Paris-Dakar Rally

"A solid, but not reveloutionary title"

When I first learn of this games development I was relatively excited. Cool cars, big jumps and insane crashes are what sprung to mind, so its natural I picked up the title from Blockbuster.

The Paris-Dakar Rally is an insane event spanning something like 7000 km that leads from Paris... to Dakar... (of all places >.<) The game itself is a rally simulation, with the option to choose from four different classes of vehicles before taking on nearly 50 stages of treacherous terrain.

Gameplay
7.5/10
The game itself has somewhat jerky and cumbersome control, donft expect the precision of GT3!!! However if you stick with it long enough, you will be sliding all over the place in no time :).
All the vehicles have very different handling styles.

-The ATVs are pretty solid and manage powersliding well, but seem to struggle to land jumps and roll a lot.
-The 2 Wheeler Bikes have moderately difficult steering, manage jumps well but struggle if you veer off course.
-The Buggyfs are terribly sensitive to control, difficult to jump, but offer good offroading.
-The Quads are slow but offer good jumping and manoeuvrability.

Gameplay itself maintains a good framerate which is overshadowed by slightly slow load times. Courses are varied so you never get the feeling of recycled textures.
My main problem is with the V-Rally esque physics system...
In ATVs especially, you roll your car consistently if you are an aggressive driver, and receive incremental damage and loss of time. A carmaggedon style damage repair system (on the fly) helps combat this, but still leaves you screaming ''WHY DOES HITTING A PIECE OF TUSSOCK GRASS ROLL MY CAR?''

STORY
8.5/10
While there is no story mode as such, there is a lengthy campaign mode, which includes around 50 stages. In addition you must endeavour to maintain a good position in the rankings (out of four hundred I think) and ensure you donft run out of repair items, otherwise you will retire from the rally. To break up the monotony of rallying there are several smugglers run style checkpoint races through sand dunes, in which you can collect more repair icons as you go.
All in all the entire rally takes some time, (about 90minutes for me) and with arcade mode and time trials there is plenty to offer.

GRAPHICS
6/10
For me this was a real disappointment, the textures look flat to me, almost reminiscent of the original Colin Macca's Rally on PSX. The Vehicles are average looking with no reflections or dynamic lighting. The levels themselves can be both sublime and intolerable. The cliffs inn the distance look stunning and there is little pop up, there are also some nice touches that are quite remarkable...
For instance, on one stage it was a hill climb and I passed through a waterfall, and rocks actually washed away in it.
However these touches are overshadowed by the generally rushed appearance to the track, sometimes you will drive off course only to get lost because the track has the same texture as the surrounding terrain... all costing valuable time.
All in all a mixed bag, something tells me the game was rushed a little.

SOUND
5/10
Average engine and collision sounds, unbearable music and little atmosphere, another disappointment.
You will find yourself turning the sound down after the first few stages to avoid the dreaded theme music... be warned, it doesnft change all the way to the last stage!!!

REPLAY VALUE
8.5/10
Another winner here, the campaign is lengthy and there are plenty of vehicles to unlock, and it is rather hard to get that illustrious first place, (I believe I placed 197th in my first rally >.<)
There are multiple paths but if one decides to veer off course they will find there speed is SEVERELY impeded, so exploration isnft really an option..
Overall itfs just a damn good feeling to just survive the Paris-Dakar Rally, regardless of where you finish.

RENT or BUY
Definitely Rent, I wouldnft buy it unless you have rented it and really enjoy the game.

Thus I conclude, what was a promising title, delivers an average, unpolished effort, but its funnish and challenging.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/29/01, Updated 09/29/01