Rally Trophy
Offering a refreshing change of pace from most rally titles, this superb new off-road racing sim transports you back three decades to an era when rally machines were perilously unsophisticated by today’s standards. Eleven different cars can be driven, ranging from an underpowered 1964 Mini Cooper S to a 255-horsepower 1972 Lancia Stratos HF, and the remarkably advanced driving physics of these classic off-road machines puts most other PC racing games to shame.
Apart from its core set of multi-stage rallies set against five national backdrops, Rally also offers a circuit-style arcade-racing option and dedicated multiplayer support on GameSpy. The multiplay is fun, but for me the real pleasure is in the international multi-stages. Rarely has the rally ethic been so faithfully re-created, with careful attention paid to the endurance-intensive realism of off-road competition. Not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination, it requires every ounce of skill you can muster.
Although it also features stellar sound and graphics — including entertaining co-driver commentary and some amazing real-time lighting, particle, weather, and damage effects — Rally’s real strength lies in its Grand Prix Legends–caliber vehicle dynamics. These off-road driving physics are so convincing, in fact, that it’s easy to pardon the game for its generic unlicensed rally venues and highly abbreviated stage lengths.
A $30 title, Rally Trophy would be a bargain at twice the price. I’m officially prepared to say that JoWooD has produced a realistic racing game that stands up to almost any of the competition.