Interface

Three words: buy a wheel

Although you have your choice of input devices to control High Stakes, there's really only one way to go: a racing wheel with pedals. Without the sensitivity of an analog wheel, you'll be severely hindered, performance-wise, when making turns. While this is an extra expense, anyone who likes to race should really have a wheel, and the fact that it's so necessary in High Stakes only speaks for the game's realism.

Shortcut thru the grass

Polluting

You're given plenty of control over your car, from the basics like steering and shifting to other features like the handbrake, horn, and headlights. There are enough controls to be in charge of your car without being too complex; no real feat since there are only so many controls a car has. The only thing that's really missing is windshield wipers.

Big wooden bear?

Die road sign die

Not just flooring it

In some modes, you're also given a large amount of control over the way your car handles. Should it be loose around turns so you can skid through them, or should it hug the road as tight as possible? Should it accelerate faster, or have a higher top speed? Tweakers (not tweekers) will have plenty of fun messing with the settings of their car, deciding what benefits they want and what sacrifices they're willing to make.

3-car pileup

Playing as the man

High Stakes also supports force feedback wheels, which we tested briefly. You can feel your engine rumble, feel the bumping of cobblestone roads, feel other cars sideswipe you. Unfortunately, at least with the Sidewinder Force Feedback Wheel (FS professional opinion: stick with traditional wheels if you're serious about your lap times), the bumps and shakes, while a minor novelty, make the game notably harder (more realistic?) to control, and so are best left alone. Hopefully we'll have better hardware in the future, or whenever we pester Thrustmaster enough.