V-Rally 3

"Good, Arcadish Rally Game"

V-Rally 3 is the first appearance of the V-Rally series on PlayStation2. Not surprisingly, its graphics are excellent, the cars have many more tuning options, the sounds are better and more convincing, and the fun factor has been raised :-) Unfortunately, however, Track Editor (which allowed the player to create original rally stages and circuits) is not included in V-Rally 3, which is a severe disappointment :-(

The main focus of V-Rally 3 is its career mode (appropriately entitled V-Rally Mode). In fact, V-Rally 3 simply CANNOT be played until at least one driver has been created; only then can the various gameplay modes be accessed. The created driver(s) can then be used in V-Rally Mode to progress from the 1.6L FWD (Front Wheel Drive) category up to the 2.0L 4WD (Four Wheel Drive) category of competition. V-Rally Mode is explained in further detail below.

Also available are two quick race options: Time Attack Mode and Challenge Mode. Time Attack Mode is self-explanatory. Challenge Mode sets the player on three or more stages, which must all be completed within a specified time limit.

One of the best things about V-Rally 3 is that there is rather little time spent in loading each stage. For all the graphic detail, this is quite amazing. It also helps that there is a screen providing information on each stage as it is loaded, providing the player something to look at and consider as the stage is being loaded.

The Gran Turismo series, perhaps the most successful racing series on PlayStation and PlayStation2, introduced rally racing in Gran Turismo 2, and then brought it back with many visual changes and a few new venues in Gran Turismo 3. This is likely the first experience with rally racing for many PlayStation and PlayStation2 gamers. While Gran Turismo 2 includes two point-to-point stages (which were unfortunately eliminated from Gran Turismo 3), the Gran Turismo series primarily feature circuits, which are fairly rare in actual rally racing. To this extent, the V-Rally series is much more realistic than the Gran Turismo series, although the Gran Turismo series certainly excels in its vast multiplicity of tuning options.

As for the game's downfalls, there are really only three. The first is that there are only six countries, with ALL of Africa counted as a ''country'' for the purposes of the game; there is still a variety of terrain types in V-Rally 3, but this does make for extremely short seasons. Second, fans of earlier games in the V-Rally series will be disappointed that there is no Track Editor included in V-Rally 3; with the more powerful graphics capabilities of the PlayStation2, it would have been nice to see how a Track Editor would look on the new console. There are also pop-up issues in V-Rally 3 in those instances where the player has a clear view of distant terrain; most of the time, the roadway is immediately bounded by forests, crowds, mountainsides, etc., so this is not always an issue, but it is definitely noticeable whenever there are no tall obstructions alongside the roadway, such as in some stages in Sweden and Africa noticeably.

Overall, V-Rally 3 is definitely a fun game, although it is an arcadish version of rally racing overall. Diehard rally simulation fans will likely want to stick with World Rally Championship, but V-Rally 3 will certainly provide some good entertainment value.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/02/03, Updated 02/02/03