PlayStation 2

V-Rally 3

V-Rally 3 is an excellent racing game, and is a must-have title for the year. I find myself, too often, coming back to V-Rally 3, and diving through the career mode as a new driver, taking new paths by signing different contracts, and whatnot. Visually, it's one of the most gorgeous racers on the market, and thankfully it plays as well as it looks. It controls remarkably well, and features a ton of replay value, so you will be getting the bang for your buck. By now if you don't get the picture, let me put it in blatant wording: V-Rally 3 is a must have, 'nuff said.

In the year 2002, V-Rally 3 offers the best rally racing experience on PlayStation 2. The game offers an extraordinarily pretty front-end, a great set of options, choices and car modifications, with actual visual details portraying how your changes would affect the car itself, and a good physics engine. It also handles really well, and the progression from the 1.6L to 2.0L is a nice, smooth transfer from easy to hard competition.

Rally fans should not miss this one. They don't even have to question its quality by renting it first -- it's that good. Like I said before, a quick test drive is not enough to form an opinion of this game. It's very time-consuming and takes quite a bit of patience at first. But it's worth it.

V-Rally 3 squarely rests in the “love it or hate it” category of gaming. Those who master the quirky control will find the game to be challenging and rewarding, while the other set will find the game frustrating and probably stick to the much easier 1.6 races to keep the enjoyment level high. While not the first choice for a rally game (the cheaper, but much harder to find World Rally Championship is the PS2 rally king), V-Rally 3 is a good choice for rally fans looking for a tough game. While Colin McRae 3 is right around the corner, this title should keep you busy until then.

Un titre qui parvient à proposer un compromis équilibré entre simulation, réalisme et accessibilité. La prise en main est assez délicate mais la maniabilité sous son apparente difficulté offrira de bonnes sensations de conduite même si le sentiment de vitesse n'est pas toujours au rendez-vous.

Overall, V-Rally 3 is a highly challenging racing game that’ll keep your fingers on their toes from the moment you pop it in your PS2. If you’ve never or rarely rally, it’s the perfect rental for a weekend test drive, and a definite keeper if you can keep up with what it throws at you.

Rally racing plays so differently from most other racing games that you may have to attune yourself to a whole new set of necessary gameplay techniques if you're new to this subset of the driving genre. Paying careful attention to your navigator's turning instructions, and learning how much to brake when sliding into turns, while also compensating for the game's over-steer can be quite engrossing. If you think that you're up to wrestling with sensitive controls, then V-Rally 3's formidable package would be well worth investing in.

V-Rally 3 has support for Logitech's USB wheel-and-pedal combo, and it will also let four players compete at once. You can unlock four unique cars by finishing first in the two championships, and you can use these cars in the game's time attack mode. Add V-Rally 3's deep career mode to all this, and it becomes clear that there's a lot of game to be had here. Ultimately, the only glaring mark against V-Rally 3 is its problematic control, but if you can see past this issue, then you'll likely enjoy this game. However, with so many other rally games on the horizon, you might want to consider waiting and weighing your options.

Overall, V-Rally 3 might have some fun facter hidden somewhere but the design flaws make it so hard to discover that most people won't even bother trying to find it after having played for a couple of hours. I suggest that you go out to buy Gran Turismo 3 in budget or Gran Turismo Concept if you're into racing.