Those are mud skids on the backs of Dan Gardiner's pants...
The sheer volume of rally titles available on consoles these days is jaw-dropping, and we can already feel many Atomicans groaning 'Do we really need another one?'
Well stop your grumbling, chumps, because if the game in question is WRC II, the answer is a big fat 'Yes', dammit!
WRC II is the only officially licensed World Rally Championship title, and it incorporates most of the teams, cars and drivers from the real race. There's a range of game modes, from instant randomised races, the WRC itself, and customised rallies.
WRC II's sheer volume of tracks is astounding: there are over 100 of the things across 14 different countries. Amazingly, designer Evolution Studios has managed to keep most them distinctly different and original, and they're exciting to race on.
Tracks are comparatively long compared to the two-minute courses in CMR3, with an average race time of around three to four minutes with the occasional one stretching to five. It's therefore a little bit more of an endurance test than other rally games -- although this isn't necessarily a bad thing, and they're varied enough that you don't really notice the extra length.
Learning to drive in WRC II is initially challenging. Handling feels significantly more realistic than in CMR3, and there's a large emphasis on accuracy. More so than most other rally games, WRC II is really about precision driving, and it doesn't leave much room for funny business. To excel, you need to listen closely to your co-driver to accurately gauge corners. It's vital that you stay on the track while maintaining an aggressive speed at all times.
The remorseless nature of the engine means that it's not as easy to just pick up and play as other rally titles, and for the uninitiated the first few races are likely to be more frustrating than enjoyable. The learning curve is also fairly steep: there's a significant step up between Novice and Professional game modes.
Novice can be mastered fairly easily after a few days' play, but Professional takes a lot longer to get the hang of, and Expert will most likely only appeal to the hardest of rally fans.
WRC II doesn't skimp on graphics either, with beautiful tracks, detailed cars and excellent weather effects. There are virtually zero pop-ups thanks to an outstanding draw distance, and the engine maintains an overwhelming level of detail at a respectable frame rate.
Weather doesn't seem to affect the handling to a great degree, but it still makes driving harder due to screwing with your visuals.
Although both cars and scenery do take damage, WRC II's vehicles don't usually show it, and the car damage models are amazingly unsophisticated. To be able to see any form of structural damage (save for small things like broken headlight covers) you really need to trash your car repeatedly and frequently. It's possible to slam into walls, rocks and other obstacles up to ten times and still maintain a pristine, shiny and un-dented car.
This is vaguely forgivable because WRC II encourages you to avoid hitting any obstacles at all, but it's disappointing none the less.
There are also one or two issues with the game's crash physics, and obstacles and scenery can be particularly frustrating. While it doesn't happen all that often, your vehicle can be brought from 180km/h to a complete standstill by even the smallest of rocks or wispiest of trees. Skating against a guard rail at top speed also has the annoying habit of suddenly halting your car and turning it sideways, stealing precious seconds while you reverse and straighten up before you can continue racing.
Airborne crashes are even worse, and oftentimes comedic. Flip a car and any notion you had of realistic physics goes straight out the window. Vehicles pirouette, roll and spin like some maniacal cross between a trapeze artist and a large, brightly coloured plastic hippo, and makes it very difficult to sustain the belief that these are in fact 1,200kg machines you're racing. It's unfortunate that the crash physics are so poor and unforgiving, because it's really the only thing preventing the game from being a true classic.
If you like to play fast and loose with your racing games, WRC II probably won't float your boat. It requires a little time to get into, but if you have patience you'll discover it's a large, deep and rewarding racing game.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012