Rallisport Challenge

"Runs fast, but your controller feels inadequate."

Rallisport Challenge was the first rally game to appear on the Xbox at the time of it’s launch. It’s an exclusive title so you can expect the graphics to be detailed and tailored to the Xbox’s hardware. Some gamers may dismiss this game because it’s not a Mcrae or V-rally title, but just a second because Rallisport does offer a competitive race and has realistic handling and graphics.

Gameplay: 7/10
Set across several different track types you will have to race as fast ass you can and steer carefully to stay ahead of the fast cpu opponents. The main rally part of the game sees you selecting one of 29 licensed cars then trying to get the fastest times along the rally stages. But unfortunately the game’s pace does not allow for more than one crash before you have lost all hope of winning. You are timed against invisible opponents so it’s not a matter of ramming the other drivers off. The clock is constantly updated to check your time against the three other computer cars.

There are also three other modes of play to get your teeth into, they include: Hill climb, Rallycross and Ice racing. With the ice racing it sounds tricky, but it’s easy to get into and very enjoyable. The remaining modes are also good fun as the developers seem to have gone for quality instead of quantity then thinking up the different sections of the game.

The problem is that your car’s handling is difficult and sometimes unpredictable. Pressing the brake will slow you but you are likely to spin off if you haven’t played the game much. You best bet would be to take your finger off the accelerator, slide then accelerate out of the corner to avoid crashing. So it is possible to get to grips with the controls in time, but on the desert stages corners are harder to see to you turning timings will suffer, making these stages harder.

Graphics: 9/10
Rallisport looks great in this department. Textures for the road surface are highly detailed, using the texture compression facility that the Xbox can perform. Trees and scenery look well modeled, three dimensional even though less polygons were used. All of the cars are authentic and licensed, they can get slightly damaged and are constructed from tons of polygons. You’ll also notice the real time shadows and the amazing particle effects.

All of the courses look very realistic and add to the authenticity of the game. But in two player mode the graphical detail does drop a little bit, you won’t really notice it and it keeps the game running smoothly even when you’ve got four people racing head to head.

Sound: 7/10
Music is almost non-existent but the developers have programmed in the real life sound effects to add to your enjoyment. You have a co driver who reads out the different turns you will take, but when you are trying desperately to stay on the track you sometimes forget what they are saying, or they read the turn too early so it’s not very helpful. Rallisport could have been improved by the addition of some recent music, with the option to turn it off if you just wanted the real experience, or maybe custom sound tracks but no, you just get a small part of a bad tune when you are starting off. But sound is the most important area and developer “dice” obviously wanted to make the experience real to be able to compete for best rally game with the other well known titles.

Replay Value: 7:10
You’ll have to come back for more if you want to complete the game because of the difficulty level at the beginning. There are a couple of settings but when you first get the game you are bound to try beginner. Getting the hang of the control system will increase the life of the game, as will the multiple stages in a rally and the amount of times you could fail.

Overall: 7/10
If you’ve tired of Project Gotham Racing and would like a new challenge Rallisport Challenge is a well rounded title for Xbox. It shows the power of the system but if you don’t like driving simulations then you might be frustrated with this game.

+ points:
* High quality visuals
* Good looking courses
* Nice selection of races

-points:
* Awkward controls
* High difficulty setting for beginners
* Takes a long time to unlock new vehicles

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/03, Updated 01/28/03