Still amongst the best in it's field.
So imagine my surprise when I find this little beauty sitting in the game store - for a bargain price. This is a breath of fresh air and no rally game I've played is quite like it.
Mobil1 is the fifth in the Rally Championship series of games, developed by Magnetic Fields. It accurately recreates the six rallies of the British Rally Championship. You begin with a choice of 16 cars (in three classifications), and are rewarded with a further six (in the fourth class) upon winning the Championship.
But it's not that easy. The game is not designed with the Arcade racer in mind. Unlike the McRae games, you'll not be drifting gracefully around the hairpins within five minutes. Give it time, and a little effort, however, and you'll soon have worked up to an awkward slide around a 3 right!
As you may have guessed the handling is a little rough. But that is such a good thing! Handling a real rally car IS rough. A fact often overlooked in this kind of game. As a result the game holds your concentration better than any I've known. You won't (or rather, daren't) take your eyes off the screen for the duration of the stage, which can last anywhere from six to about 40 minutes.
As well as competing in the Championship, M1RC also offers you a time trial mode, single rally mode or Arcade. It can also be played by multiple players, either split screen, sequentially or over a network.
Arcade mode, as it happens, was a little disappointing. Simply put it involves the same six rallies as simulation mode, except the stages are raced back-to-front. In typical arcade fashion you have myriad opponents to overtake (very difficult on the narrow courses) and a countdown which extends at each checkpoint. Although I loved this game for it's sim element, if the designers wanted to include an arcade version, it should at least play a little differently. For example: shorter stages, wider courses (to facilitate overtaking) and maybe simplified handling.
After the race is over, M1RC has a pretty nifty replay feature. Not only can you watch your race from a large variety of camera angles, but you can also edit the footage - slow motion, action replays, or you could just cut out the boring bits to create a film of your rally's highlights.
Another thing I loved about this game is the ability to customise. Although not strictly part of the game, a little digging through the game's folders and you'll find numerous files that you can edit, be they graphics, sounds or text files. It takes a little patience, and some decent software, but edit a few texture files and, voila! Custom paint jobs on your rally car! (Done this.) If you were feeling adventurous, you could even record your own co-driver! (This I haven't done.)
Well now to the nitty-gritty.
GAMEPLAY: As already established the gameplay is top notch. In spite of not having a decent arcade mode, this has all you need for a great sim.
GRAPHICS: As should be expected the graphics have aged somewhat. However taking into account when the game was released, and the fact that this is one of the best looking games I've had running smoothly on my old laptop, the game doesn't score too badly here either. (Although, personally, I've never regarded Graphics as being too important anyway.
SOUND: The cars sound good, a choice of two real-life co-drivers, realistic clunks and clashes plus plenty of ambient noise; great. You'll definitely want to switch off the music though!
VALUE: It cost me £2.50 (about $4) a week ago. Can't say fairer than that.
OVERALL: Although I've raved about how great this game is, and IT IS, I imagine it's appeal wouldn't be that wide. This is not a pick-up-and-play game. It's the kind of game that you will want to take more seriously than that. It's the kind of game that will immerse you to such an extent that you'll begin leaning into corners (seriously, I can't help it). It's the kind of game that serious rally enthusiasts will love, and that arcade ralliers will hate.