I love the game (apart from Destruction Derbies being mislabelled as Drift Zones) but there are a few issues that prevent this from being the total Australian experience it comes so close to.
Car Categorisation. Aussie Fords can’t enter All Australian races. HSVs can’t enter Ford vs Holden races (while Fords that never see these shores can). This might be technically correct from your standpoint but it flies in the face of the Ford vs Holden war.
No lighthouse in Byron. The lighthouse is Byron’s Eiffel Tower, its Hollywood sign, its Big Ben. Without it it’s just another coastal town. It doesn’t even have to be operational, just there. edit Found it. I’d even done the showcase there, if it was a snake it would’ve bitten me.
Not enough “big” things (pineapple, banana, prawn, merino, etc). I’ve seen your banana and found it lacking (cue “that’s what she said” joke).
Not enough car parks (including speed bumps). Car parks are our churches and doing a burnout in one is your christening.
Barn Finds. Not calling them Shed Finds verges on cultural insensitivity.
I could be wrong but does the Byron footy field have NFL line markings and no goalposts? One of the first things I did was take a ute there for some nostalgic doughnuts and something felt off.
The soundtrack. Licensing issues and target demographic aside, not having a classic Aussie pub rock station is another missed opportunity. I made a Groove playlist featuring AC-DC, Midnight Oil, Hunters & Collectors, The Angels, Rose Tattoo, Baby Animals, etc. and it makes the game come alive. Even if it isn’t your cup of tea I recommend everyone try it, it takes the immersion to another level.
No koalas. It would be amazing if 1 in 1000 times I come to a dead stop on a tree a koala would fall onto my bonnet with a thud before scurrying back up it. It would be a sweet easter egg, and plays to the whole dropbear thing we love so much.
The only actual complaint here is the categorisation (and those overpopulated drift zones) and it’s also the only one possibly worth changing post-release. As mentioned, I love the game. The rest are just “flavour” things I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere that could have helped take it from 9.5 to 10, and a tongue in cheek opportunity for Aussies to lament missed opportunities.
I was hoping to have to watch out for the drop-bears as well.
However I feel like for the most part they got the Aussie vibe across, I mean there is a lighthouse in Byron bay, it is just on top of the mountain where the festival is…
I do agree with the radio thing though on a different level. I found no Wolfmother, INXS, Sick Puppies (their old albums), Men At Work, etc . . . (Stereotypical hard/classic rock loving American writing this, btw)
I was really hoping to tear across the desert in a Torana to the sounds of ‘New Sensation’ . . . I guess this is why we have Groove Music.
honestly they buggered up the music, there is a number of australian songs but 99% of it is just EDM, we have a rich hip hop culture, amazing hardcore bands, our pub rock culture was the best in the world bar none and we are stuck with 20 or so australian edm songs
Some salient points there, OP. It’d be like setting a FH game up here in Canada without any Tragically Hip, Rush, or April Wine on the radio, and no Hockey references.
In other words, a damn shame & missed opportunity.
They did do a decent job of capturing your country’s natural splendour (Warren notwithstanding).
On the back of Utes (now there’s a vinyl that will be popular)
Tattooed or crudely painted on driver’s faces.
Lack of Aussie flags being used as capes.
But I totally do gravitate towards INXS when I’m driving out in the bush for real.
Totally agree about the Aussie Rules division. So completely wrong. Wanted to do an all Aussie race when I unlocked Goliath, but had to settle on the Modern Muscle to get an FPV vs HSV thing going.
Oh yeah and should be able to swap HSV / Holden badges with a Chevrolet Chevron.
I believe you can manually choose which cars can enter an event by switching to the Custom tab, where you can choose up to 50 car models you want to be eligible, you don’t have to base it on division. That way, you can choose only Aussie cars, if that’s what you want. Sure, it’s not quite as convenient, but at least it’s possible. Hope that helps! And BTW, I hope that T10/PG will put Australian Ford models in the Aussie Rules division, separate from their US/European models.
forgetting the fact
that all the cars have euro plates or californa renamed as new south wales plates and
alot of the cars are left hand drive even cars that came out in aus are left hand drive and
putting the great ocean road on the east coast
No Parkway Drive is the biggest disappointment. They’re from Byron Bay too so it would’ve been perfect. I’ve got a playlist with Grinspoon, Baby Animals, Superjesus, Regurgitator, Spiderbait and others ready to go but Groove doesn’t work and the only time it did it wanted me to subscribe and it’s supposed to be free. I’ve got an A9X in the HDT 05 colours and I want to cruise the Outback listening to Solid Rock by Goanna or Great Southern Land by Icehouse but can’t.