Here\'s another review at Gamepen.ugo.com
Score: 5 out of 5 stars.
Pros: Fantastic arcade rally game, incredible graphics, nice multiplayer
Cons: No system link, some races are very difficult
Long straight, medium right, yeah baby…
Rally racing is something that is really big in Europe but for whatever reason hasn’t really picked up in the US. Like soccer, rally racing is very underrated; it is a very difficult sport, and, with mud and snow flying around, it can be a very dirty one too.
You may be asking, what’s the big difference between ‘traditional’ stock car racing and rally racing. Well, in a nutshell, you know in NASCAR how you drive around in laps around a track and whoever is the leader at the end of the race wins? Rally is a lot different. Instead of laps, you’ll be racing in real-world environments, over bridges, dirt, gravel, you name it. And, you’ll be racing in segments of a road rather than laps. You’ll be awarded points for the segments, and the winner is whomever comes out with the most points at the event end. Basically, just finish first and you’ll be all set.
Microsoft has released RalliSport Challenge for Xbox, and, boy, is it a gorgeous sight. NASCAR Heat and Project Gotham Racing had their graphical moments, but they can’t hold a candle to RalliSport Challenge. This game is incredible in how gorgeous it is. The cars, the track surface, the landscapes... ooh la la. Watching the cars take damage is a pretty neat thing to see as well; you’ll see cracked windshields and crinkled spoilers. While the damage doesn’t seem to affect your car while driving all that much, it does look pretty. Other neat graphical touches include the way the muffler spits out exhaust when shifting gears, the treads your ‘tyres’ leave, and the rustling of tree branches in the wind.
Variety is the spice of life, and RSC has more than 25 different cars, most of which are locked at the beginning. While I’m not a big fan of locking stuff up in the game, kudos to the designers for telling you up front what’s locked and what you need to do in order to unlock it.
There are four different game modes of play, and in my opinion the most challenging type of race has to be the ice race. Speed skating this isn’t; it’s very difficult to control your car but it is pretty darn fun. (Sounds like short track to me, Mr. Ohno. -Jonah) Other modes include the “hill climb” (without the “This car climbed Mount Washington” bumper sticker), traditional rally and rallycross. There is a multiplayer option for split screen four player action, but nothing for system link—not that I have 4 Xboxes lying around.
Control is excellent with the Xbox controller, and I was a bit surprised by that. A wheel is still the best way to play a racing game, but the Xbox controller doesn’t do a bad job handling powerslides.
In most rally games you’ll have a co-pilot that tells you what’s up ahead on the track. Let’s say there’s a hairpin turn coming up. The co-pilot will say “hairpin right.” Folks, I’ve played many a rally game for the PC and PS1, and by far this is the best co-pilot I’ve ever driven with. Not only does he know what’s coming up, he gives you a good amount of warning so that you can drive accordingly. The co-pilot will also alert you to off road obstacles, so if he says “medium right, don’t cut” that means don’t cut the corner, because there’s either water or rocks or some obstacle in the way. As I mentioned, the co-pilot gives you more than enough time to take evasive action and I really appreciate that.
While this is an off-road rally game, you really can’t drive anywhere you like. If you get caught too far off course, you’ll reset back on the track somewhere. Also, if you roll over your vehicle, you’ll also be able to press the magic reset car button.
Microsoft shows off some Rally skill
Gameplay itself is very fast and very arcade-ish, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Tweaks are limited to a few. There are five options such as Gear Ratio, and you aren’t actually adjusting numbers; you’re changing it from ‘medium’ to ‘long’. As I also mentioned earlier, the damage model doesn’t really affect the driving in the game. You’ll be able to reset your car anyway in career mode although you’ll get a time penalty. Another big tip here is to read the manual before you start playing. The manual lists every item the co-pilot says, and why. It should be essential reading and kudos to Microsoft for including this in their manual.
The career mode is the area you’ll be spending the most time in especially if you want to unlock more races and cars. You’ll be acquiring points to move on throughout the different types of rallies.
Sounds are typical racing, but you’ll notice distinct sounds depending on the type of surface you are racing on. The co-pilot is clear and much more audible than previous rally racing games I’ve played. The music included with the game is very good (it goes with the European flair of the game), but also of note is the fact you can use your ripped audio throughout the game.
Overall, while I wish there could be an option to choose strict sim realism or arcade realism, there’s really not much else to not like about RalliSport Challenge. If you like driving a car and driving it fast you’ll really enjoy RSC. Control can be hard on the ice surfaces, but I view it as a real-life learning experience. This is hands down the best console racing game I’ve played in 2002.
Link:
http://gamepen.ugo.com/Gamepen/Review.asp?itemid=4097&pageid=1&PlatformID=13
