Real-life special stages are still only timed to one tenth of a second. Old school...
WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship
DIRT RALLY 2.0’S STILL TOPPING THE LEADERBOARD. CAN WRC DO BETTER? JUSTIN TOWELL
PUBLISHER BIGBEN INTERACTIVE / DEVELOPER KT RACING / RELEASE DATE OUT NOW / COST £49.99/$49.99
when you inevitably leave the road
for the umpteenth time. If the foliage
enveloped you like a big green bear
hug, it would be fun in its own right
and you might even look forward to
your next David Attenborough moment.
But instead the seams become very
evident when you look at anything
up close; it’s just not a very pretty
game. Worse still, it only runs at 30fps
even on Xbox One X, which feels far
too loose for a game that’s all about
precision at high speed.Handled with care
The car handling has been reworked,
and it does feel decently solid, though
not up to the ultra-assured feel of
Codemasters’ Dirt Rally 2.0. Low speed
driving lacks inertia, and the wheels
don’t really feel like they’re rolling
on actual solid ground. It feels a bit
artificial. Not unplayable – not by any
means – just not quite like driving an
actual rally car.
The game’s overall structure is
strong, if a little po-faced. Season
Mode lets you pick a category and
go plain old rallying over a wholeWRC 8 understands
what its target
audience demands,
and delivers in
spades. True
rallying’s primary
draw is the feeling of hurtling
headlong into the unknown, and
that’s something you just can’t get
from rally games with a few short
tracks that you drive again and
again. With 100 stages set over 14
countries, WRC 8 certainly brings the
unpredictable element of the sport
home. The variety of scenery, event
types and road surfaces is excellent,
and you really do feel like the odds
are stacked against you, especially
with dynamic weather and an optional
‘realistic damage’ mode that can see
you cripple your car in one accident.
Dirt builds up on your windscreen until
you suddenly realise you’re squinting
at vague outlines – which is then fixed
in an instant with the wiper button. If
this sort of constant adversity excites
you, then WRC 8 is definitely worth a
try. But be warned: not everything here
is as great as it should be.
Despite moments of both beauty
and drama, it doesn’t feel like a
state-of-the-art videogame very
often. There’s very little feeling of
life in the scenery as it whooshes by,
thanks to some unconvincing, flat
foliage, angular walls and crowds that
don’t actually look towards your car
as you approach. There are certainly
moments of impressive surface detail
and vast draw distances, but the
game often feels like you’re driving
through a diorama, and this has a
big effect on how patient you’ll feel
championship, whereas career mode
adds in a new, intricately structured
management mode over the top. You’ll
be hiring new staff, managing a tight
budget and deciding which kinds
of events should fill your downtime
between rally meetings. There’s an
R&D skill tree which uses simple XP
levels as points to spend, though in
such a serious game, it’s odd to see
some skills have overtly contrived
effects on in-game situations, like
the effect water hazards have on
your trajectory. Don’t buy the perk
and your car gets unceremoniously
dumped off the road in a jarring and
frustrating manner, meaning you
arguably need to approach this new,
more realistic career mode more like a
videogame. How ironic.
Still, there are plenty of reasons
to like WRC 8, and rally fans will get
plenty of return for their money.
Just be aware that Dirt Rally 2.0 is
demonstrably better in every way that
matters, though, so try that first. Qshort
cutWHAT IS IT?
The official game of
the World Rally
Championship,
featuring licensed
WRC, WRC-2 and
Junior categories.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
Family car journeys in
the rain where
someone keeps
shouting directions,
then the tyre bursts.
WHO’S IT FOR?
Definitely one for
hardcore rally fans.
Those who never use
the brakes should
steer away.“There’s very
little feeling
of life in the
scenery”
OXM VERDICT
A fully featured,
officially licenced
rally simulator, but
it lacks flair and
personality.7
RIGHT These dust
effects look
really nice in
replays, but
screenshots
can’t convey the
lovely water
splash
animation. It’s
so wet.090 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE
REVIEW