WRC: Rally Evolved review

Here we are at the fifth in the World Rally Championship series from Evolution Studios, though you won't see a number five in the title. This game is being touted as a big shape up for the franchise and it certainly is, with plenty of new dramatic features and the perfection of the driving model. But it's not all perfect, as you'll see as we explore a little deeper.

So with the official license you can expect the real driver names, cars, teams and of course all the national rallies that make up the very long and gruelling season. That means you'll be heading to locations as diverse as Sweden and Greece. All nations offer their particular challenges, some more than others. Once again Cyprus is an evil car-breaker of a rally.

Of course, a developer can't rest on its laurels, and so you're probably wondering what's new in WRC this year? The most notable change to the game comes in the championship. Firstly you can choose to take the 14 countries in any order, or stick to the WRC calendar. More importantly is the new events system.

Here the stages are not static, you finally feel part of an event. There have been many factors involved in this, from the most basic being an end to indestructible barriers protecting spectators - folks now have to jump out of the way. The really exciting addition is that you'll see other competitors broken down along the way, sometimes even having suffered serious accidents. Every time you play a stage you can expect something different to occur, from water on the stage, to animals in the road, rock falls, forest fires and the like.

Outside there are new modes for you to get your teeth into. There's a rally cross mode where special wider courses see the player race against three AI cars, and for those of you who take their PlayStation 2 online there are online modes. As usual you can enter individual rallies and stages and for the first time the series includes historic cars alongside the usual WRC motors and advanced concept cars. Believe me, barrelling down some of these frighteningly narrow stages in something as powerful as the Ford RS200 feels utterly insane.

WRC: Rally Evolved features the best handling of the series to date. There are now driver aids that can be adjusted via sliders to ensure there's a setting that will match the challenge you wish to face. This makes the game much easier for the novice, but provides some excellent convincing handling for the hardcore crowd. The controls feel great on the joypad but are even better with a force feedback wheel.

As you can see in the screenshots the game is stunning to look at. Evo Studios may have the lowest powered mainstream console to work with in the PlayStation 2, but the developer certainly creates the best looking stages. There is so much detail, with excellent convincing design and textures that the game looks wonderful. This year we've even got photographic backgrounds blended in to the scenery in the way Gran Turismo 4 pioneered.

The only drawback is that Evo Studios has sacrificed stage numbers and length to provide these much more detailed stages with the events system included. What stages are in the game are superb, the best you'll find on consoles, but compared to WRC4 some of them lack the epic nature of that game's longer stages. Three stages per rally is not enough and the championship no longer feels like an endurance event.

There have been big changes to the co-driver, perhaps the weakest aspect of the previous games. The changes are going to divide gamers, but personally I like the new co-driver. The developer has used a voice actor and there are more incidental elements of conversation rather than just the stage notes. The notes are read out in good time and you can change they update to match your personal taste.

What we have in WRC: Rally Evolved is a superb rally game. I've thought long and hard about the score and decided that the shorter, less-epic stages mean I can't give it nine, which WRC4 deserves. For new players to the series, WRC: Rally Evolved is the game to get - the handling is the best in the series and the game's driver aids will help you get into things, you'll also enjoy the exciting stages. For owners of WRC4, I'd still recommend this new game, just don't trade in your old game for it. Well done Evolution Studios, another great game from the company, I can't wait to see WRC arrive on PlayStation 3.

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