|
|
|
V-Rally
has been riding high in the charts since it was first released
just over a year ago. It is now about to be included in the
Platinum range of Playstation games meaning that this excellent
rally title is now available at budget price. |
|
|
|
V-Rally
is the game that will surely put Sega Rally in it's rightful
place, because the PlayStation finally has a rally racing game
that is worthy of the best next generation console on the market.
There are 60 tracks set over 8 world venues, 4 modes of play
including a two player spilt-screen mode.
|
|
|
|
For
once I am lost for words. To say the graphics are brilliant would
be putting the game down. Gorgeous and excellent would best be
replaced with magnificent and superlative. Pulchritudinous, now
there's a good word. Apparently V-Rally is the first game to write
raw code straight onto the chip set. If that is so then here lies
the future of graphics. Fast, smooth and definitely a thing of
pulchritude.
During a race there are a few nice touches worthy of mention such
as the way that the sunlight reflects onto your windscreen or the
rise of dust from the cars in front of you. Unfortunately, because
you require maximum concentration to guide your way around these
tricky courses, much of the graphical splendor passes by without
notice. But fear not as V-Rally includes a replay mode of the
highest quality. Rather than charging straight into your next
race, sit back, put your feet up, relax and enjoy a replay of your
triumphs and disasters. This can be viewed from an alternative
view or a TV camera perspective that captures the racing from many
amazing angles. Now you can enjoy that sunset on the horizon, the
snow cover pine trees, the sheep grazing in the fields, the
spectators sheltering in the trees, driving through tropical
rainstorms, dense fog, blinding sunshine.....
I could go on for hours about the quality graphics but not wishing
to spoil the initial impact that awaits you I will just quickly
mention the lighting. V-Rally is worth buying alone for the
experience of driving in the Alps, at night, in total darkness,
during a blizzard with only the beam from your headlights to lead
you through. It couldn't be more realistic if you were actually
there.
|
|
|
|
The
sound effects in V-Rally are superb. Each venue has identifiable
sounds associated with the country it is portraying. Lining up on
the starting grid in Spain you can hear the racket of crickets
clicking away. Indonesia has that collective chirping noise that
can only be associated with a tropical jungle, while the silence
of Safari is broken by a blast from an elephant or the hoot of an
owl. Once the race is underway most noises are drowned by the roar
of the realistic racing engines and the small clusters of
spectators cheering their approval as you pass them by.
The music on the other hand is pretty crap and is V-Rally's only
failing. Wailing guitars thrashing out their rock tunes somehow
does not compliment the game and was quickly switched off at the
options.
|
|
|
|
V-Rally
plays unlike any other racer you have loaded into your 32-bit
console. Apart from the expected reactionary skills, sharp
eyesight and a certain amount of luck that is required to succeed
in other racing titles, V-Rally requires patience, and plenty of
it. Throwing it in gear and charging straight into championship
mode will only end up in frustration and possibly tears.
Most racing games include those two dirty words that are frowned
upon by egoistic wheel burners - Time Trial.
"What? Practice? - that's for whimps!" I hear you scorn.
Listen! V-Rally is different and your chance of success without
learning the tracks and how to handle the cars is about as
realistic as you jumping in a high powered Mitsubishi and
completing the first mile of the Lombard RAC Rally unblemished -
virtually nil.
Practice makes perfect and Time Trial offers all 18 arcade
courses, in varying conditions, to test out your selection from
the 11 rally cars that are modelled on specifications and data
from all the real teams. There's even a ghost car of your best lap
time to compete against.
Every car must be taken for a test drive over several terrains as
the variance in handling is unreal. You cannot just sit down and
play V-Rally, you must learn how to drive it. Try out a
lightweight Peugeot 106 Maxi with it's front wheel drive, 1·6
ltr atmospheric engine and max 200 bhp at 9,000 revs. Next take
the Subaru Impreza WRC, 4 wheel drive around the same course as
the 2 ltr turbo charged engine hits 300 bhp at 5,000 revs per
minute. The difference is awesome, but you can unbelievably clock
up the same lap times if driven correctly.
Other racers give the player a choice of vehicles that have either
excellent handling, rapid acceleration or maximum high speeds.
V-Rally presents a choice of car that looks, performs, handles and
most importantly feels like no other on offer. I tell you, it's so
real. Other cars available are a selection of front wheel and four
wheel drives such as the Citroen Saxo Kitcar, Skoda Felicia,
Nissan Almera, Seat Ibiza EV2, Renault Maxi Megane UK & FR,
Peugeot 306 Maxi and of course the Ford Escort WRC.
Practice perfected and it's on with the show. Arcade mode is not
unnecessarily a race to the line but a test of your driving skills
to reach checkpoints within the given time limit. Your three
opponents seem to have been coded with an AI to slow down your
progress by taking you out as often as possible - a sort of
Destruction Derby that you cannot afford to become involved in.
