There's no doubt that Charles Darwin didn’t see this one coming, and neither did the already brilliant world of online racing. The Swedish development company SinBin has done it once again with their latest installment to the auto-racing simulation genre by releasing GTR Evolution. Anyone can login to the real-time gaming world of GTR and drive along side real-world drivers like HJ Stuck as you race each other through one of the most deadly tracks ever known to man with eighty plus turns and over thirteen miles of vigorous track on the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife. The SinBin team has achieved nothing less than perfection with the virtual landscape they’ve provided their racers and the online team game-play allows you to dive into the world of competitive motorsports.

The realistic graphics are so impressive and frame rate is so fast-paced with Evolution, yet it never becomes or at least appears too difficult. GTR allows for not only Nordschleife but 19 different other tracks from all over the planet, as well as a remarkable 49 separate vehicles set apart into 12 different classes, and interesting new additions such as elaborate instantaneous changes in the virtual weather like how a thunderstorm can quickly become a beautifully bright and sunny day, and vice versa.

I can honestly and without any doubt or hesitation say that GTR Evolution does for motorsport racing what Flight Simulator did for Aviation, and that’s probably the best metaphor to describe the experience. The sound alone seems to be a remarkable pinnacle of achievement for game developers everywhere, and the sounds from any of your pick of circuits can be dimmed down to the simple birds chirping at the finish line. Although birds chirping is nothing compared to the insane noises you’ll hear all around you while tearing down the track like gravel puncturing the bottom of your vehicle and all kinds of fragmented objects crashing against your windshield while you make hair-pin turns seemingly knowing and sensing that in the virtual world, your life is in your bare hands along with the steering wheel making that next 90 degree turn.   

The world all around us is all about senses and these Swedish developers have somehow tapped into that and decided to exploit our 5 senses to the absolute fullest, making the experience of GTR one that you won’t soon forget. The competition during non-online game play is equally if not more frightening and glorious at the same time, where the A.I. drivers have seem to adopt human-like characteristics and intelligence, almost to the point where you’ll be wondering about the Terminator movies and questioning its antagonists reality. The A.I. of GTR Evolution is unmatched by any simulation game out there in the market to date. For those who aren’t quite used to the intensity of the virtual world, GTR does offer an arcade mode for racers to hone their skills and practice at their leisure, as well as the game having an immense amount of options to create an easier or harder game as the operator sees fit.

There are a few downsides to the game itself like the demand in previous games for more out-of-vehicle interactivity, such as the ability to celebrate a win at the end of a difficult race instead of just a single text like stating that you’re in “1^st place” and the intensity of the actual crashes are a tad bit extreme or possibly too realistic, either way if you find yourself messing up on a 100 mph turn you’ll find a face full of shrapnel and a race that’s basically doomed. Yet, this game is the best out there and if you’re looking for the best and most intense racing game that you can wrap all the senses of your reality around, there is no substitute. GTR Evolution is the premier motorsport simulator of our time and a must have for any automobile fan. You’ll never look at your computer the same way again. 

By Michael Weisenmiller

Michael is a freelance writer.