20.11.2010

I had extremely high expectations of this game having enjoyed Black Bean's previous creations "Superstars V8 Racing" and "Superstars V8 Racing - Next Challenge" touring cars racers.In summary, this game does just enough to justify my belief that this developer knows about racing games and can deliver in every genre.To me the "proof in the pudding" of how good a game is that which remains in the DVD-Rom tray longest and I have continuously put this game back in to have another try and don't regret it.I am sure enough reviews have indicated what is involved in this title, e.g:All supported WRC categories with numerous stages throughout the world,Different activities within the game such as "Roadto the WRC",Time trials for individual tracks and the ability to customize ones own championship,Undertaking a WRC season (or any of the supporting categories),Various online modes also which I haven't tried because I am still involved in the main career mode.Although I haven't yet completed this game I feel that I have progressed enough through the career mode to be able to make a worthwhile review of my experience up to now.In my opinion, the purchase of this game is a no-brainer. Anybody that loves racing games will get something from this!Positive points are:1) Cars look good and handle realistically once the player gets used to the handling. At the early stages in career mode the player could get frustrated but when they move onto more powerful cars the cars handle better and the game feels faster. It might be my imagination but the game graphics also seem to improve with game progress.2) The stages are fun and just the right length. There is no replay mode and thus the player will be redoing all stages to ensure that they complete the event and therefore unlock more features. This can be frustrating but in the long term ensures that the player learns each stage which makes subsequent revisits with different vehicles easier.3) There are stages for all surfaces and the immersion is great once the player is used to the handling: Snow, deserts, gravel, mud, wet rain and leaves plus cobblestones are included!!4) I am just scratching the surface, but the user can adjust the car to improve its performance on different parts of the stage, e.g. adjust brake bias to make the car handling tighter etc. Also due to the fact that Black Bean attests to "real racing", the handling can be made to approach a real rally simulation where the player can play in cockpit view. I have tried this briefly but find it easier to progress through the game in "outside car" view so that I can see the whole track. I am sure that once I have mastered this game, playing in cockpit mode will become a formality as it makes the game come to life - but you need to be able to know where you are going because one mistake can cost you in this game!!In summary:This game gets the job done, the player can get out there and race wherever they want, in stages that feel like real rally. There are challenges aplenty in trying to shave off seconds per stage and to progress though the game until the player is eventually recognized by a top WRC team with a manufacturer- backed ride. As I have said, once the player gets to this level, everything makes sense and somehow the graphics seem much improved.Negative points.I have only included these to give some indication of how the game could be improved and in my opinion, this game is one of the best racing experiences out there. Anyone who loves racing games of any genre will put the work into this game to get out of it what it so capable of delivering - immediate rally thrills. Purchase is highly recommended because there are few titles like this!Note: This is not a Dirt or Dirt 2 game and is much more a staple "what you see is what you get" with no frills.Unfortunately the weight of what this game tries to achieve wears down heavily on the graphics to the extent that they do the job and no more. There are some very visually appealing stages, but these are balanced by stages that are realistic but don't try to flatter the proceedings as Codemasters would do in their Dirt and Dirt 2 titles. However, to counter this fact, at no point in this game are you ever under the impression that you are not driving a rally car and the evidence of this is probably due to the fact that all eyes are on the car and not the surrounding scenery.Due to the fact that this title supports all of the rally categories, the player needs to grind in the lower categories before actually driving the actual WRC cars as piloted by Loeb and other masters. It seems that Black Bean had to compromise their efforts to deal with all of this rather than creating a stupendous game that would have been top of the tree for the "actual pro-team" WRC championship cars.In this generation of games, it seems that only Codemasters' Dirt series are a rival and although they are visually more appealing, in my opinion haven't addressed rallying as successfully as this title. You genuinely do remember different tricks learned on each stage which when coming back to the game, you will be impressed that you drive that stage that much better!Please note: this review relates to the PC version of the game and I have a mid to high end PC with a very good graphics card.I have heard some comments on long loading times and can only say that this doesn't afflict my experience of the game. There is absolutely no slowdown in this game, and the pace is like a dream!Note: Use of the handbrake is strongly recommended!

