An impressive rally game
User Rating: 8.5 | V-Rally 3 GBA
V-Rally 3 is a technically impressive game since it has great graphics and even manages to feature a first person/inside car view. Using this view, you can see the dashboard of your car as well as your drivers hands gripping the wheel which move to change gear. Although, sadly the hands aren't attached to arms; just floating hands! Since it is a rally game, the main V-Rally mode only has your car on the track and you are racing against other driver's times. Each race is comprised of 5 stages and are grouped in 2 rounds, followed by another 2 rounds, then 1 race on its own, with each of these lasting around 2 minutes. You can repair and adjust your car configuration in between these groups of races. You can choose all sorts of tyres to try and match the course and weather conditions such as gravel, asphalt, dirt, snow, rain. Suspension, Steering, Brakes, Gearbox can be adjusted to match your preference. Cars take damage but I'm not sure how it decides which part to damage (Body, Suspension, Brakes, Steering, Turbo). All you need is a slight clip off the road and damage is dealt. It's vital to not hit the sides because it will hinder your performance and when a part is significantly damaged; you will notice a large difference in performance. I found that if you keep damage to a minimum, the races do seem easy, but a damaged car soon will drop positions. After the championship, you can sign a new contract with another licensed manufacturer and the process repeats. Each manufacturer only has 1 car though, so signing with Subaru will put you in the Impreza and Mitsubishi will put you in the Lancer. A mode called V-Rally cross is a more typical race, being on a circuit of 3 laps and against 3 other opponents. This mode doesn't take long to complete, and it is here where you see a few problems, such as opponents being visible through the scenery, and collisions from the side of your car always knock you back. It's obviously the game was designed as a rally game and works very well with one car on the track. V-Rally Cross mode is a nice add addition but doesn't provide a large amount of fun, but there is plenty of fun to be had in the main V-Rally mode.
