ptholt

Picked this up in Makro on thursday, played it quite a bit.

Impressions so far are VERY good presentation, nice sounds.
graphics are...ok. nothing mind blowing and the odd glitch here and there.

I normally like to play rally games from chase car view so i can see where the tracks going when sideways, but i found this impossible in this game, the car just doesnt feel right at all

But by changing to in car it felt a bit better and slightly more palyable.
It seems to have annoyingly 'sticky' barriers and obstacles that rob you of speed without you realising it till its too late.
Also when the car leaves the road (for more than a sec or so) you get three seconds to get it back on or you are repositioned in centre of the road from a standing start...

all in all its an average game at best imo, I would only recommend it if your desperate for a psx2 rally game.

Roll on the rally game on the xbox and lets see how that handles.....

If i only i could find rally championship extreme and rally trophy on the pc, be an interesting comparison methinks.

DazV

thanks for the info. I'll steer clear of it.

blubs

Yep, agree with most of that but I think it might even be too kind.

I got this through the post this morning and have played it on and off for most of the day and I am sorely disappointed.

There is no impression of speed at all, even when the car is supposedly flat out. There is nothing to indicate that you are actually steering the vehicle, the dynamics are that poor. It doesn't feel or look right on the road and doesn't seem to respond accurately to steering or brake input.

It looks and sounds very nice.

What a terrible waste of the official licence.

blubs (waiting for CM3 next year)

Jake

What a waste of £30 this game is complete CR@P

CELL

Oh no, i was going to buy a PS2 for this game. Is it really that bad? How does it compare to Colin Mcrae 2 on PS1?

Thanks

ptholt

dont even mention it in the same sentence as colin macrae unfortunately.

DazV

The power of the internet - saves you money and stops you from buying crap games.

Now we all owe the above lads a pint!

-DV

blubs

.......I'll have a Stella

Forgot to mention that the pacenotes are called so late that they are not worth having.

Twice now I have been in the air (having gone over a brow and off the edge of a a cliff), to hear ".......into left 5".

CM2 is still the benchmark, whether on PS1 or PC.

blubs

CELL

Seen as most of you dont appear to like this game, anyone wanna sell theirs, for a vastly reduced price of course

I personaly think its excellent. Maybe some apspects are not as good as Colin, but its worth having just for the fantastic graphics

Cheers

Chris

Disco

Agree with Cell, I think a lot of the comments are a bit harsh (IMHO).

I think the graphics are v.good (even compared to GT3), the light,shadow,weather effects are particularly great and the rally gameplay is also v.good. The uphile,downhill stages were great fun and the sounds are fantastic.

Admitedly it is too easy on Normal level (haven't tried Pro yet) and the car does float a little but I was too busy looking at the road to really care. As above, the pace notes tend to be way too late on occaisions but at least a big off gives the other drivers a chance. The damage caused could be more punishing ( I fell off a cliff = no effect ).

I thought the handling was fine bearing in mind 12 year olds aren't going to have too much fun if it handled like a real WRC car!!!

All in all I think its great, a couple of things could be better but I think its a definite love it or hate it game

ptholt

'I think the graphics are v.good (even compared to GT3)'
you are joking arent you? Please tell me you are..

Agree that the weather effects are quite nice, but the tracks and cars are nasty, hell screamer really on the pc about 4 years ago had better graphics than this!
and to compare it to gt3......

Let me think, watching a reply where i can see the bolts in the wheels and the discs glow progressively against a rather nasty orange ring inside the wheels on wrc......... nah no contest.

Disco

Not joking!!!

I think the scenery, tracks and basic car graphics are fantastic, small things like the 'weeble' style spectators are without doubt pathetic but if you've got time to worry about how progressively the brakes change colour then you aren't driving fast enough!!! (not that you really have to but.........)

Geezer

OK, the game is too easy and we would all have liked moore of a sim. But the handling is fine (lets face it, CM2 is how you would like to be able to drive a rally car, not like mere minions such as ourselves can drive them!), the graphics are superb, the tracks are realistic and the noises are fantastic. GT3 graphics are as good, arguably a touch better (but that's personal) for the cars, but there is no contest for the scenery. The tracks in GT3 are w@nk, are far more arcady than anything in WRC. The tracks for normal racing in GT3 are graphically superior, but they just have to draw nice bits of scenery not tto far away, WRC is generating real countryside from satellite data with massive draw distance. It's no contest! The tracks in WRC are also contoured, so you have to work to keep it in a straight line even on the straights, whic GT3 and CM2 do not even attempt. CM2 is like driving on a billiard table with bends and hills!

Don't get me wrong, I prefer CM2 as a game, but the slating you give WRC is unwarranted, because it is not what you wanted it to be (I am equally disappointed in that respect). Take it for what it is and it is a surprisingly good game. At the end of day, it has to be a good thing, because Code Masters will have to take notice of the good points of this game and add them to the already successful formula that is CM2. That has to be a good thing for us

Geezer

sparkymark

In reference to Blubs' recent posts,I really feel that he should change his controller settings to analogue instead of digital as it seems that this is the reason he is suffering from a lack of braking accuracy.He should then benefit from a far more realistic braking experience which may also possibly stop him going over blind crests and off the edges of cliffs.

logiclee

ptholt,

Don't hold your breath with the xbox.

