Official Site: http://project-torque.aeriagames.com
Project Torque is a MMORG (Massive Multiplayer Online Racing Game) created by aeriagames. Besides the usual racing action you all get from racing games (that is kind of obvious), you are able to customize your car to make it the best racing machine ever. From the colours to the wheels, Project Torque gives you the ability to edit and change them accordingly to your personal needs and preferences. Since it’s a MMO, you are able to join rooms and channels and compete with other fellow racers. Scared of lag? No problem as Project Torque provides a rather unique and lagless racing mode, called the Ghost Mode, and your ride will be as smooth as those you play offline! With average 3D Graphics and several game modes, Project Torque is a must especially for driving fans. (Just try it! No harm as it is free!)

Presentation

Menus, game lobbies, channels, room etc are just like your everyday multiplayer games. With buttons to navigate through the different options, Project Torque’s presentation is simply pleasing to the eye. Simplistic and straightforward buttons, choosing the different game modes and adjusting your car is as simple as A-B-C. Project Torque offers shops whereby users can spend money they earn through participating in races to upgrade their cars for the better. It also provides an easy to use interface for you to equip the different items you have bought. Game lobbies have nothing special to it, just the normal interface you would see in almost any room-based online games. That is practically it, nothing special, and nothing too amazing to be mentioned.

Sound

Everything you have in a racing game. If you still do not know what sound effects there are, why not go around your neighborhood and hear the cars drive pass you. Broom, is one of the sound you will hear in the game. How about this, go ride a taxi to nowhere (I meant a taxi, not a cruise) and inside the taxi, be still and try remembering what sound you heard in the taxi. That, will also appear in Project Torque. Now you ask: “I hear music! Radio!” and I would answer: “Yes, you can put your own music in a folder of the game, and you will be able to play it when you’re racing”. That pretty much sums everything up. Sound effects like crashing into the side walls etc are included. Boring in my opinion. However, it is a great thing to enable players to put their own music into the game. In that way, players would not get bored easily with the boring and uninteresting sound effects that you can hear almost everywhere even in reality.

Graphics

The graphics are actually quite impressive for a free to play game. It is even better when you come in terms of a MMOG (Massive Multiplayer Online Game), let alone a MMORG. Besides there are only 2 other MMORGs out there (Kart Rider and Drift City) but none of those can compare to Project Torque’s graphics. However if you compare it with the graphics of games such as Need for Speed etc, of course you will find that Project Torque’s graphics suck big time. But you know, since it is a free to play game and it is a MMORG, we do not compare with those offline single player big shots (Yes they have multiplayer options too but that is not the main feature of the game). Instead we compare it with other MMOGs especially Kart Rider and Drift City. In that case, you will find Project Torque’s graphics to be the most realistic, and most detailed. Besides that, car damage can be seen. When you ram into something your car starts to peel and break apart. It is rather amazing that the damage seen is kind of cool and fun to look at. Even the older versions of Need of Speed do not have damage effects etc. The different routes are beautiful to look at. You can choose from the different seasons and the time of the race thus producing different outcome of that particular route. For example racing at night at the city would result in beautiful lightings all around the race tracks and wonderful reflections of the colourful city on the road. Animations are alright except for the hands. What I mean is that if you select the inside view while racing, your “hands” often twist over 720 degrees thus resulting in an ugly sight for the player. Overall, Project Torque provides players with decent graphics and is exceptional when we speak of MMORGs.

Gameplay

Project Torque provides players with a rather realistic driving experience. I am neither a driving fanatic nor a hardcore racer thus I do not know much about the standards of a good racing game. However, in my opinion I feel that the racing and driving in Project Torque is rather smooth and fun. Drifting, turning and accelerating seem to be the same as those big shots such as Need for Speed etc. Besides all that usual racing features, Project Torque gives players the opportunity to choose a view that they like. Out of the seven different views, 1 of them definitely would suit the player. For me, I really like the inside view as it gives me a better feeling that I am the driver. Putting all of that aside, what I really was impressed with the most was the damage system. Your car can get damaged when you knocked into the side walls etc and your car will show it. As in you know if your car’s left wheel is damaged terribly you will find yourself constantly needing to turn left or right to keep your car moving straight. Also, when you knock into a tree you will see that your car’s front headlights to be broken etc. A lot of racing games out there do not have such system in place! Thus Project Torque’s damage system is definitely a booster to its gameplay as it not only adds to the fun but also the realistic driving simulation. Like almost every other MMOs out there, you can buy items and equipments such as engine parts and spray colours to decorate and upgrade your car. Currently the amount of cars you can choose from is rather limited to around 5 (4 to choose from the start and an additional 1 to buy if you ever have enough money to do so). Also experience points can be acquired throughout the race by completing tasks and by winning the race and these points can level you up so as to enable you to take a driving license test. Upon passing those tests, you are able to drive better cars and buy better items. So it is somewhat like the levels you have in MMORPGs. All in all, it is like your everyday racing game but with a bonus damage system that will blow you away.

Value

Is Project Torque worth your time downloading and testing out? Yes, definitely. A hardcore racer looking to win some big racers, this is definitely for you. Besides, it is completely free! I would say Project Torque is comparable with those paid games out there and that it definitely needs some attention. For now, it is rather empty thus leading to little rooms and races carried out. However, I hope that with my review, you would test it out and spread the joy (or hate, I doubt) of the game. Have fun with your free professionally made MMORG.

Category	Rating	Comments
Presentation	7	Nothing special.
Sound	6	Very boring. Luckily they allow players to put their own music. Else players might doze off while driving their cars
Graphics	7	Comparing with the two other MMORGs, Project Torque is the best of them all. Most realistic and detailed
Gameplay	7.5	Best MMORG experience yet! Impressive damage system implemented.
Value	6.5	Currently very little people playing thus lacking the massiveness. Little races are being carried out too.
Overall:	7.2	In need of some fun? Get it now! No harm, its free!

[Show as slideshow]

Other articles that might interest you:

• Hellgate London Demo Impressions (0)
• Simcity Societies Review (0)
• PC Spider-Man Friend or Foe Review (4)
• Avencast: Rise of the Mage Review (1)
• Verey I - The Anti-Theft Solution for Laptops? (11)