Ben Mansill rally drives Richard Burns Rally. Really.
Richard Burns Rally is astoundingly realistic. No ifs or buts. You know it is when you drive it. Picking up a new driving game usually means spending some time getting a feel for the way the programmers have decided to have their cars behave. Getting into Burns Rally is far simpler - you drive the cars just as you would a real car, and you're right.
Well, sort of right. Most real cars don't thump out 300bhp. Driving is immensely difficult to do at high velocity, but this sim is designed for the kind of driver who derives great satisfaction from learning to drive well.
The secret to its realism is that developers Warthog modelled most key components of the cars as true 3D objects with properties matching the real item. Not everything is modelled, but what is, is impressive. Most engine components are, for example. Cop a rock through your intercooler and pretty soon the turbo will give up the boost. Suspension components can bend or break, handling affected accordingly. It all feels so right. Any driver who has yearned to thoroughly thrash his own car will love this sim. The realism comes at a cost; this is the most CPU-dependant game we've seen in a long while.
It's an unforgiving experience. There's not much fun to be had here, but it's not designed to be fun. This is cold, harsh rally driving, with none of the bells and whistles of a Rallisport Challenge. To make it anywhere in the Championship, you'll need to drive the often very long stages with the perfection of a traditional track driver. You'll need to take every corner perfectly, and fast. Do it, and you'll be drained, but feeling a satisfaction which no other driving sim can deliver.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012