3.2.2012

If you look around you will find lots of lukewarm reviews of this game from the gaming community. Sure, if you want amazing graphics and lots of "awesome dude!" pop and sizzle and a variety of disciplines in your unpaved racing experience, the DiRT series is where you should be, but if you just want rally racing - and only rally racing - without all that hype then this is not a bad little game. It is more the spiritual successor to the older Colin McRae Rally series than DiRT is.So what do you get? Thirteen countries each with six stages, or 78 total, although this includes reverse and overlapping sections. These stages are also at least double the length of the dismayingly short stages of DiRT 2/3.There is a selection of real-life cars and liveries from J-WRC, P-WRC, S-WRC, and WRC, although these are limited to cars from the 2010 season (there is a Group B DLC if you can get it *). All cars (aside from DLC) and stages are unlocked for free play from the start, so you don't have to slog through the career mode just to get that car you want to try out.I'll admit that the graphics are not up to the high standard set by DiRT 2/3, but they are not as bad as some suggest. What really matters is the driving experience, and there it shines, with nice touches like the ability to vary the timing of the the pace notes (I find the default setting to be a little late), and a unique cockpit view that does not take up half the screen with the dashboard and more closely emulates what you actually would perceive when driving (the full dashboard view is also there if you want it). It also has a real damage system, with an info-graphic showing you which parts of your car you broke in that last hit! Car performance actually suffers when parts go flying, and you can disable your car entirely from a bad run-in with a rock. Needless to say, these aspects are all lacking the DiRT 2/3 games, where cars are like the Energizer bunny: they just keep going and going. Also, I have to mention brakes. You need to use them. If you are used to the DiRT, you will crash a lot until you learn that lesson.I have mentioned the DiRT series a lot, because that is what this game is invariably compared too, but they are not really the same genre. DiRT encompasses multiple disciplines and goes for the high-octane, adrenaline-rush of wheel-to-wheel racing (good for on-line competition!), with some rally-style things thrown in as a nod to its heritage. WRC just wants to do rally. And there is nothing wrong with that. I will keep both, but when I want to rally, this is where I go.Note that there is a WRC 2011 game too, which rehashes a lot of the content here and is supposed to be better in various ways (e.g., more varied cars, various improvements to graphics, sound, etc.). That said, 4 of the 13 countries (31%) - Japan, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Turkey - are unique to the 2010 version of the game, while the 2011 version has Argentina, Sardinia, Australia, Greece (both have Sweden, Mexico, Portugal, Jordan, Finland, Germany, France, Spain, Wales).(* A note on availability: this game was not released for NTSC, but you can buy the PAL version and it will work! There was lots of talk about it not working on NTSC PS3s early on, but there is patch that fixes that issue, which gets installed the first time you insert the disc. The only caveat is that you cannot download the DLC from the North American Playstation Store.)P.S. I add a note here about handling: a common complaint is that the cars handle badly. My response is YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE SETUP. For whatever reason, the default setups are atrocious. The cars understeer like there is no tomorrow. I find that tweaking the brake balance, traction balance, and front/rear differential settings to give more oversteer will make the car perform much better under both acceleration and braking.

10.6.2011

After reading the mixed reviews of this game on this website, I decided to go ahead and purchase it anyway. What I wanted was a return to the serious rally sim that the Colin Mcrae series used to offer (04 and 05 versions, which I had on PS2 and PC respectively), and I was not disappointed!Many of the reviews on here complain about the graphics. Don't get me wrong, it is not as beautiful as Dirt or GT3, but I still think it looks great! Both my friend and brother commented on how the graphics weren't as bad as people were making out, and were in fact rather impressed with the lighting effects and background visuals. Also, the presentation of the game is impressive, with simple to use menus.The gameplay is excellent.

16.4.2013

I've read a lot of the one and two star reviews, and a lot of them don't make much sense to me. For example, I saw one that claimed the game only has Fords, Citroens and a "token" Subaru. That ignored all of the alternate classes, where there are many more cars available - and tell me another game, outside of this series, that offers you the Citroen BX4 TC as standard? And the fact that the only regular WRC 2010 entries were those cars (although the Xsara, 307, and 2008-spec Impreza did appear at a couple of events), so there's not much more they can do with that class. As to the physics, well, it feels more realistic to me than many rally games, with cars losing traction on wet mud fairly easily.

11.10.2010

A very addictive game, I keep going back trying to trim those crucial seconds off my course times. If you're into arcade racers like Blur and Need for Speed then this isn't for you but if racing simulation is more your thing then it's a good fit especially if you have an arcade wheel with all the driving assists turned off. There's definitely a lot on offer here with this game in terms of content, all four of the WRC catergories are included, PWRC,JWRC,SWRC and WRC, the weather effects and damage effects to the cars are pretty realistic even if some of the course designs lack the definition of other racers. Visually the cars are spot on, Ken Blocks Ford Focus is realized in great detail as are most of the cars.

1.9.2011

at first when i saw the graphics i wasnt very impressed, when you realise how well the game plays/drives, you learn to love the graphics, the other day after playing wrc for 6 hours, i decided to play dirt 3, i was shocked how the dirt games feel soul less, dirt 3 looks perdy but they are rubbish, wrc has soul its as good as richard burns rally easy, and looks better then richard burns rallyi use a g25 logitech wheel and no problems,if you go on psn you can buy (£3.99p) the group b cars, i did this and i pretty much only race the ford rs200 and the pegoet 205 t16 :D the group b add-on pack has the fastests cars, the 1980s were insane for "REAL CARS"wrc 2 (2011) is coming out in october,

