WRC: Rally Evolved (PS2)

[Timmeh]

Just bought a new rally game, WRC: Rally Evolved

And I must say - I like it!

Likes:
The jumps, realistic but still scary and the car can get unsettled.
Scenery effects, like fog or random dust drifting thru, or some slight haze at the start of the rain.
Competitors, passing broken down rally cars or seeing skid marks head off into the bushes or up a dirt mound and car parts scattered around.
Random TV / support choppers around the place, not the same one at the same place on the same stage.
The ability to over-cook corners and work your way around the terrain, like around a light post, or go thru tape barriers and all.
Car damage, gets you driving to preserve the car as well. My poor Fiesta JWRC was barely running by the time I got across the line, had a terrible misfire and pulled badly to one side.
Co-driver muttering and yelping when you have an accident, or getting cranky when you lose time to competitors. Harsh reviews of your driving!
Big accidents, high speed thru the forest, ability to flip multiple times in the air when accidentally launching off an embankment sideways in a desperate attempt to stay on the road.
Excellent variety in each stage, doesn’t feel like the same corners repeated.

Could be better:
Graphics, while extremely good, are not of GT4 quality.
No career mode sucks a bit, just work your way up the championships, but can start at the top.
Can repair almost anything in the 20 minute service.
Damage is too lenient; you really have to work over the car for things to fail. Also, apparently I drove to the end of the stage with a snapped piston and the engine felt fairly ok. And fixed it (and an oil leak, maybe a hole in the side of the block?) in 20 minutes.
Auto-reset on track can be rather premature at times.
Stages are of decent length but wish there were more in each rally, as always.

Verdict:
Best rally game I have ever played. Such a variety of things can happen each stage, always feels like new territory when driving down a stage, car balancing on the edge in places, and the constant potential for massive accidents. I love rallying, and this game does it for me.

Nice points for us Ford fans:
Fiesta JWRC 1600
Ford Focus WRC (sorry, only Mk I Focus though, in both paint schemes)
Ford Focus WRC privateers like Warmbold
Ford Focus RS Concept
Ford RS200

Picture previews from IGN:









Timmeh!

[b2tf]

Nice review Tim, looks like a fun game.

[whippet_zetec]

Tim,

Great choice of game, I also have it and love playing it. The driving dynamics are I agree the best yet on PS2, the car handling is something I have never experienced in a rally game and exceeds GT3/4 by a mile (only rally driving) in my opinion.

Have you played online multiplayer yet?

Todd

[zetec]

Methinks the video store will be getting a call to order this game in very soon. Nice review mate, thanks! I'll give it a shot. I'm over colin MacRae, the physics are rubbish for the faster cars.

[Timmeh]

Originally Posted by whippet_zetec

Tim,

Great choice of game, I also have it and love playing it. The driving dynamics are I agree the best yet on PS2, the car handling is something I have never experienced in a rally game and exceeds GT3/4 by a mile (only rally driving) in my opinion.

Have you played online multiplayer yet?

Todd

Not yet, no, my PS2 hasn't reached the realms of the internet. Don't have the time either, just enjoying the game when I get a chance.

Too many real cars to work on! :

Timmeh

[M14A-Mclaren]

Sounds good, thanks for the review, might have a looking at buying it when I have a few more dollars in the bank.