Pro Cycling Manager 2020
- June 4, 2020
- Cyanide Studio
Get on Steam"Pro Cycling Manager 2020" is a cycling simulation game where you manage a pro cycling team, controlling finance, recruitment, training, and strategy in over 230 races and 650 stages. New features include rider morale management and the ability to play as your own cyclist in Pro Cyclist mode. Online mode allows you to compete with up to 15 other players.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game is highly addictive and enjoyable, especially for cycling fans.
- Pro Cyclist mode offers a fun and engaging experience, allowing players to create and develop their own riders.
- The graphics and interface have seen improvements, making the game visually appealing.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, particularly in career mode, which can make it unplayable.
- Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with many races following the same pattern.
- There are significant issues with AI behavior, making strategic decisions feel shallow and ineffective.
- gameplay28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Gameplay in the game has been criticized for its lack of realism and strategic depth, with many mechanics feeling outdated and poorly designed. While the graphics and sound are praised, players find the game progression tedious and the interface cumbersome, leading to a sense of frustration. Despite some new mechanics, the core gameplay remains largely unchanged, leaving players wanting more variety and optimization.
“Nice graphics, improving at every update, looking forward to see a more realistic gameplay (it'd be great if sprinters did not launch their sprint with 3km to go, or leaders attacking 10km from mountaintop finishes).”
“Highly recommended, good gameplay - but could do with some optimization when it comes to FPS.”
“I'm a big fan of the gameplay and strategy involved.”
“So many of the strategic decisions are poorly designed mechanically, where the correct way to do things is obvious, and there is no range of possibilities for how you want to approach the game.”
“Gameplay: [ui/career] game progression in calendar is the most painful waste of time in the game, one day takes upwards of 5 seconds to tick over for every race that has to be simulated on that day, so if you don't race for a calendar month then you can leave it running, go grow some coffee beans, make a cup and then it will still be running.”
“But so many mechanics in this game are so primitive as if the developers did 80% of the gameplay in Google spreadsheets (this actually would explain why there are literally no links inside the interface and you have to go through all pages and find everything manually).”
- graphics22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have seen some improvements, particularly in the in-race visuals, which are noted to be a step up from previous versions. However, many users feel that the overall graphical quality remains mediocre, with some describing the game engine as one of the worst they've encountered. While updates have made the graphics nicer than older versions, the changes are often seen as minor and not enough to justify the price for returning players.
“Nice graphics, improving at every update, looking forward to seeing more realistic gameplay.”
“My favorite improvement is the in-race graphics: PCM20's are a step or two above the '19 game.”
“The graphics do look better, but sometimes things get too shiny for my taste.”
“The AI is terrible, the game hasn't meaningfully changed in a decade (even though every year they release a 'new' one?), and the graphics/sound are pretty mediocre.”
“Graphically, one of the worst game engines I've played in a while.”
“Game runs like crap and the graphics are not as shown.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant issue, with players frequently experiencing freezes during races, particularly in pro cyclist mode, where loading screens often halt progress. Despite promises of improvements in future updates, the current state is described as unfinished and buggy, leading to frustration among users.
“In the pro cyclist mode, I have not been able to play more than 2 races because when I start a 3rd race, the game just freezes at the loading screen.”
“When I proceed to the 5th stage, the game just freezes at the loading screen.”
“Next year, they have promised some important new features... let's hope we don't have another unfinished and buggy product, like it always happened in the past.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find the humor in the game to be unexpectedly effective, often eliciting laughter even in disappointing moments. The comedic elements seem to provide a lighthearted perspective on frustrating experiences, making the overall tone more enjoyable.
“I am not sure... but instead of being angry, it made me laugh, and laugh plenty.”
“In my case, I went from 2014 (!) to this and I still found it hilariously disappointing.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization receives mixed feedback; while some users praise it as "wonderful," others note that improvements are needed, particularly regarding frame rates.
“Highly recommended, good gameplay - but could use some optimization when it comes to FPS.”
“Wonderful optimization.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for more engaging storytelling and depth in the simulation aspect of the game, indicating that the current version lacks these elements. As a result, they are inclined to stick with older versions from 2015 rather than invest in future releases.
“Perhaps some storytelling or a deeper simulation would make me buy a future version, but for now, I will stick with whatever version you have from 2015 on.”
“The story feels shallow and lacks the depth needed to engage players fully.”
“I found the narrative to be disjointed and uninteresting, making it hard to stay invested in the game.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its relaxing and enjoyable soundtrack, with multiple users highlighting the quality of the composition.
“Amazing job on the soundtrack this year as well, very relaxing.”
