Needless to say, Evolution is a blast. The development of Porsche over 50 years is a great framework for career play and truly makes you feel involved in the action. Stockpiling half-a-dozen classic autos in your virtual garage is a nice plus, too. Since this mode of play is heavily dependent on the vehicles you'll be riding in, the developers had to take particular care with the driving model this time around. Previous editions in the series involved multiple makes, making it more important to show each car off well rather than to depict its characteristics accurately. The developers could get away with BMWs and Fords that performed almost identically because the illusion of driving distinct vehicles was present through the visuals. Having the products of just a single manufacturer present this time out makes it impossible to equate different cars with different brands.
And that's a very good thing. Comparing and contrasting the performance differences between the early 356s and the 911s that followed is a game all by itself, as is stacking up the 914, 928, and Boxster models and the 924, 944, and 968 lines. All the vehicles have little nuances, even within model numbers. Don't expect the 1973 911 Carerra RS to perform anything like the ridiculously powerful 1978 911 Turbo. Getting to know your vehicle is the major component of winning. You won't be able to even qualify in some Evolution events unless you make the right tweaks to the default car setup. Lowering the shocks to improve handling is a virtual necessity when you start playing with the spin-happy 1970s 911, for example. Taking a lot of test drives (particularly when you reach the '70s in Evolution play) and experimenting with different settings until you find something that works for you is a sheer necessity in Porsche Unleashed.
One caution I'd offer about starting an Evolution career is to do it as soon as you install the game. In other words, get into it before starting as a test driver or running any quick races or even multiplayer with today's cars. Once you get used to ripping around in an ultra-modern Boxster at 250KPH, it's tough to settle back into a 356 that dawdles along at a maximum of 125KPH or so. Regardless, driving the early cars is a treat that you shouldn't miss. Another drawback is the lack of any era-specific scenery, tracks, or tunes. Taking your '88 944 Turbo S out for a rip isn't as satisfying when your stereo is blasting technojunk instead of something more appropriately New Wavy. Where have you gone Michael Hutchence? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Woo-hoo-hoo.
If you grow tired of the two main solo modes, be sure to check out multiplayer. Up to eight players can race head-to-head via modem, LAN, peer-to-peer IP, and the Internet. Net racing against friends is a lot of fun and remarkably lag-free. Some problems will crop up on occasion, but the experience with my 56K connection was quite good most of the time.
