Since the launch of the Xbox we have
seen a variety of games released covering various genres. One genre that seems to be light
in comparison to some of the others is racing games for the purists. Well, racing fans sit
up and take notice! Microsoft has taken the reigns and brought us a racing game that
youll be proud to have in your collection. Comprising the four styles of rally
racing into one package, Rallisport might not be a Gran Turismo killer, but it is the best
there is for the green machine.Rallisport Challenge shows the diversity found within the sport of
racing. You are not limited to just driving in off road courses against other players.
This game gives a more accurate portrayal. There are essentially two ways Rally races are
performed. One is racing for best time on a flat course. There are no laps and you do not
race head to head with competitors. Also there are mountain rallies in which the track
runs uphill. There are also races in which you do compete head to head with other drivers.
This is done with the circuit and Ice tracks. Both types of racing must be mastered in
order to succeed in the Career mode. To do so you have at your disposal a multitude of
officially licensed cars in various classes. The object is to succeed in each race to earn
enough points to unlock everything. Did poorly? You can go back and perform the whole
stage over again. The challenge is to use everything in your car at your disposal such as
finding the right tires to win; usually they are not even the ones that are designed for
the specific elements. There is plenty to accomplish to give long lasting freshness to the
game. Three other friends can also compete against you as well in circuit rallies. Finally
is the time trial, essentially a means of practicing. This is recommended when attempting
a new coarse to get a feeling for it and become aware of the major turns.
Controls are
solid and you can definitely tell the difference in each course you are on. It's up to you
to adjust your driving style accordingly. You will find that on Tarmac your car will stick
to the road preventing you from being able to power slide through turns. The best button
you have though is not the gas, but the one that picks you up and places you back on the
track. I say this because there will be plenty of time that your car ends up on its side
and the computer itself does nothing to help you. Quickly pressing this button will
greatly reduce your time, but the real object is to stay on the track. It's nice that this
is available though in case you do need it. The analog sensitivity does need to be
tightened a little for more precise driving; its way to easy to overcorrect.
Rallisport
Challenge takes full advantage of the hard drive and its ability to store ripped songs.
You can even select specific tracks from a soundtrack instead of the whole soundtrack .
The songs found on the game itself are not bad by any means. It's just always nice to be
able to play exactly the songs that you want. There is more to hear than just music. For
one there is the familiar sound of roaring engines. One sound not heard a lot in racing
games is the voice of your navigator. In rally races your co-pilot informs you of any
upcoming turns and the severity of them. Its nice to actually have this feature in
the game, and they should be listened to because they definitely know the course better
than you do.
The shining
star in Rallisport is the graphics; despite whatever flaws are mentioned, this is
definitely one game that is enjoyable to watch. With the current consoles being as
powerful as they are, having fully detailed car models should be standard practice instead
of the exception. Rallisport goes the extra mile by not just relying on the bare minimum
to make the game exceptional looking. As you are competing in a race, you will notice your
car getting dirty. Its the little things like this that make this game a must own
for racing and non racing fans alike. It must be said that there are a couple of flaws.
First is the destructibility of the cars. Any damage stays on the car, but you can never
fully destroy your car. Most of the damage happens to the windows and lights. The other
flaw does not really pertain to how the game looks but the physics involved. While on the
ground your car reacts just like its large counterpart, but once the tires leave the
ground then the car does not react as it should. Its as though gravity becomes
heavier once it is airborne throwing around the car in a manner that is quite unnatural.
Those flaws
might prevent this game from reaching perfection, but it is the closest thing to it for
the Xbox. This game is essentially for everyone. Racing fans who are used to tarmac styled
racing will enjoy the new challenges found within. Newbies to the sport will find that
this is perfect to get their feet wet with the variety of tracks and elements. Rallisport
Challenge is a member of the Xbox elite and moving a step closer to have a Gran Turismo
killer that is not on the PS2.