Superstars V8 Racing is a mixed bag of quality. On the one hand, it handles pure simulation racing relatively well, and fans of hardcore racers will find something they'll enjoy. But on the other hand, V8's simplicity and singular focus just can't compete with the big-budget racers hitting the market these days.

I have to say to start with that V8 is a game that begs to be played with a racing wheel and peddles. The controls when using the arrow keys are quite bad, and very difficult to accurately control. That's not just a statement about how hardcore the game is, either. The turning feels imprecise, and struck me as feeling extremely unnatural. Although that may mostly be a moot point anyways, because most hardcore racing fans who play on PC will have that type of setup anyways.

Graphically, V8 holds its own, but at times can look grainy with jagged corners. I was playing on a relatively high-end gaming PC, and while the graphics never jumped out at me as being all-out poor, they also never wowed me. However, they did occasionally slip up and show their weaknesses.

The problem lies in the fact that I'm just not sure there's a place for a game like this in today's market anymore. Recent classic racers like Grid and Dirt have shown us that a racing game can have multiple styles of racing applicable in any race, and still be a great game. No longer does a game have to seamlessly master one discipline of racing. V8 seems archaic by comparison when only one style of racing is available, and in Grid you can shift between Japanese drift racing to high-powered Ferraris just by changing an option before the race.

As I said previously, though, this wont stop the most hardcore of racing fans from having a ball with this title. What it does, it does well. But there's simply not enough of it. The game modes help to alleviate this a little bit. There are a good amount of modes that are obviously pretty much the same (drive around the track quickly) but the situational nature makes them good fun, and a nice break from the tiresome major races. For example, one such challenge places you in a situation where your tires are starting to burn out, but you still want to make a podium finish. So you have to complete the race with terrible tires.

Believe me, it is definitely a challenge, because the physics and realistic tire slip in this game is very down-to-earth and believable. If you don't take turns exactly right then you're very likely to end up careening off the road and into the sand or a wall. 

The deeper issues with V8 come in the form of lacking multiplayer options and lame opponent AI. Either of these would be forgivable as long as the other one picked up the slack, but since both are lacking the game suffers. The single player isn't as much fun as it could be because opposing racers aren't very aggressive and don't seem to show much drive to win. Sure, they're not jerks who drive you off the road, which would be much worse, but they definitely needed more tuning. 

These days the bread and butter of a racing game comes with live competition, and V8 doesn't deliver very well. Online modes are sparse to say the least which kills the community and prevents there from being a growing mass of players online.

There is also no cockpit view, so racers who prefer the most realistic and immersive view possible will be disappointed. It certainly seems like a bit of a paradox that V8 is a game for hardcore racers, but in its every move seems to alienate that very same group.

All-in-all this is a racer that should be completely ignored by casual racing fans or those whose only interest in the genre is Burnout. However, those who are looking for something relatively light to tide them over until Forza Motorsport 3, this isn't a such a bad buy.

Gameplay: 6.2
The hardcore set will find some gameplay to enjoy here, but few others will. What's there is relatively solid, but a bad keyboard control scheme holds it back.

Graphics: 7.0
The graphics are good all around, but nothing that can even hold a candle to some of the bigger budget racing games on the market. Serviceable, but never awe-inspiring. A lot of jagged edges around the cars.

Sound: 7.9
Good sound is a must for a racing game since it really has to make you feel like you're in the cockpit, Superstars delivers here with great sound effects that differentiate between all cars and style.

Difficulty: Hard
As mentioned in the review, this is not a game that casual fans of racing will enjoy. Perfect racing is the key,  and you'll need a lot of practice to master these tracks.

Concept: 4.1
Brings nothing at all new to the table. Innovation is sorely lacking here, and even some of the staples of the genre are unaccounted for. This one could have been better thought out.

Multiplayer: 5.0
There's multiplay here, but not much of it. Matches are unreliable, and play modes are far too few.

Overall: 6.4
Racing enthusiasts and gear heads will be able to squeeze some fun out of this title, but very few others will. There is no lean into the gameplay for simulation racing newcomers, so you should probably stay away from this one unless you know you like sim racers.