World Rally Championship II Extreme

"Rally driving fans rejoice"

Right from the open FMV rally driving fans and non rally driving fans are in for a treat. This was my first game I ever brought for PS2 and it gave me an idea of what PS2 has to offer graphic wise. The smooth movement of the car and the realistic crashes will have you sitting at the edge of your seat. Any rally driving fan will get a lot out of this.

This game contains two difficulty levels, Novice and professional; if you are new to rally driving games then novice level would be right for you. But for everyone else with a little experience on rally driving games, professional level will offer challenge and depth. The professional mode offers the ability to modify your rally car to suit certain tracks and weather conditions and the difficulty is increased. Car damage is realistic as the more you batter your car around the more it will affect your cars performance. The developers have put a lot of effort into getting the tracks close to the real thing with spectacular scenery and unique road conditions for each track. The co driver commentary is very accurate and on some tracks it is essential when the track is not very visible. Every rally is introduced with an interesting cut scene which gives a background on the rally and it describes the track conditions which become handy when you get on to racing.
The only problem I had with the game is the crash’s. They tend to be a little over the top at times. This game contains many fantastic camera views. For a real experience I recommend playing in the driver seat view do get a real taste of what rally driving is really like.

Graphics 9/10
Damn these are smooth and well polished. The cars and the tracks are very well detailed and accurate and the weather effects are very impressive.

Sound 9/10
These are very realistic; the engine noises are fantastic.

Game play 8/10
I was never a big fan of rally driving until I got this game. The fast paced action will get the adrenaline running.

Life span 6/10
This is a rally driving game after all. Going over the same tracks can get a little repetitive. This can last weeks even months if preserved.

Overall: 9/10
This game is defiantly up with the best rally games. There is plenty of enjoyment to be had. A must buy for any rally driving game collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/24/03, Updated 07/24/03