V-Rally Edition '99

"For those with extreme patience..."

...or a masochistic nature. Because, you see, V-Rally '99 is the most unforgiving game on earth. The GAMEPLAY is poor to say the least. You'll veer all over the road, and the car spins uncontrollably as soon as you hit even the smallest object. To start with you'll spend your time flipping all over the place without a cat in hell's chance of seeing the other cars. Once you get good enough to be in an overtaking position, the CPU cars nudge you off the track and roar off into the distance. And this is on easy level. If you persevere with it, it can almost pass for an entertaining game, but getting good is real hard. It seems that no matter how many times the CPU cars crash, spin, and are half a lap away according to the timer, they're always there to capitalize on any mistake you make. There is a 'back on track' button, which seems like a fantastic help - until you realize that every time you use it the other cars get a 10 second advantage. Infuriating.

The GRAPHICS are fairly bland. The pop-up is horrific, as the track draws itself 50 yards in front of you.The night stages are appalling - the other cars' lights provide no illumination at all, and rather than flow along the scenery, your headlights make it appear that someone is flicking on a light switch every so often.

Sadly, the AUDIO doesn't help the game. The engines sounds, as with so many racing games, give the impression that your rally-spec Toyota Corolla has a swarm of bees chasing it, rather than a fuel-injection high powered engine. The music will drive you insane, and the co-pilot is frequently wrong, so don't rely on him unless you enjoy sitting with your bonnet in a hedge.

There is no real REPLAYABILITY, because if you can stick at it until you get good enough to beat the races themselves, you will be able to unlock everything else with relative ease. There is no feeling of real reward except a little ''100% complete'' on the title screen, and not many will want to go back once they beat that last time trial (another ridiculously hard aspect of the game). The multiplayer makes the pop-up even worse, and the tiny widow makes those evil grass verges all the harder to avoid.

I can't recommend it unless you come across it going cheap, have nothing else to do with your time, and are prepared for endless frustration. Renting is pointless, as it's certainly not a game you can get any enjoyment out of in a couple of days.

V-Rally '99, then. A superb test of character, a rather lackluster game.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 02/24/02, Updated 10/16/02