6.9.2011

Bought this having been frustrated by DiRT3 which while beautiful had way too many circuit tracks and very short rally sections (plus couldn't get downloads to work despite paying for them). I missed the old WRC and Colin McRae games with their longer courses. For the £6-7 you pay here it is an absolute bargain. No, it isn't a technically accurate rally game like the Richard Burns game which made me very angry at times. Yes, I have played GTR and GT Legends (the latter I'd definitely recommend) and very much enjoyed its realism but still prefer this which has a good balance between realism and playability.The graphics are old school compared to DiRT and the sounds are pretty poor too but when whizzing along in the stressed out,

25.8.2012

Finally a break has arrived from a tire-smoking obssessed world of dirt series (i must stress at this point that i only recently discovered this title as im not up to date with things and i am aware that the third instalment of wrc is ont its way). I must admit that the graphics in WRC 2012 aren't top notch (they were much better in the first instalment of the dirt series). Another problem is car noise - the only car that sort of resembles a noise made by rally cary is a subaru sti, all the cars in JWRC make exactly the same noise as do those in s2000 category, citroen c4 sounds like a vacuum cleaner and so does the mitsubishi evo. The career mode is a tad too lenghty and bores out at the end.

17.5.2011

I feel the reviews on Amazon are a little harsh.For the die hards from Colin McRae 2005, Dirt, Dirt 2 & Grid - this game initially seems a little different - even strange! However compared with Blur - which really is rubbish - this game actuall grows on you.Initially you have driver assists turned on - as you approach a corner the car breaks before you press that button! However - turn these assists off - THEN the game becomes rather playable.The stages are all beautifully rendered in their countries typical flora and forna - yes - not ground breaking graphics - but well up to 2009 standards (post directX11 standards although a 2010 game).As you progress - the stages get more difficult and actually become quite addictive.

13.10.2010

I am fan of Dirt series and rally simulations all together.So I confirm, if you prefer NFS or Blur, this won't be your piece of tart.The game is rather addictive and fun, you get easily many trophies already in the beginning (which is always a pleasure), but lots stay for major challenges.I liked online multiplayer - the championship is quite long and you have to be patient in some sort (13 races or sthg in line) but it is interesting to play with others and have chances to regain 1st place on next track if you crashed this time. Points are then added up.Now, the big downside. Graphics. GRAPHICS! They are awful. I woulnd't ever play this game if I weren't particular fan of this type of game.

22.11.2005

This is quite possibly THE best game available for the PSP at the moment. The graphics are outstanding when you consider that you are playing a hand-held.All the official WRC teams are here (Subaru, Peugeot, Mitsubishi, Ford and Skoda), and theres also a promise of being able to download new cars from yourpsp.com soon too!The driving itself is fluid, and takes no time at all to get to grips with. The difference between driving on gravel, snow or tarmac IS noticeable and requires a different technique.Graphically, the lighting affects are awesome, with sun glints, and night driving affects my favourites. Also, the weather variations are brilliant - blizzard conditions make driving tough,

23.1.2006

If you're looking for a good racing game, then look no further than WRC on the psp. the racing is fast and furious as you race on the offical stages of the WRC including the super special stages, which I found to be the best part of the game.The graphics are good and the cars are nicely detailed and there is no slowdown at all. However this is more of an arcade than a sim, but it is very easy to get into and will take you a long time to work your way through the championship where some of the stages are a bit tough. There are other modes too including; quick rally, Single rally and time trial.My only gripe is the "pop up" where some objects suddenly appear on some stages, so I've given WRC 4 stars,

4.11.2010

Bought WRC2010 a couple of weeks ago and have to say its pretty good! I think someone has said its just like the original Colin Mcrae games but in HD which is a bang on analasis. Granted visuals are not upto DIRT standards, however the cars do look spot on. The cars handle like ther real life counterparts bumps knocking you off line you can almost feel each cars weight in the corners. The only thing I can say that annoys me is that the car engine sounds like a strimmer, not a popping and banging two litre turbo WRC engine. But saying that, no one has managed to make a car sound like a car in a video game!Definatly a game for rally/sim fans not for the arcade gamers.

5.4.2013

The first official WRC game for five years and if you like sim racers you will enjoy WRC. The handling is just as you would expect a WRC car to handle, so if you expect a lot of help while you can change the difficulty you will need to master the handling to get the best out of the cars. For game modes you get a single player mode which includes single stage, single rally, time attack and World Championship where yoou can take any driver through a full WRC season or a customized championship. Multiplayer both split screen and online. And 'The Road to the WRC' where you can build your driver up from the junior ranks and hopefully gain a drive at one of the top WRC teams.

31.5.2011

First off, i live in the United States and apparently this game is game is never being released here in the states so i had no other option but to import it from our brothers in the UK. this game is WAY better than the more recent titles like Dirt 3 since it is all about the exhilirating sport of rally and not about the gimmicky Gymkhana or Offroad truck racing. the graphics and menus may not be up to par but the fun and the physics are there. this is like a healthy mix of Colin McRae rally 04 mixed with Rallisport Challenge 2. everyone should check it out for this price and HOPEFULLY this game comes to America some day so that everyone can enjoy games like these.

WRC: FIA World Rally Championship - Reviews

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