When the first Colin McRae game released on the PlayStation back in 1998, it was a revelation. Driving cars in it felt real. It was convincing. Mud splashed up on the doors and windows. Hitting a tree caused things to break.
In summary:
Good: Decent physics model, official cars and locations, Group B cars available
Bad: Average graphics, disappointing sound, bland presentation
Rating: 7/10
Price: R450
Contact: www.sterkinekor.com
Tested on: Xbox 360
Also available on: PS3, PC
Genre: Driving sim
Age rating: 12+
There are all things we now take for granted. If a racing or rally game doesn't have accumulative dirt and realistic damage, it's inferior, or a non-serious arcade game. Simulation fans know what they want and, to be honest, the last few games bearing the name of the late Scottish rally champ haven't done the label justice.
DiRT 2 is the exception and, with a bit of luck, DiRT 3 (releasing next year) will be another step in the right direction. But what these games won't have is the official WRC licence. That honour was bestowed on Milestone, an Italian software house, with Black Bean Games publishing its latest effort: WRC 2010.
As the name implies, this is an official, licensed-by-the-FIA rally game. It boasts all four official race classes from the championship - WRC, J-WRC, P-WRC and S-WRC - while the historic Group B cars are available as a premium download (for those on Xbox 360 and PS3 - PC gamers get it free).
Being an official title also means access to all 13 rally locations, each with a really good amount of detail: Sweden's snowbanks and ice lakes are trickier than ever, while Rally Britain has muddy bogs that test every car in the game.
Graphically, it's not going to win any awards. The best word to describe the visuals in WRC 2010 would be “adequate”. In-car views are present, which is important for those wishing to make the experience as realistic as possible. Scenery is present and accounted for, but nothing really pops out.
Audio is below average. It's not atrocious, but the cars sound less like the rip-snorting monsters they are in real life, and closer to sewing machines. Just generic digital whining, instead of pops and crackles from finely tuned special stage racers. The co-driver also delivers his instructions with less emotion than expected, save for the occasional “Ouch!” when piling headlong into a tree.
Fortunately, the sights and sounds can be forgiven some of their shortcomings. Yes, they do detract and lessen the sense of immersion, but the game's got a solid driving model. Powersliding around gravely bends in Finland or skidding on the tar in Germany feels very satisfying. It's feels a bit detached compared to DiRT 2, but there's a certain technical efficiency to the game's physics engine.
Milestone has the WRC licence for the next three years, and what they have here is a good starting point. Rally fans might be a tad disappointed that this didn't pick up where its predecessors - the WRC games from Evolution Studios - left off, but it's the first official rally game on the current generation of consoles. Hopefully the series progresses nicely before we see the next Xbox and PlayStation arrive.
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