Its been reverse engineered, its a Pentium3 733mhz with 64meg RAM, decent graphics card and a modified version of Windows XP. Uses IDE interface for the DVD drive and internal HD and USB ports for the controllers.
Just a cheap PC then

Lee

Geezer

I agree that if blubs spent more time actually finding out how the game should be set up instead of bemoaning it, he may get a morepleasurable gaming experience. Unfortunately, he was probably too busy eating pies than perusing the configuration menus

Geezer

blubs

Ah, so the graphics are good and it sounds great. That's ok then.

I suggest Geezer purchases the new Hot Air Balloon sim, (fantastic graphics and you can see fields and trees and stuff). The handling will be to your liking aswell if you enjoy WRC.

As for 'far more realistic braking', I fear that Sparky Mark has been playing too many flight sims (How are you mate?)

Whether or not you have digital or analogue BUTTONS will have no direct effect on the steering, and WRC has virtually no steering.

The pies..................guilty as charged I'm afraid

blubs

ps Geezer, I'm looking for a new excuse for your poor performance on WRC tonight. The CM2 excuse 'I think I'm a bit tired' will not suffice.

Geezer

I already have Hot Air Balloon on order, though I believe they bear an uncanny resemblance to your good self.

Yes, graphics are not the be all and end all of gaming, but I suppose you would prefer something more akin to "Night Driver" with a stick on car and 2 white posts either side as long as you could hold a long slide in it ?

Stick to the pies fatty!

Geezer

P.S. I am currently workin on an excuse for tonights poor performance. However, Mr Straker or Stig will probably make me look good!

sparkymark

Remember though,try not to play Hot Air Balloon in Richard Branson mode as you will never complete it.
PS...Wotcha Blubs....I'm cool...long time no speak.

Bruiser.STi

Hi there, I was disapointed also, was expecting much more of a game and sim qualities. The damage can slow you down but never stop you, ( this is rallying) and not a single dnf all year for anyone!!! Its good how certain cpu drivers fare better in there home events, but they could of put so much more in this game.
How about having to test drive to get picked up by a team, get dropped if your driving sucks etc etc....could of been a great game.

And a big load of bollocks to the pace notes, they are crap!!!!!

Bruiser

ptholt

crumbs an interesting can of worms i opened here isnt it

its good that some people are enjoying it though, otherwise poor games firms would stop bringing titles out

I don't think i was that harsh tho, just said it was disapointing and average at best.....

I could have said much worse......

Squizz

Ok...Played it properly now! (Although it's an Xmas present for someone - I had to check it!)

"Hmmm" is the right word. I made the mistake of playing Monaco first - I was horrified at the speed of the steering, and the total lack of "feel".

Luckilly I persevered and played a tarmac rally after that, and having changed control methods, and steering response, etc. Performance improved. Still doesn't seem to connect you to the car like GT3, or CM2.

You should be able to customise the controls, too. It's w@nk that you can't replicate the controls of your other favourite driving games... [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

But!

It's still a worthwile addition to the fleet of driving games on the PS2 and will keep most people happy until CM3 comes out. I'm sure that'll wipe the floor with WRC though.

Squizz.

SteveYeowart

Any body had the stuttering problems yet or is it just me?

First happened on one particular corner on Safari from behind car view went very slow a stuttery wasn't overly bothered as it was a one off at that point. Then on one of the Corsica stages happened about 10 or 11 times in one stage V annoying like a PC playing a game that it hasn't got sufficient memory for!! Anyone else had this problem or is it my disc /PS 2?

scooby nutter

Steve,i had the same stuttering on one of the stages,didnt last for very long but was annoying.

my view of the game- excellent replays,brilliant scenery.The car handles a bit ropey.I agree that the car controls should be assigned to the buttons that you are use to(for me i like gears R1+R2)
Someone said the noise was brilliant,what the F*&k!!Its crap!!

This game is on the PS2,why didnt they spend a little more time on the little details(like the co-driver giving useful notes!)and improve the engine note.CM2 kicks its *** on the ps1.

Still i bought it, you live and learn!!

Duncan

chiark

Well, my marvellous wife bought it for me for my birthday. I love it - though having monaco as the first rally is a nasty surprise. Steering is far too sensitive, though this can be changed.

I've yet to master it, but I think I'll be hooked...

nick.

sparkymark

Has anyone got into pro mode yet?I'm currently up to FInland and have got some secret codes and bonus stages.The actual extras you obtain after inputting these codes seem totally useless....I wont say what they are just in case anyone doesent want to know....does anyone agree with me?

Lushman

I have a demo of this and quite impressed, does the GT3 Steering wheel work with this game or any recent games like burnout?

SteveYeowart

Yeah on to pro here just too damned easy in novice not that its much harder in Pro truth be known. Noticed the slow loading times for every stage......well I worked out having down the entire championship that I sat looking at the loading stage screen for the grand total of 45 minutes!!!!

Won the championship by a country mile with 140 points!!!!

chiark

Just worked out why monaco was so hard - I was changing to snow tyres when the weather said "snow". best off with dry tyres, not even wets!

People slating this game is just a cunning plan: they know that there's a chance to win an Evo VI makinen, and want less people eligable for entry

Nick.

blubs

I finished the game last night on pro on my first try with ease.

No extra cars, a few extra tracks and other silly 'wobbly car' secrets.

This further add weight to my theory that this game is poor. Not only does it lack feel, it has no longevity at all.

I fact I gave it away in disgust last night...

blubs