Le Mans Ultimate
- February 20, 2024
- Studio 397
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam"Le Mans Ultimate" is the official game of the FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans, offering an immersive experience for both sim racers and newcomers. The game features the latest manufacturer Hypercars from the 2023 season, including Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, and more. The game promises to grow and evolve with the real-life FIA WEC series, offering an exciting and dynamic experience for players.
Reviews
- The game has great potential with excellent driving physics and force feedback, making it a joy to play.
- The graphics and sound design are impressive, providing an immersive racing experience.
- The online racing system is engaging, with a ranking system that encourages clean racing.
- The game suffers from frequent crashes and long loading times, making it frustrating to play.
- The user interface is laggy and unresponsive, which hinders the overall experience.
- There are significant issues with AI behavior, often leading to collisions and chaotic race starts.
- graphics337 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the detailed car models, realistic lighting, and overall visual fidelity, particularly at higher settings. However, several users report performance issues, including frame drops and lag, especially in multiplayer modes or on lower-end systems, suggesting that optimization is still needed. While some find the graphics to be a significant improvement over previous titles like rFactor 2, others feel they fall short compared to more modern racing games, indicating a need for further refinement and updates.
“The graphical presentation of LMU is simply stunning.”
“With its impressive graphics, excellent driving physics, and a superb online racing system, it offers a captivating experience for racing enthusiasts.”
“The graphics are excellent as are the sounds and sim dynamics.”
“As for the rest, I have to point out that the graphics didn't really impress me; it lags behind ACC and AMS2.”
“The graphics on this game are poor; also, the multiplayer is not as interactive for racing with friends.”
“The graphics seem like they’re from 10 years ago.”
- optimization252 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users reporting severe performance issues, including low frame rates, stuttering, and long loading times. While some players have experienced improvements after updates, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, particularly for lower-end systems, and requires significant work to address its numerous bugs and performance inconsistencies. Despite its potential, many reviewers advise waiting for further optimization before fully engaging with the game.
“When I first played, I refunded because performance was shocking, but I'm running the exact same 7900 XT and triple 1440p monitors as I was back then and it has been sitting at 144 FPS on every track!”
“Optimization is very good and graphics look very realistic.”
“Great reflections, colors, etc., and I was also surprised by the optimization, because I can stable FPS even on triples on mostly high/ultra details which I was not expecting from early access.”
“Absolutely abysmal performance and stability.”
“The performance is horrible despite having a high-end PC.”
“The game is not done by a long shot (missing online, crashes, poor performance etc) but if you can look through that, there is an amazing game coming!”
- stability117 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various bugs that hinder gameplay. While some players appreciate the driving experience and acknowledge the game's potential, they emphasize that it remains too unstable and unoptimized, particularly in menus and online modes. Overall, the consensus is that the game is currently too buggy for a full release, and players are advised to wait for further updates before purchasing.
“So far I had no glitches or issues.”
“I'm very pleased with the game so far, with no problems at all... it runs great!!!”
“Having said that though, it runs great on my system.”
“Game is buggy to the point of being unplayable.”
“This game doesn't even work right on a 4070 ti; it crashes when entering a multiplayer lobby, textures glitch, and handling is like F1 24, a GTE car should not have F1 grip at 210 kph. I'll buy it again when everything is fixed, including loading times and graphics.”
“The game still has bugs and issues; the menus are still super laggy and the game conveniently freezes momentarily when I enter braking zones, but I have no doubt the developers can get this game polished up for when it finishes its time in early access.”
- gameplay43 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
Overall, the gameplay is praised for its solid driving mechanics and immersive experience, particularly for sim racing enthusiasts. While many players enjoy the depth and challenge it offers, there are notable concerns regarding optimization, bugs, and the absence of certain features, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the core gameplay remains engaging, with regular updates expected to improve performance and address existing problems.
“This not only ensures challenging races but also fosters a deep understanding of vehicle mechanics.”
“Lmu is an outstanding racing simulation that excels both graphically and in gameplay.”
“After 8 hours of gameplay, I can confidently say that I love the driving model in this sim.”
“Still lots of issues, bugs, and gameplay that needs to be worked on.”
“Yeah, it's early access or whatever excuses, but my 'gameplay' time is actually infinite loading time.”
