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Race Pro xbox360 Game Reviews
Race Pro
Critic Score
Metascore: 72 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.0 out of 10
based on 54 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 47 votes
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Rate this game

RACE Pro has something for everyone, allowing players of all levels to pick up and play, while offering challenging tracks and advanced modes for the more experienced players. RACE Pro offers a wealth of cars ranging from 200 to over 1000 horse power, as well as a host of championships including WTCC (World Touring Car Championship), Formula 3000 and Formula BMW. GT cars from manufacturers including Aston Martin and Saleen take their place on the grid as well as production cars such as the Audi R8 and Dodge Viper SRT10. In addition, RACE Pro exclusively brings all the WTCC cars from manufacturers Alfa Romeo, BMW, Chevrolet and Seat to Xbox 360 for the very first time. For a blast of accessible fun, the Mini Cooper Challenge invites players of all abilities to take the wheel. Gamers and racing fans alike experience the thrill of racing these powerful cars on 13 real life tracks covering all continents, of which Macau, Porto and Pau are exclusive to RACE Pro, and US tracks Laguna Seca and Road America are brand new to SimBin fans. Online play via Xbox Live and System Link support lets up to 12 players take on equally high-powered opponents and test their skills to the limit to reach the finish line ahead of the pack. For friends closer to home, the brand new ‘Hot Seat’ feature puts players in the driving seat for a limited amount of time before passing the controller to the next player and so on, demanding exceptionally quick reactions and precision racing from even the most seasoned drivers. [Atari]

PUBLISHER: Atari
DEVELOPER: SimBin
GENRE(S): Racing, Driving
PLAYERS: 12
ESRB RATING: E (Everyone)
RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2009

