Are the reviews fair?

[BronX]

Opinions on the game are split. The initial reviews are 50% negative; most of the positive ones cite the fact that it’s Early Access. I don't accept that excuse when it comes to physics, though—after two or three years of development, it really ought to work with all steering wheels. If it doesn't even manage that, it’s likely a total flop—much like all the games coming out these days. But can the reviews be trusted when they say the game is poorly designed and executed?

[Javito]

Notice that most of the positive ones are free keys.

[Froschi]

Originally posted by Javito:

Notice that most of the positive ones are free keys.

This no longer is true, though.

Go to the reviews page:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/2327720/positivereviews/?browsefilter=mostrecent&p=1&filterLanguage=all

Filters:

• Most recent
  
• Positive only
  
• All languages

Keep scrolling down until all reviews loaded. At the time of writing, that's 154 positive reviews. You can easily check this by doing a case-sensitive search on the page for "Posted: ".

Now do another case-sensitive search for "Product received for free". Only 5 results.

tl;dr:
Out of the 154 positive reviews, only 5 received a free key.

[׺Rօรenk๏hlPizzaº×]

If you already own CityDriver, there's currently no reason to buy City Car Driving 2. Yes, it's an Early Access title, but there was plenty of lead time, and the update information presented a different picture to me personally.

I never pay much attention to the positive reviews. In my experience, reviews with 2–3 stars are usually the ones that reflect the actual state of the game most accurately.

[Eugene Forward]

Originally posted by BronX:

Opinions on the game are split. The initial reviews are 50% negative; most of the positive ones cite the fact that it’s Early Access. I don't accept that excuse when it comes to physics, though—after two or three years of development, it really ought to work with all steering wheels. If it doesn't even manage that, it’s likely a total flop—much like all the games coming out these days. But can the reviews be trusted when they say the game is poorly designed and executed?

Reviews are always worth reading, but it's also important to remember that players often evaluate Early Access games through very different lenses.

Some players judge the current version primarily by what is available today. Others place more weight on the project's potential and the fact that development is ongoing.

The same applies to individual features. What one player considers an acceptable Early Access limitation, another may view as a critical issue.

Ultimately, the most reliable approach is to read both positive and negative reviews, look at the specific points being raised, and decide which of those points matter most to you personally.

Not every review is wrong, but not every review is measuring the game against the same expectations either.

[BronX]

Well, I do expect the physics, AI, and so on to work really well here—just like the support for various steering wheels, shifters, etc. It’s already a negative that there apparently isn't any triple-screen support. And when you read the reviews... how the handling feels more like a ship... and seeing that mentioned over and over again... I don't think this is for me. If it's a simulator, the driving mechanics—the most important part of the game—really need to be spot on.