Motorsport Manager

Motorsport Manager is on surface very similar to Grand Prix Manager 2 - top-down view on the track, basic decisions available during the race, mostly basic options available in the menu, but there are elements that are improved. The graphics, of course, are much better since game is built on modern engine, there is option to be in charge of Formula One team (so to speak) or sports car racing team. The difference between them is perhaps not huge, but significant.

At the beginning you can choose between establishing a new team (at least in extended version of the game) or choose one of the available teams created by developers. The fact that teams are not generated for each game makes the replayability a bit lower, since every time you will face the same opponents. Similar story with the drivers - they are pre-generated, so after a while there is nothing that can surprise you.

The range of options available is not bad, but at the same time most of them feel a bit off. For example you can send drivers for a spin during the free training and they gather points to use for the setup of their cars, but it feels artificial and sometimes does not make much difference during the race. A lot of options during the race seem to be less than impressive - you can give orders to drivers to push harder or save the tires, but at the same time they are not really defined in the game, so you have to learn on the go how they might affect the final result.

Also there is a snag with the car setup - you need to make few laps during training to get idea how your car setup should be adapted to the needs of the driver, which is nice concept. However on Monza, one of the fastest Formula One tracks, where wings on cars are mostly for decoration, the drivers will insist on good grip in the corners, which is counter-intuitive. This makes the whole concept more or less invalid - even if you know the track well, or you took part in races on it before, it does not give you much insight and each time you start the scratch.

Overall it is a huge step forward in racing team manager game, but at the same time the game lacks soul. Some of the development choices are a bit questionable, the learning curve could be depressing, the gameplay can often be monotonous. It is better game that the older ones were, but at the same time it is not without flaws.