“The AI definitely needs more work currently; if you are primarily an AI racer, then I'd recommend checking out some gameplay before making your purchase.”
- story11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for lacking a traditional narrative or career mode, leaving players without a structured storyline to engage with. While some users appreciate the freedom to create their own experiences, many express disappointment over the absence of a defined story or career progression, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
“I came only for career modes, like F1, or story modes like Assassin's Creed.”
“10/10 game, you really can write your own story.”
“If you're a person who likes an online racing game with some sort of a story mode/career mode, I sadly can't recommend this game as both of those things are not yet available. Hopefully, they will get the online mode up and running soon and also add a career mode in the near future, as the game can get boring at some point even for someone like myself who enjoys chill racing games.”
“Before the hotfix, it wasn't worth it; however, now it's a different story.”
“» no career or story mode”
- monetization9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -11 % neutral mentions
- 78 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, with players expressing frustration over the need to purchase the game upfront in addition to facing aggressive monetization tactics. Many reviews highlight issues with cheating and a lack of quality control, suggesting that the developers prioritize profit over player experience. Overall, the sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, labeling the game as a poorly executed attempt to extract money from players.
“The monetization model feels fair and balanced, allowing players to enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend.”
“I appreciate that the game offers cosmetic items for purchase without impacting gameplay, making it a more enjoyable experience.”
“The in-game purchases are optional and do not hinder progress, which is a refreshing change from many other games.”
“I don't feel like spending time and money on that cash grab.”
“Buy to play - you have to buy the game in addition to all the other monetization.”
“Update: the game is a broken mess, so do not buy a total cash grab!”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from its numerous glitches and crashes, such as cars hilariously locking up their brakes and the absurdity of game performance issues, which players find amusing despite their frustrations. Additionally, the AI's antics and the exaggerated loading times contribute to a comedic experience, making the overall gameplay feel both entertaining and chaotic.
“It is hilarious to follow cars in the beginner races because every single car, one by one, locks up their brakes and shoots smoke into the air.”
“It's hilarious reading some reviews of people who've played less than an hour of the game saying things like it doesn't have online reporting of dirty players, or no FOV adjustment.”
“During the whole time I played, I had two game crashes, no force feedback no matter what changes I made, and these loading times are actually hilarious.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it relaxing and enjoyable, particularly in the menus. However, some users have experienced technical issues, such as black screens during gameplay while the music continues to play. Overall, the soundtrack is praised, with specific songs resonating positively with players.
“I enjoy doing laps while listening to music; it's very relaxing.”
“Love the game, love the soundtrack, love the project but much work needs to be done...”
“After launch, it just blackscreens and the music plays, but nothing else works.”
“Love the game, love the soundtrack, love the project, but much work needs to be done...”
“The music in the menus is magical!”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant setup to mitigate. While some strategies exist to alleviate the grind, many feel that the effort needed is substantial, leading to the sentiment that players might need "a second life" to fully engage with the game.
“There are things you can do to prevent it (listed on their web page), but they are often tedious and time-consuming.”
“Once you get past the tedious setup (i.e., force feedback dialed in), the game is amazing and great fun.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its detailed vehicle models and meticulously designed racetracks, which effectively recreate the legendary 24-hour race experience. Players find the sound design and immersive driving experience to be particularly noteworthy, enhancing the overall ambiance of the game.
“The detailed vehicle models and realistically designed racetracks perfectly capture the atmosphere of the legendary 24-hour race.”
“It sounds amazing and recreates the atmosphere of Le Mans very well.”
“The tracks are very well modeled and the atmosphere when driving is very immersive.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the tension and frustration players experience when navigating the challenges of car control, particularly at slow speeds. The balance between risk and reward in handling the throttle adds a layer of intensity, making players feel a strong connection to their driving performance. Overall, the game's mechanics evoke a mix of anxiety and satisfaction, enhancing the emotional engagement with the racing experience.
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that while the game is still in early access and has some bugs, recent updates have improved its playability and overall enjoyment. However, they suggest that additional features are needed to enhance replayability further, comparing it unfavorably to PUBG at launch.
“The introduction of some simple features is clearly necessary to make the game more playable.”
“Definitely more playable since the first update and a lot of fun.”
“Apart from some bugs, which are normal for an early access game, the introduction of some simple features is clearly necessary to make the game more replayable.”
“I think PUBG was more replayable on release.”
