WRC: World Rally Championship

i have waited YEARS for this game,i am a huge rally fan to the extent that i bought an old ps2 last year so i could play the old wrc games again...
this new game is no better than the ps2 versions,in fact i would say it was worse!! the engine sounds are dreadful,the co-driver screams like a girl when you have a minor bump as if its the end of the world,stupid comments are very repetative,handling is awful,tracks feel completely flat,graphics are years behind the likes of DIRT...really awful,evidently the developers have NEVER been to a real rally or watched real in car footage as they failed to capture both of these expierences BADLY........

As a WRC fan i was entirely disappointed with this game. There are three main issues and many smaller problems. Firstly the car handling is extremely unrealistic, not differing between road surfaces. It appears as though no research has been done into how the real cars behave which is truly an insult to every rally fan who will buy this expecting so much more. Secondly the graphics make the game seem like playing on the PS2, lacking texture detail tremendously. The third major issue involves the stages. Its as if your driving on a non-descipt road in a generic landscape, not reflecting the environment and terrain of the real events. The road surface feels completely smooth with no detail like pot-holes and uneven patches. The complete lack of detail in the surrounding environment is shocking and looks dull. Definitely not what was promised. If you want a solid racer get F1 2010 or wait for GT5. Rally fans be warned. Avoid this at all cost. Not worth the money or your time by a long way.

Blackbean Games have done a solid if unspectacular job at bringing an official WRC game back to the Playstation and consoles in general. Whilst the rallies stay true to the global FIA series with all the events, cars and drivers - there is a lot to be said against the scruffy looks and lazy design. However - I do and will enjoy the game further because the tracks have variety, the terrains are true enough to the respective countries and there is a good sense of physics differentiation between the different cars - 2 wheel-drive vs 4 wheel-drive, turbo vs norminally aspirated, WRC vs S1600 and Group N.

So the POSITIVES:
Track design - the respective countries and stages look good - all the official cars and drivers - challenging handling - depth in terms of the championship mode - fettling with set-ups actually does have an effect on handling - nice introduction to WRC after a lengthy time away.

NEGATIVES :
Looks (terrible when compared to any other driving game on PS3) and Blackbean have produced some decent looking games with Italian Superstar V8's/ Supercar Challenge/ SBK X etc so there can be no excuses - stages are too short - the physics of mud vs tar vs dirt are too similar - graphics/looks again - lazy course design by using the same road with very small and subtle variations to make up only 3 stages per rally (other 3 stages are just in reverse - very PS2!!)- driving physics are too far off Richard Burns Rally which is ultimately the bar to which everyone should look to match or clear!

Overall a fun game if you are an aficionado of rallying like I am, and most who will buy this are. It certainly won't appeal to those who are "stoked" about all things Dirt!! I hope that the promoters of WRC now look at Codemasters to do with rallying what they have done for F1 with 2010's eponymous game. Blackbean have tried but failed to make a high standard game which all rally fans deserve and demand. Give Codies a go at the licensed game whilst them keeping Dirt as the US-centric version every 2nd year.

For 15 pound on Play.com - absolutely bargain. Get it!!

First few reviews of the game are a bit harsh! Try turning all aids off, manual gears with a steering wheel, then you will realise it certainly is not arcade.
It's not a perfect game, but the physics are pretty challenging and i'd recommended the use of a wheel for this to get the most out of Blackbeans first rally game. It requires a good amount of wheel input to maintain realistic control of your car, with a lot of concentration listening to your co-driver, as one mistake can be very costly.
Car audio is on the disappointing side, lacking in some effects too. A decent enough game overall

A few people that have reviewed this game have said how unrealistinc the gameplay is. Granted it not 100% but its not far off. I have Driven Rally cars and been on plenty of Rally stages both gravel and tarmac and believe me when your pushing a car to the limit they really do slid around a lot. If you looking for the point to point rally experience then this is the game you want as Dirt 2 has lost this feature.