Windows

RalliSport Challenge

In conclusion: superb graphics, good sound, entertaining yet sometimes frustrating gameplay, not too easy, not too hard. And above all… very great fun on LANs. But the absolute nicest element of this game was the excellent compatibility with the Sidewinder Force Feedback steering wheel. Words can hardly describe it. I purchased my steering wheel 2 years ago and I’ve finally found a game that makes use of it’s potential. Excellent.

Whatever minor deficiencies this game possesses it makes up for with the huge variety of tracks and cars available. The graphical quality that we've all marvelled at on the XBox is brought to the PC in glorious high resolution. Once you organise your own soundtrack out you can happily relax into the game and enjoy it for what it is, an arcade racing game with the emphasis on just being damn good fun.

On the PC platform, driving games are usually very sim-oriented (NASCAR and F1 games) or very over-the-top (the Midtown Madness series, Carmegeddon, etc.). RalliSport Challenge stands out because it's a very good mix of both styles. The graphics are fantastic (assuming you've got the hardware to handle it), and the gameplay is spot-on. The poor multiplayer is the biggest flaw here, but the saving grace is the involving single-player career mode. Racing fans will have a blast with this game, especially those looking for a console-style racer. It's fun, fast, and gorgeous.

Even though there were four different rally games released for the PC last year, Rallisport Challenge is the only such game to come out this year. That reason alone is probably enough to recommend this game to fans of the sport, but Rallisport Challenge is an excellent game in its own right, and it can be wholeheartedly recommended to anyone interested in driving games.

Een prima rallyspel met een schat aan mogelijkheden en een perfecte balans tussen realisme en arcade gameplay. Waar wacht je nog op?

In a nutshell, it is my belief that every self-respecting PC rally driver should make it his priority to own this game. Dice might've gotten a few things wrong, but they sure as hell got most of them right.

Obwohl mir euphorische Ausbrüche eher fremd sind, muss ich ganz deutlich sagen: Rallisport Challenge sieht einfach bombastisch aus! In den ersten Rennen krachte mein Ford gegen jeden Felsbrocken, weil ich nur Augen für die beeindruckende Wüstenlandschaft und detaillierten Sand-Texturen hatte. Bei so viel Ablenkung dauerte es auch eine Weile, bis ich in allen Disziplinen als Sieger aus dem Auto stieg. Besonders gefallen mir die technisch anspruchsvollen Berg- und Eisrennen. Doch die fehlende Speicherfunktion nimmt dem Karrieremodus, zumindest im normalen Schwierigkeitsgrad, eine Menge Motivation – unbedingt auf »Einfach« spielen! Zum fünften Mal sechs Etappen absolvieren, nur weil ich einen Fehler gemacht habe, halte ich für übertrieben. Dafür darf ich endlich mal den Verkehrsrowdy mimen und mich in actionreichen Rennen mit den cleveren Computergegnern darum streiten, wer die unverschämteste Pistensau ist – dank der zugänglichen Steuerung sichere ich mir diesen Titel souverän.

Rallisport Challenge on komea ja vauhdikas rallipeli, josta on tehty onnistunut PC-käännös. Tavaramerkiksi muodostuneet komeat ilmalennot ovat myös edelleen mukana. Välillä on hauskaa kisailla vain siitä, kuka saa autonsa näyttävimmin pakettiin.

En clair, si Rallisport Challenge n'est pas totalement exempt de défaut, il n'en demeure pas moins un très bon titre dans la catégorie des jeux de rallye. Son gameplay est particulièrement attractif, mêlant arcade et simulation, et, offrant du coup un bon compromis entre réalisme et accessibilité. Sa réalisation est de son côté très satisfaisante en dépit des quelques bugs constatés et qui font parfois clairement mauvais effet vu la qualité de l'ensemble.

I realize all this reads like a negative, but for many people that should not be the case. If you're a PC or PS2 owner with Xbox envy and RalliSport Challenge was one of the titles you wish you had, you'll be very happy with this conversion. It simply IS one and the same RalliSport Challenge. It should also appeal to people who kind of liked the Colin McRae Rally game but found it too difficult or too tedious. And of course, if eye-popping graphics are your bag, you should definitely check this out. While PC Gamers rave about the grass and terrain in Unreal Tournament 2003, the fact is the Xbox was doing it a year earlier, and RalliSport just brings it to the PC to demonstrate that they got there first.

Overall, this is an enjoyable rally game, once the basics of driving are mastered, and is one the PC gamer can get their teeth into. Oddly enough, this is the only PC rally game to come out in 2002 (there were four titles on the market this time last year) so if you are a rally fan don't miss it.

It isn't all about power-sliding on every corner but RalliSport comes pretty close to simulating the actual feel of driving, when the human driver and the machine work as one. And that's exactly why its appeal is universal. If you even have an inkling of love for racing, arcade, sim or otherwise, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

I had high hopes that all of the deficiencies of the Xbox version (and there weren’t that many) would be patched up for the PC game, but ultimately you get a direct conversion of the console game. There is still no in-car view, the wheel support is pathetic, and the system requirements to make this game look and play as well as the Xbox version are staggering. Unless you already own a super-system you will probably spend more in PC upgrades than you would simply buying an Xbox and a copy of the game.

Det här är varken realismen i Colin McRae Rally 3 eller arkadglädjen i Shox, utan någonting karaktärslöst mitt emellan. Du gör bättre i att välja något av de första två.

RalliSport Challenge ne va pas révolutionner la catégorie, mais il faut bien avouer qu'il est quand même diablement beau. Pour s'en convaincre, il suffit de mettre les détails au minimum dans un premier temps puis de les pousser à fond pour bien apprécier toutes subtilités qui s'affichent à l'écran. Malgré une prise en main facile et des circuits magnifiques, on a un peu de mal à rester scotché sur l'écran. Le gameplay est sympathique mais manque manifestement de profondeur, même si nous sommes dans le domaine de l'arcade. On aurait aimé voir un jeu plus pointu et un poil plus hard.