I Picked up the game this morning, and after approx 2 hrs of playing time this is my mini review...
Graphics.. Definatly exceeds WRC2, especially the car models.. there not far from CMR4\'s models. Draw distance is
as it was in WRC2 but textures and lighting is improved. a definate update in those departments.
Gameplay.. Well, i dont think that this game will make those who disliked WRC2, to go out and buy WRC3..
it is by far better, but i just dont think that those who didn\'t like WRC2 will be willing to knock out £30-40 for WRC3.
Dont ask my why, i just think that some people will have previous versions in mind when they play WRC3 and
maybe end up trying to rip the game apart. but i cant.. i really like it.
Physics.. Definate improvements here aswell.. if anyone played WRC2/WRC1 would know.. if you hit a bank, the car
would launch into the air.. definatly not the case now.. cars are much heavier than before and act well.
Powerslides are easier to pull off, to an extent where you have to countersteer the car to drag it out of drifts.
also, in WRC 2 if you fliped the car, you would notice a central pivot point as if it was located on the centre of the
roof, this made the spinning car look like crap.
imagine the car was bieng flung around from the ariel.. the car rotated around the ariel during mad flips, this has
now totally gone, along with the advances in that department, the car handles far better. in WRC2, the car used
to bobble (in external view) again from the central pivot of the roof. if you hit a mound with your left wheel, the car
just used to pivot on the centre vertical axis, nothing like in real life.. again this issue is now resolved.. Also, the
steering is really nice now, due to it being \'proper analogue\'. finally!
Sound.. Rather like that in WRC2, but now the co-driver only calls the corners and not the distances.. in a way this is
far better, as in WRC2 you had too much information.. if you were quick enough, you had to wait for the co-driver to
catch up with you. this is not the case anymore.. it still works fine. in 2 hours of playing.. i noticed about 2 late(ish)
calls.. so all in all i\'d say an advancement there.
Replays are stunning imho, well, put it this way, my brother picked this up today (version i\'m playing) and i\'m going
to pick up a copy as soon as my wallet has some money in it. i think it is an improvement in many ways.
Damage.. well, i really havn\'t gone into it properly, as most reviewers say it\'s simlar to WRC2.. yes it is sadly
to a point.. but you have to remeber that Evo Studios must have had pressure to deliver to the masses.. i think that they
have done the job considerably well..
Stages are very varied, but out of 8 stages per rally, it\'s 4 forward and 4 backwards. and 1 Super Special
stage per Country.. (new zeland ss3 is nice and flowing)
I found that when you hit a tree log on a stage, rather that it being welded to the floor, it moved once hit. along with
tearable tape barriers, advertisement banners, sign posts and wooden fence posts.. far better
Downsides... Well, in 2 plr mode, you used to choose the replay so it had 1 player on screen.. you can\'t seem to do
it in this edition of WRC and overall, it doesn\'t feel quite finished, but i have only played 1 head to head stage.. so
comments on that may change.. Also, there\'s very slight \'polygon cracking\' on the floor on some stages.. it is very
minor and doesn\'t detract from the game in any way.
Camera Views.. Well, the \'rear seat\' internal view is gone
Oh, and another poor thing, is that the grass is \'too sticky\'.. you can only just get into 3rd whilst driving on grass
verges.. maybee this will be relaxed a little when i unlock the Extreme cars.. well, it\'ll take a while but we\'ll find out.
Some other views on the game:
http://origin.wrc.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8277&whichpage=4&ARCHIVE=StAnZo :0)