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
Pelit (Finland)
A very good racing game, which feels suitably realistic. Not too real, though, that would be undriveable. The career mode is a bit dull, since cars are practically given, not bought. [Mar 2009]
85
IGN UK
No other game has managed to capture the thrill of going bumper to bumper in pure-bred machinery quite so brilliantly as this, and if you can see through its shortcomings it's one of the very best available on the 360.
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85
WonderwallWeb
Excellent execution of a driving game something that will test your skills not just how well you can skid around corners.
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82
GameFocus
We like to give you our opinion on basically all the games coming out but what we like the most is defending a game that is awfully overlooked and underrated, no matter how different the game is from others and RACE Pro is one of them. While the game won’t win awards for its minimal presentation value, the game shines on the real thing: the driving. And you won’t have any reason to call on SimBin for that.
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80
360 Gamer Magazine UK
True to its billing, SimBin has delivered a driving simulator that offers depth and challenge on a scale unseen in any 360 game to date. And if that’s what you’ve been waiting for, then this is unquestionably the game for you. If you’re simply looking for a good racing game, there’s still enough enjoyment there to warrant further investigation – but only if you’ve grown bored of Forza 2.
80
MEGamers
This game is certainly not better than games like Grid and Burnout Paradise. At the end of the day however the realism here makes Race Pro a completely different type of game, give it a shot!
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80
Impulsegamer
In conclusion, Race Pro is a above average racing simulator that has a sturdy control system and some great car models. My only gripe with the completed game is that the background environments are unfortunately quite lacking and at times looks like a game from a few years ago.
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80
Eurogamer Portugal
Race Pro offers a good sense of driving, but without achieving the same impact on visual and graphical presentation of tracks and cars. But when the total concentration is in the path of the track, in the proximity of opponents and in the car driving, the rest ends up being superfluous. A good bet by Simbin.
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80
VideoGamer
As SimBin's first title on the platform, Race Pro can definitely be characterised as a solid, if mildly uninspiring, effort. However, if the same attention to detail had been paid to the game's presentation and structure as had been paid to the level of accuracy in the track, car and damage modelling and the handling physics, Race Pro would be a real stand-out title in the genre.
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80
Level7.nu
Swedish developer Simbin has been a long time supplier of great racing simulation on the PC-platform, and now they're debuting on consoles with Race Pro. Even though they're using a new game engine the presentation is still a bit flat and deprived of detail, but what this game lacks in visual flair it makes up for in great content and control mechanics. If you're in the market for a realistic racing experience on a console, this is about as good as it gets.
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80
Everyeye.it
RACE Pro is an upstream game, without any redundant option, totally focused on gameplay mechanics. SimBin Studios delivered, despite an old looking aesthetics, a Triple A game, using their experience and their passion for races. We want to reward RACE Pro, even if it don't reach the top of the genre, because the feeling it delivers is sensational and solid. A competitive challenge for all car lovers.
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80
Official Xbox Magazine UK
Ultimately, if you can put up with the fact that it's aesthetically rough around the edges, you're unlikely to find a more viscerally rewarding racing experience than RACE Pro. [Feb 2009, p.78]
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80
Eurogamer
Race Pro is a great driving experience, striking a rare balance between the immediate enjoyment of an arcade racer and the deeper, more nuanced long-term satisfaction of a hardcore sim.
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80
Edge Magazine
Race Pro engages like few driving titles manage, even if the driving model doesn’t quite meet the standards of the most advanced PC sim-racers such as Live For Speed. [Mar 2009, p.88]
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80
Games Master UK
As no-nonsense and businesslike as the inside of a Touring Car. One for the connoisseurs. [March 2009, p.70]
80
Vandal Online
Race Pro not only stands as a realistic simulation experience, but also has almost everything a player can demand from a title of this sort. Apart from that, it needed some polishing in its technical aspects, and doesn't have enough additional content like more game modes or different elements, which would have given the experience some more variety and made for a more solid game. But despite what it lacks, this is one of the best representations of racing simulation, and SimBin has finally been able to translate to a console what has been bringing to PC for years.
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80
Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
A drab but accomplished simulator, and one that will be relished online.
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80
Boomtown
Yet while the game has plenty of niggles such as duplicated left-right mirrors, texture shimmer, dull lighting and the like the truth is that it plays better than any other racing sim I've played on console. There are better racing games out there for the current crop of consoles, but there isn't a better handling one whose aim is simulation.
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80
Multiplayer.it
Our advice is to try it, to set the difficulty level on the highest setting, and ask yourself if the commitment needed to enjoy it and the depth on offer are what you really look for in a driving game; if the answer is yes, then you should really give Race Pro a chance.
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78
Cheat Code Central
All told, RACE Pro is a game that unashamedly aims at a niche market: dedicated sim fans who want the most realistic driving experience possible. The game delivers that experience just about perfectly, so it can be said to have accomplished its goal. The next step for SimBin, however, is to come up with a better presentation for its next console game.
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77
IGN
The graphics don’t stand up to those of recent console racing games, and the presentation is as dry as the tarmac at the Dubai Autodrome.
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76
Team Xbox
No frills racing action that isn’t quite as enjoyable for those that like the console bells and whistles.
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75
Meristation
Race Pro offers a conduction simulator with an until now unknown depth in console. This game counts on personalization possibilities that astonish by their number and depth, besides a demanding control and a gameplay measured to the millimeter. Unfortunately, graphics are a bit gritty.
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75
GameSpot
RacePro is an incredibly in-depth racing game that's also an accessible and enjoyable driving experience.
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75
3DJuegos
RACE Pro is a very interesting racing game, though it needed an extra in dedication and contents to reach the higher levels we were expecting. The game is tough in its individual campaign, and lacks of possibilities in the multiplayer side. The facts strictly related to its control work nicely, allowing veterans and novices to approach the game with identical interest.
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75
Gameplanet
A realistic driving simulation that suffers from a lack of graphical complexity. RACE Pro is nipping at the heels of some big-name competition, but ultimately doesn't quite make the grade.