Try making the first corner before the pack and you will be
shunted and slammed into oblivion, but in fairness a CPU car will
take out another if obstructed. With practice you can carefully
ease a rival off the track but beware as they will surely return
to shunt you from behind when least expecting. Let them go at
first, it's not worth it, as a collision cost you vital time and
result in your car performing more spectacular acrobatics than a
Chinese gymnastics team.
It's also great to see that opponents can commit the same driving
errors as yourself. You will often slide around a particularly
difficult corner only to see another car tumbling uncontrollably
down the track due to an unforced error. How gratifying.
Beginning with three credits you must complete the first four
stages in Easy mode over differing terrain. This will open up a
further six new tracks in Medium mode before entering the eight
final challenging stages.
Loading up your first race opens up a secondary option screen
where you select your car, number of race laps from two to six and
if you wish to implement the catch-up, then car boost must be
selected now. Once you leave this screen the settings cannot be
changed.
Your first race will be on the asphalt surface of sunny Corsica
but before the race begins you can customize your car to suit the
terrain. There are three settings for suspension and gear ratio
while the handling may be scaled from under to oversteer. Extra
credits can be gained by winning an individual race while failure
to complete the course will reduce your chances by one.
Once the race is in progress you must use the knowledge gained
from Time Trial to judge your braking, steering and acceleration.
If the thought of leaving the track in Formula 1 gave you
sleepless nights then prepare for nightmares with V-Rally because
straying from the racing surface is unforgiving. Braking before
corners is essential until you learn the art of sliding around
them and once this art is perfected you will reduce your lap times
by several seconds. Handbrake turns will whip you around those
hair-pin bends while grass verges may be cut over if you ease off
the gas. To help you judge the coming bends your copilot will
inform you of the sharpness with calls of "easy right", "medium
left" or "hard left". If you miss his call then an
on-screen indicator will keep you right.
As you progress through Arcade mode you will sample the delights
of not only eight varying settings such as the streets circuits of
Spain and Corsica, the open countrysides of England and New
Zealand, the tropical conditions of Safari and Indonesia and the
snowbound Alps and Sweden, but each race can take place at
morning, noon or night. Weather conditions range from cloudy,
sunny, raining, fog bound, sleet and snow. Each a challenge in
it's own right. If you complete Arcade mode on expert setting
there are a further 18 tracks to play which are extremely narrow.
If you fancy a break from the pressure of matching those check
point times then why not attempt a full blown Championship. Points
are awarded for your finishing position over 24 stages, three
completely different courses for each venue. A night-time race
through the forests of snowbound Sweden is the ultimate test for
any hardened racer. How about a romp through the Safari swamp as
you aquaplane uncontrollably during torrential rain storms.
|
|
|
|
So
what do we have so far? 3 difficulty settings which are Rookie,
Pro and Ace. 18 Time Trial courses to perfect your driving skills
with, or without, a ghost car. The same 18 courses in the
time-testing Arcade mode. If you finish the mode Arcade difficult
in level Expert, you can play the same circuits but on a more
realistic scale. It means also that they are narrower. 24
completely different tracks and weather conditions in the
challenging Championship mode. That's 60 stages in all. Is that
enough?
You want more? You've got it.
V-Rally includes the best two player split-screen available on
PSX. No slow down, horizontal and vertical viewing options, two
player head-to-head racing in Time Trial mode.
You want more? You've got it.
How about a two player split-screen race against the CPU cars.
Join forces for an Arcade challenge where either driver must reach
each checkpoint over the 18 Arcade courses. That gives you two
chances to complete the game. One car can take the CPU vehicles
out of the race while the other strolls to victory. You could also
race individually scuppering each others chances for winning the
race.
Value for money? You bet. Go out and buy this game now.
|
|
|
|
MARTIN |
|
|
|
|
|
GRAPHICS: |
Brilliant |
At
last you can say to your mates, "Sega Rally? Ha, I've got
V-Rally. Come around to my place for a change". Although the
learning curve may be too steep for some, I found V-Rally a real
challenge. The graphics must be seen to be believed.
If Formula 1 '97 lives up to expectations, then combined with Rage
Racer and V-Rally we will have the definitive racing trilogy for
the PlayStation that no other console will come near to for many,
many years. |
|
SOUND: |
Good |
|
PLAYABILITY: |
Brilliant |
|
VALUE: |
Excellent |
|
OVERALL
95% |
|
|
JIM |
|
|
|
|
|
GRAPHICS: |
Brilliant |
Sega
rally is dead - long live the new king of Rally Racers! This game
features so many tracks, so many cars and so many options, all of
which will ensure that it has a massive lifespan. The control of
the cars is very unnatural at first, but soon becomes
second-nature. This is one of the very best PSX games ever to have
been released, so the advise is quite simple - BUY IT! |
|
SOUND: |
Good |
|
PLAYABILITY: |
Brilliant |
|
VALUE: |
Brilliant |
|
OVERALL
96% |
|
|
