Short tracks, non-existant atmosphere, the game lacks the depth of experience or competition which made McRae so great.
Well, first off, this is NOT a Colin McRae game - and by that I mean the tracks are short, the atmosphere is non-existant, and the game lacks the depth of experience or competition which made the Colin McRae games timeless classics. But before any of that, lets see how the game presents itself.
After a long load, an info screen appears and offers a series of questions (and possibly an annoying prompt to get users subscribed to youtube), which seems the standard fair - before moving on to the title screen. Like a lot of post-post-modernistic games, the theme is reduced to the usual New World Order boring crap symbology - so expect to see plenty of pyramids, dirty oil graffiti, 'hoodie' car designs and in game tunes which go on about pedophilia and 'shootin da ho's'. It's a period design, and one which is at least in fashion. On the other side of the coin, fashions change, and this game will look seriously dated very quickly as soon as this fad wears off.
On the title menu we can choose the 'Tour' - which is like a career mode, single (time trial or head-to-head) mode, or multiplayer, as well as options to change the players profile and settings. Without the internet, the multiplayer is redundant, and the single player head-to-head mode does nothing to reward the player what-so-ever (unlike the Event List option on Forza 3 for example - which at least rewards the player with rankings and money). The game doesn't even use money as an incentive, and falls back on the shallow aspect of Fame points. This means certain tracks are unlocked as the reputation increases, even if this 'reputation' was gained by coming in sixth or last in every race. This accumulation will then unlock the 'final track', even if the player has skipped some of the earlier ones - and a good position on the final course then unlocks another 'season'; of which there are only four.
This aspect does nothing to encourage the player to progress neartly and cleanly, and each race can be replayed for an unlimited number of times if the player wants to cheat their way to the top. All the classic rally iconography (the 'back room', the paddock, the podiums) have all gone in favour of a jump-in start and a confusing reputation score card - which does nothing to promote a sense of achievement. If anything, the player is even more keen to just get on with the next race - and here too is a dissapointment in that the game (even after an install to the HD) takes ages to load the menu, and then another long drag to load the stages. As the game has to load the menu every single time a race is done, it can mean the player is spending just as much time waiting as actually racing.
On to the races themselves and the game perks up a little. The courses are incredibly detailed and offer a vast range of driving surfaces and corners - something for everyone. The AI is just about intelligent enough to work well, and there is an option to rewind the action a total of 5 times if you have a huge crash. Most of the courses are very fun to drive, although they suffer greatly from being far too short for the most part, and the rally cross sections are looping courses for an even shorter run. The game can be played from a variety of views - and the 'in car' view is particularly well done. As another bonus, even the grooves made by the tyres on the track surface are kept throughout the race; so expect to feel the reverberations of this if the track loops over the same old ground.
Yet, just as the player is getting used to one discipline, the game mode changes to offer something else - such as the much touted Gymkhana sections. These increase the players ability to pull stunts such as spinning, gaining air, and looping around objects - which can come in handy when rallying around tight hairpin bends - but these sections are nowhere near as fun as the Driving Test/School sections of Gran Turismo, and is largely a pure distraction for dedicated rally fans. Other distractions include short 'drifting' courses; where the player has to power-slide their way around every bend, and the often exciting one-on-one 'special stages' where the track weaves over and under itself as the player fights a single adversary against the clock.
Overall, the graphics of the actual game are top notch, and the driving is often quite realistic and intense, yet the overall feel and presentation of the game lets it down very badly. There is no 'career story' except for a few skippable highly patronising monologues from your 'managers' - telling you how well you did (even though you came last), and a character nagging you to put your highlights onto youtube to sap your broadband privilages. The courses generally don't feel long enough, and gimmicks such as pot-holes in the road arn't used often enough - leaving the player mostly driving on sand, mud or snow. Basically, the game can be completed in just three days, with a six hour play during each. (Forza 3 takes 60+ hours to beat).
Music wise, we get to hear the latest batch of depressing 'underground' drivel, interspersed with a few old-time classics and the odd soft rock track. In-game, there is NO sound for car-to-car crashes - so expect a massive rear-end collition to be greeted with silence. Apart from the usual engine noises, there are no sounds of mud flying all over the place or crowds of people - and very few sounds to represent the chunks of car being hacked off at regular internals - although there is a very nice grinding sound when you scratch the paintwork off!
The bottom line: this game is yet another title which fails to live up to the hype. Casual gamers many liken it to Sega Rally in that the game is definitely based on 'arcade' racing rather than technical tinkering. There is an option to change the gear ratios etc, but the game usually sets these up so there's no point in even looking into it. Rally fans will love the races, but the presentation means the game feels shallow, takes ages to load, and has no seasonal 'league tables' or financial rewards which might have immersed players in the deeper, longer-term, more competitive aspects of the rally driving experience.
Playability: 8
Graphics: 10
Sound: 5
Presentation: 3
Atmosphere: 2
Gratification: 1
Longevity: 1
Overall: 30 / 70 - Average - "Fun!, while it lasts."