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75
SpazioGames
With a simple gameplay that become realistic only at the highest level of difficulty, Race Pro is a good game that everyone can try and enjoy. A large number of car classes gives to the game a good longevity; unhappily there are few tracks and the A.I. isn’t challenging. Graphics aren’t at next gen level and audio could be better.
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75
MondoXbox
Race Pro oozes with Simbin's passion for motorsports, but with some shortcomings lowering its global quality: a very good simulation model, great roar sounds and an accurate tracks reproduction coexist with annoying frame rate problems and a mediocre cars reproduction. It's mainly a game for ultra-fans of cars and motors, looking for a very straightforward experience.
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75
GameZone
SimBin’s Xbox 360 exclusive offers the same brand of depth as its PC counterparts, albeit with a few missteps.
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74
GamingXP
RACE Pro is a mediocre racing-simulation ... but with a very good sound, but that’s it. Too frustrating handling and too few race tracks won’t motivate you to play this game very often.
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74
Da Gameboyz
So is RACE Pro a Gran Turismo or Forza killer? Well no it’s not, but when you take a look at one cool hard fact, and that is the budget cost of the game, I can honestly say RACE Pro is great bang for the buck.
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74
Gamer 2.0
Race Pro isn't a bad game by any means. It's strong where it needs to be; the actual driving part, but lacks any kind of personality. To put it another way, Race Pro is a diamond in a plain white paper bag, and it loses some of its appeal as a result.
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73
ZTGameDomain
The no-holds-barred simulation aspect is obviously geared towards fans of simulation while a lack of tutorial makes it abundantly clear the game was not designed for fans of arcade racing. If you have been hungering for a true racing simulation then Race Pro has a lot to offer if you can get past the bland presentation and graphical hiccups. For everyone else you might want to look elsewhere for your road rage satisfaction.
Read Full Review
71
GameTrailers
For its lower $40 price point, Race Pro offers a strong core, but it lacks style and appeal. The solid physics and deep options will satisfy simulation fans, but dated visuals, generic presentation, and a lack of must-drive cars keep Race Pro from taking pole position.
Read Full Review
70
Gameplayer
RACE Pro may not have the content to hit the market like a wrecking ball but it has focused its resources on excelling on the road and adding variety.
Read Full Review
70
Worth Playing
Although the game has a well-designed and highly customizable driving system, it fails to build upon the gameplay with quality surrounding features, like compelling online play or an extensive career mode.
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70
Destructoid
In the end, RACE Pro doesn’t transcend the hardcore audience that it’s intending to ingratiate, despite the amount of assists that the lower levels of play allow. If you’re looking for the kind of game that doesn’t let you or other players swing around a corner at 240 km/h, this is a very safe bet.
Read Full Review
70
MS Xbox World
Race Pro isn't likely to be a game that finds its place among the favourable pile of recent Xbox 360 racers, the fact that it's a simulation racer however will likely have it appealing to the more enthusiast of realistic racing fans.
Read Full Review
70
GameDaily
Fun to drive is one thing but racing fans will find issue its plain looking tracks and the cars that feel unrealistic, but Race Pro is worth a test drive for any racer looking for something new.
Read Full Review
70
Cynamite
Race Pro’s got its fair share of stuttering, but the motor sounds are awesome. Unfortunately Simbin wasn’t able to carry over the brilliance from its PC games to the console.
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70
Game Informer
Its bare-bones nature is simply unacceptable in this day and age when racing games are getting more interesting. [Mar 2009, p.89]
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69
Console Monster
The AI is so bad it seriously takes 25% off the final review score. If only they allowed you to have a more challenging AI without making the cars slide all over the place with no traction control.
Read Full Review
65
InsideGamer.nl
The debut of SimBin on the Xbox 360 isn’t that great. The game offers many different remodeling options for your car. You can make it go faster, be stronger and better. But unlike the hit of Kanye West this game isn’t bigger, better or faster. The options are all that there is. Of course is it possible to race on different tracks and change cars, but what else is new. If you really want a good racing game, then this is not the game for you. Race Pro looks like a pro, but handles like a newborn baby that is still eager to learn a lot.
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64
Xbox360Achievements
The driving mechanics are solid enough but that is about as good as it gets as the rest of the game feels surprisingly out of date.
Read Full Review
60
LEVEL (Czech Republic)
Race Pro for consoles is a strict and tedious race simulation game. Luckily there are a bunch of multiplayer options from, hot seat to an online competition. [Apr 2009]
60
D+PAD Magazine
RACE Pro is a racing game for racing fans and, to its credit, never tries to be anything else.
Read Full Review
60
G4 TV
Race Pro is less Michael Schumacher and more Jacques Villeneuve. It does a few things well, a lot of things mediocre, and is kind of annoying when you have to deal with it for more than an hour at a time.
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60
Official Xbox Magazine
Its monk-like devotion to pure racing simulation is remarkable...and kind of a turn-off for the rest of us. [Feb 2009, p.80]
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60
Gamer.nl
RACE Pro wasn't easy to judge. On one hand it offers a very distinct and unique type of gameplay that we've never seen before on the Xbox 360. On the other hand the game doesn't do a lot of good in particular areas and it has a somewhat unfinished feeling hanging over it. Only a true race fanatic can play the game without getting annoyed. If you 're not, just stick to Forza 2.
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50
X360 Magazine UK
Just about adequate, but RACE Pro feels about five years old in places. It will certainly get buried beneath the existing pile of cracking 360 racing titles of all stripes and colours, and deservedly so.
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50
Total Video Games
Race Pro is uninspiring throughout and a bland racing experience to the bone.
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50
games(TM)
It’s a straight and stagnant affair: win races, progress to the next stage, repeat. There’s none of SimBin’s trademark drive and determination in this area of the game. [Mar 2009, p.102]
50
Teletext GameCentral
It may beat Gran Turismo for realism but the real trick here is making driving a Koenigsegg seem dull.
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45
Hardcore Gamer Magazine
RACE Pro has compelling racing mechanics when it is just you versus the track, but it has more than a few rough patches elsewhere.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 47 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Robert A gave it a1:
Mind Numingly Boring is all i can say after trying my hardest to get through a career on this game. Every single car feels pretty much the same as the last one to drive. although i feel its quite realistic its not what a gamer wants from a game like this. Completing race after race with no joy whatsoever, and when you get frustrated you cant even do a donut or spin another car out its just one big understeering corner after another. You cant even race a friend on spit screen!!! wahts that about? if i had to give some positive points it would be that it sounds good despite no soundtrack, acceptable graphics and ok choice of cars. But overall very tiresome.

