Rallisport Challenge

"A Great New Rally Racing Franchise is Born"

Presentation: 8 - The box and manual are above the norm, full of color and great pictures. The opening movie is also relatively cool, showcasing the graphical power of the XBOX. The way it transitions between the different weather conditions is nice, and the fact that it's all done with in-game graphics will astound you. The menus are straightforward and easy to navigate. A solid presentation all-around.

Graphics: 9 - The cars themselves, while nice looking, are not as realistic looking as one might have hoped. They don't match the quality of say, Gran Turismo 3, but it's a good start for a new franchise. The environment details (roads, trees, grass, etc.) are so well done that you'll swear they're real. The gloss and shine of the icy roads is awesome, especially when the sun is shining hard. All of this, and the frame-rate never falters... EVER.

SoundMusic: 8 - There's not much difference in the sound of each individual car's engine. The navigator is pretty clear, although at times he can be late with directions or he'll be wrong about how hard or easy a turn is. I guess it adds to the realism, but it's a little annoying because since you're practically flying in this game, you're relying greatly on his help to know what's coming up. The default music in the game is fine, but there's nothing memorable. Luckily, you're able to use your own music in this game if you'd like thanks to the XBOX's hard drive.

Gameplay: 9 - For a first time attempt, Digital Illusions (the developers) got the feeling of rally racing pretty much down pact. Power sliding into and out of turns has that distinct rally feel, and the different surfaces really make you change your driving style accordingly. The tracks are well designed and increase in difficulty as you progress through the game. There are two difficulties to choose from, Beginner and Normal. I suggest playing on Normal though because Beginner is just too easy.

Gameplay Modes: 7 - There's a decent amount of modes in this game. There's Career Mode, Single Race, Time Attack, Multiplayer, and Instant Action. In Career Mode, you race in events, collecting career points depending on how well you do in the event. As you collect more and more career points, you move up in rankings (Pro, Expert, Classic, Unlimited). As you move up in rankings, you unlock new cars and tracks. The career mode does lack some depth, but all-in-all it's fulfilling. The game definitely would have benefited from something like a Career Season Mode where you go through a full rally season, year after year. Here's to hoping for something like it in Rallisport 2.

Customization: 4 - Really, there's only 2 customizable things in this game; the driving music and limited car settings (suspension, gear ratio, power ratio, brake balance, and steering). Other than that, you're stuck with what's given to you. You can't modify your car by adding new parts, you can't customize the look of the cars, you can't customize events, the list goes on. Hopefully in Rallisport 2, they'll address some of these minor problems. A cool feature to add would be allowing you to design your own race track (very simply of course). They could do something like Tony Hawk does with their ''Create-a-Park'' and have pre-made road pieces. Something to think about for the future.

Replay Value: 8 - This game is extremely fun yet extremely frustrating. The career mode, while a bit shallow, will take you some time to complete especially the ''Classic'' and ''Unlimited'' events. In those events, you have to race absolutely perfect if you want a chance at 1st place. Make 1 mistake and you might as well quit and retry. If you have a few friends over, the 4-player split-screen multiplayer action can be intense.

OVERALL: 9 - Whether you're into racing games or not, this is a game every XBOX owner should at least try. Personally, I think this is a game that every XBOX owner should have in their library.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/02, Updated 03/19/02