WRC 2 Mini Review

yeah, i was kinda dissapointed that the stages were simlar in looks to WRC1. i think they should totally change
how the stages look in number 3. there are some cracking stages in the wet.. i think argentina has some really fast
stages which are slippery. oh, the night time stages are really tough.. i dont like them much as your view is
really hampered and your having to rely on rieds pacenotes which sometimes are really late. you have to take
your time through those stages. fortunatly the night stages tend to be the shortest ones in each rally.
as for time/weather slection i dont think you can choose. ive just finished the medium difficulty mode and nothing has
opened up, apart from some extra stages and the top difficulty. there is a cheat to unlock everything and
curiosity killed the cat so i put it in and the other stuff it unlocked was the extreme cars. but that was about it.

there are some disapointing aspects of WRC2 once youv\'e spent some time with it, but its probably one of the best
dispite its flaws. i have come away from playing it sometimes feeling fed up, and then other times feeling like
i really enjoyed it. dunno what it is.. it makes you wonder if Evolution studios has used that emotion engine lol.
Another way you can look at it, is that there are some rallys even the top drivers dislike where others love.
it\'s just a personal opinion. you may also feel these mixed emotions, it must be a love/hate thang.

The thing that makes it hard for Evolution I suppose is that all the stages are real, and when there real, its impossible to add fun elements like mega jumps etc.

I think they did a good job, the graphics are very, very good, and its something I was pretty impressed with.

was very sceptical about this game after the dross that was WRC, But after reading your opinions Stanzo decided to get it on release day.
At first I hated it! the steering just felt weird using the dual shock.
The way it takes time to go from lock to lock is so different from CMR3, i was over compensating the whole time crashing consistently, the drivers eye view wasnt helping much either.
And i put it back in its case after an hour.

On saturday took it out again and set into a profesional wrc campaign.
Got 4 rallies in and ive got it sorted.
First thing you need to do is turn the power steering speed down one or two notches, and remeber to be gentle on the controller on any thing other than 90degree bends and remember to allow for the steering input time when approaching a turn.
Now it feels Like and controls more like driving.

Next tweek the car settings, as it makes a whole load of difference to the cars feel.

Once you get over the initial shock of the driving style, you can really get to grips and the exhilaration you get when you start to pull off a clean stage is extremely satisfying, especially on a 14km stage.

This game makes CMR3 feel like an arcade game now!

Agree also stanzo about that intro sound, i have my Ps2 hooked up through my dolby system and crank it up just a bit extra as i load it up, its heaven.

Racer, i went to the Brechfa stage last year on Rally GB 2001, and it looks very simlar in WRC2. the actual stage doesnt
resemble Brechfa in terms of geometry and scale because Brechfa is a 13.98 mile stage but in terms of the overall
look and colours that they used, it\'s just as it was when i was there.

here\'s a few images from that stage..







Also Resolven is quite simlar to that in the game..



so overall going on what i know, the stages seem quite convincing.

I\'m also happy that PS2 has got to grips with the handling and managed to get into the game
i find myself asking if theres any better Rally game on PS2 and i can honestly say that i dont think so.
it\'s the most complete package to date. and i\'m hopefull that it will bring more people out into the forests
to enjoy the atmosphere that is the W.R.C.

Some shots of Petter on Rally GB..







No Reason...... just props to the man... he\'s going to be a force in 2003.

Go Petter..

Ok, Just found out that The Race Of Champions will be on Eurosport tonight at around 10pm CET (Dec 1st)
for those who like some WRC action, Super Special style, then check this out.

Here are the teams :

1) Finland : Tianen-Lehto-Gronholm
2) UK : Haydon-Thompson-Head
3) Sweden : Rickardsson-Brack-Radstrom
4) Italy : Melandri-Giovannardi-Travaglia
5) France : Maschio-Bordais-Loeb
6) Germany : Beirer-Heidfield-Rohl  
7) USA : Edwards-Gordon-Johnson
8) Brazil : Barros-Matta-Pizzonia
9) Spain : Checa-Alonso-Puras

Should be quite good.. hope some of you catch it.

Rickardsson-Brack-Radstrom

Tony Rickardsson? He races speedway, can he actually drive a rally car?

Bräck races CART..

Rådström is the only rally driver.. Why not let Kenneth Eriksson race aswell?

Yeah Stanzo I am loving the game though I haven\'t come across any stages in the morning or afternoon, like, no sunsets or sunrises. I found this strange as I was wanting to play at Sweden with a nice orange glow coming off the snow like in V-Rally 3.

I love the lightning effect, probably the best I have seen in a racing game. How many stages are there per location?

Other WRC Drivers are...

Sebastian Loeb
Tomas Radstrom
Marcus Gronholm
Robbie Head (well, he used to test for Burns in the Impreza)
Jesus Puras

Well, it\'s about to start.. off i go..

Edit:.. Racer, i think that there\'s 9 stages per rally, allbeit some reversed.. go watch Eurosport.. :0)