Rob M gave it an8:
Race Pro is not a pretty game to look at, it's career mode is extremely disappointing and repetitive and unless your race online with 8 people or less, you lose connection to the host constantly. Ok, theres the bad points out of the way, heres the good stuff. As a pure racing experience, Race Pro is the best the 360 has to offer. You know what their money has gone on. It's a rough as hell looking racing beast! The cars are a joy to drive and when you have grasped a car and a circuit, it's seriously satisfying. Online you can have some truly epic races and thats surely what Race Pro is about, racing. It isn't cinematic like Grid and it's not beautiful like PGR4. It's like the Caterhams you can race with in the game, it's ugly, bland and rough around the edges... but by god it's an awesome machine to drive!

Apocalypse Brown gave it a3:
It isn't terrible, it's worse than that! But Eurogamer embarrasses itself again by giving this 8/10? What a corrupt joke that internet rag is.

Dave O gave it a9:
Most realistic racing sim on a console, a lot better than Forza. Really addictive and enjoyable to play with varied cars and tracks. Hope they keep the series going with Race Pro 2. If you love racing games you will love this.

Ka B gave it a9:
This is a solid simulator game with a few bugs that need to be ironed out. You can't compare this to a game like Gran Turismo 5 Prologue or Forza Motorsport 2, they are still arcade games in nature, you've got to actually work on your driving technique and be willing to put time into this game to get the most out of it. It's certainly not for everyone, but if you can look past the few flaws you'll find a rewardingly challenging game.

Luis A gave it a2:
Having enjoyed GTR2 on the PC I was really looing foward to this game. To my dissmay this game is PURE garbage. The driving is unrealistic as hell(nothing compared with GTR2). Forza 2 is really much more difficult to master than this one (I always drive without the aids BTW).The support for the ForceFeedback wheel is shameless (in GTR2 you cound "feel" the road, here you feel like driving an space ship). The graphics really look like an original XBOX title (and not a pretty one neither). It was supposed to be bad looking because of all the physiscs calculations going on the background but really I think my cell phone can keep up with the kind of "simulation" RacePro is doing. In conclusion, dont waste a penny on this one. I would really like to recommend this one but if SimBin thinks it can get away with this kind of unfinished product they are surely going down. Man.. even DIRT feels better than this one (specially with the wheel).

T Clark gave it an8:
This game is bound to be misunderstood. If you are a fan of more arcade-type racing games, this is likely not the game for you. I gave the game an 8 because I think that the action on the track (which I think should be weighted heavily) is fun and feels accurate for a sim console racing game. Does this game have the leaderboards and customization of Forza 2? Nope Does this game look as good as GRID? Nope. The thing is, it looks pretty good (as good as Forza 2 IMO) but feels VERY good. You have to give this game more than 2-3 hours, or at least run some races at all levels of class and difficulty before judging. I am a major fan of Forza 2 and PGR 3&4. For me, GRID was beautiful and intense but just too arcadey and forgiving of a racing game, not to mention I am not a fan of drifting. Race Pro may not have the most detailed menu system or the looks of GRID but what Race Pro DOES have is an excellent feel of racing and grip. Race Pro rewards proper braking and proper exiting of turns. My first few hours of Race Pro I was convinced it couldn't provide that feedback of "feel" and grip you want in a sim racing game but once I made it past the (numb) Mini Cooper the game really opened up. If you ask me, you buy a sim racing game to run laps and not hang out in menus or stop and stare at trees along the side of the track and in Race Pro running those laps are just plain ol' fun and that is the only way I can explain it.

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