
Excellent, though some people lining the course routes would have been a nice addition Riders look realistic enough, although there is a lot of them bleeding into one another especially when camera viewing at rider heigt in the peloton.
Game play
Track cycling too easy in professional mode - you can win in sprints and elimination races, for example, with a rider with good stamina. You just have to go 1 or 2 laps early and you'll hold out very easily, even on professional mode.
I haven't played in season mode yet, so cannot report on this.
I've finished some individual stages and some stage races, and I find they are way too easy with top riders such as Leipheimer and Contador, even in Professional mode. 5 riders limit doesn't annoy me too much, as it's manageable, plus I've never played the pc version yet, so I haven't been spoilt. I quite like the faces on the riders HUDs as well - a nice touch.
Mountain climbing is too easy with the good climbers, but sprinting in this game is a real nightmare! Never won a bunched sprint yet, and it is not possible to form any type of sprint train for your sprinters, or if you can it is very difficult and have not figured it out yet. When your riders go into sprint mode you can only control one rider at a time, so you need to do a lot of chopping and changing between riders quickly, or just focus solely on your best sprinter, or your rider nearest the front of the peloton in a bunched sprint.
And if sprinting is a nightmare, then individual time trialling in this game is a horror movie! I can use fairly decent time triallists in this game and still only manage 58th around 40' down or that range at best. Finding the right speed, versus line versus turn around the corners is way too damn hard, even for the best TTs in this game. I find that brakes have to be applied through every corner or the rider will bang into the wall or go over grass or something which will really slow him down, not that the braking itself doesn't, but hey. There really is too fine a line to thread, and even when you think you nail it, you're still only ranking in the 60s at best, even on beginner mode Or maybe I'm just a noob who needs loads more practice? I don't know, but it seems that individual TT is really damn difficult in this game, and the only way to get realistic results is to sim the stage, which I really don't want to have to do. You just can’t go into corners at a decent enough speed not to lose too much time or bang into the fence
Database
The only other thing that annoys me about the game is the names of the riders, half of which are not their real names, but fake names which sound like the real ones. I understand this may have been a licensing issue with riders on the tours back in 09 I guess.
Overall summary and impressions
All in all, it's a highly addictive game, and once I start playing I find I can't put down the PSP for hours on end, losing sleep and probably wearing my battery and buttons down way too much.
Overall, extremely enjoyable and addictive, except for the bunched sprints and individual TTs. Maybe something that I'm terrible at and need more practice, or something that others who've played this game can relate with me on.
EDIT: One more thing that comes to mind is that your riders will not push for sprint points automatically, even if he's in a break out front with other riders, yet they will do it for KoM points when in a break. A little annoying as well, but still, the game is enjoyable and addictive overall!
Edited by RobbieMcEwen_Jaune on 11-08-2011 12:57
So, looks like I have improved my ITTing on this game, judging by my latest results playing the Vuelta.
The 5km stage 1 was an ITT through Assen (Netherlands) and I managed to go 14th with Dekker and 18th with Evans, playing with the Silence Lotto Team, which is a big improvement from the days I couldn't ITT better than 80th no matter how good a TT rider I played with. Still only managed an 86th with Van Den Broeck.
Overall though, it's hit and miss, and I find it has little or nothing to do with a riders TT abilities, but comforting to know I can do a top 20 time with a little practice, if I need to pull one out of the bag to save a tour
So ITTing I've now gotten the hang of with lots of practice, but bunched sprints in this game are still....... OUCH! Maybe I'll just have to pick a good flat rider with stamina instead of an outright sprinter, break ahead of the peloton and try to hold them off, if I'm ever to win a flat sprint stage in this game.
Edited by RobbieMcEwen_Jaune on 17-08-2011 11:29
Riders look realistic enough, although there is a lot of them bleeding into one another especially when camera viewing at rider heigt in the peloton.
I can use fairly decent time triallists in this game and still only manage 58th around 40' down or that range at best. Finding the right speed, versus line versus turn around the corners is way too damn hard, even for the best TTs in this game. I find that brakes have to be applied through every corner or the rider will bang into the wall or go over grass or something which will really slow him down, not that the braking itself doesn't, but hey. There really is too fine a line to thread, and even when you think you nail it, you're still only ranking in the 60s at best, even on beginner mode Or maybe I'm just a noob who needs loads more practice?
I don't know, but it seems that individual TT is really damn difficult in this game, and the only way to get realistic results is to sim the stage, which I really don't want to have to do. You just can’t go into corners at a decent enough speed not to lose too much time or bang into the fence 
