Pro Cycling Manager 2018
- June 28, 2018
- Cyanide Studio
- 18h median play time
"Pro Cycling Manager 2018" is a sports management simulation game that allows you to lead a professional cycling team through a challenging season. Compete in over 200 races, including famous tours like La Vuelta and the Tour de France, and make all important decisions for your team such as hiring cyclists, staff, and negotiating contracts. The game features advanced contract management, deeper progression in Pro Cyclist mode, and enhanced in-race immersion with more realistic AI. Play solo or online with up to 16 players.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and enjoyable cycling management experience, especially for fans of the sport.
- Improvements in AI and race realism enhance the gameplay, making it more challenging and engaging.
- The Pro Cyclist mode is addictive and allows for significant player progression and customization.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, making it frustrating to play.
- Many features and gameplay elements feel outdated, with minimal changes from previous versions.
- The commentary and graphics have not significantly improved, leading to a repetitive experience.
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Gameplay has seen minimal improvement since previous iterations, with persistent AI mechanics issues and bugs that have plagued the series for years. While racing feels more challenging, the overall gameplay remains basic and simplistic, often resembling a cheap minigame rather than a full-priced title. Many players express frustration over the lack of significant advancements and the presence of long-standing glitches, suggesting that developers prioritize profit over meaningful gameplay enhancements.
“Gameplay during races feels much better; it is now a lot harder to win.”
“That interface and other things maybe didn't improve much from 2017, but it shows they had to use the resources for what's most important, and that's the gameplay, which to me proved to be a good choice.”
“I barely played (and I watched gameplay videos), and I could already spot all those amazing improvements.”
“The same AI mechanics problems are an issue just as they were back in 2015.”
“The gameplay for this mode is contrastingly simplistic as the only control is direction and power using the arrow keys, making it feel more like a cheap minigame rather than one you pay £40 for.”
“Let's make it clear immediately: there are still bugs, including some glaring issues that you notice in your first hour of gameplay, and some others that have been reported countless times over the last version but are still present.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to run smoothly on older hardware and highlighting the extensive customization options available. However, many users criticize the outdated visuals and basic animations, comparing them unfavorably to games from 2012, and report persistent graphical bugs that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the game's capacity to recreate a realistic racing environment and the improvements made over the years.
“Bonus points for running fine on an aging laptop with no dedicated graphics card, and special bonus points for the fantastic customizability - in a few days I made my own 'DLC' with custom teams, races, jerseys, riders, and it all works great.”
“Has a few bugs, but getting better each year, and the graphics are pretty nice.”
“But, since back then, I have never seen anything close to PCM for its ability to recreate the race environment on the road, to give quality rider graphics, but most of all for how easy it is to change the game in nearly every way – I’ve created a dozen new player faces and hundreds of new teams and thousands of new riders, transformed the basic rules, completely rewritten race schedules, and taken races everywhere.”
“Graphically speaking, the game is poor; the animation is way too basic.”
“Graphically, the game can compete with games from 2012 at best; gameplay-wise, it is one of the saddest excuses for a game you can find.”
“Really disappointed to see a copy and paste for apparently a lot of years with little graphics improvements and 'some' bug fixes.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users reporting frequent freezes, particularly during 3D race mode, often occurring just before the finish line. While many players experience significant glitches and bugs reminiscent of older games, others note improvements in stability compared to previous editions, indicating a smoother experience overall.
“My only criticism is that it freezes during 3D race mode, often within 10 km of the finish line.”
“The game regularly freezes a few kilometers before the finishing line, sometimes reproducible, so that I have to choose 'quick simulation' to be able to proceed.”
“The amount of glitches and crashes that are ever-present is astounding.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise, with users expressing that the soundtrack is worth the price of the program itself. However, there are some criticisms regarding the repetitiveness of the sound clips from commentators.
“The soundtrack is fantastic.”
“Honestly, for what I paid for the program, I would have paid for the soundtrack alone.”
“They did an excellent job with the soundtrack.”
“The soundtrack is disappointing.”
“Honestly, for what I paid for the game, I would have paid for the soundtrack alone.”