get the feeling that the success of the first RalliSport Challenge wasn’t due to America suddenly going head over heels for rally racing. No offense to developer Digital Illusions – both the original RalliSport and this one are fun to tear through. However, I think that at the release of the first one, people were more enamored with the graphics of the then-new console. But to capture the hearts of rally fans and the rest of the public, it’s going to take more than a pretty face this time around.
RalliSport Challenge 2 gives you more than just rally racing, and this helps open the game up to the player. You can compete against other cars simultaneously in Ice Racing or Rallycross, and the Hill Climb courses offer a change of pace that can be particularly grueling. Apart from this, it is the Career structure that I appreciate the most. Here you can switch between the different difficulties and rack up points to unlock both cars and tracks throughout the game in a great non-linear fashion.
With this excellent framework in place, however, I’m not as happy with the game once my wheels hit the dirt. Cars feel like they pivot on a central point too much. The result is that I could veer from side to side on the road and not feel like I was losing control of the car, even at full throttle. I’m not saying that you won’t spin out – there are many opportunities to do that. However, I do think that your feel of the cars is lessened, and it also takes some of the skill and danger out of the races. I suggest that semi-experienced drivers tackle the Champion level first.
Despite the addition of greater physical damage to your cars this time around, I rarely feared for my life, which is something I look forward to in a rally game. The roads are simply too wide to produce that palm-sweating, claustrophobic feeling I crave from a title like Colin McRae. Furthermore, what’s the use of putting in car damage if you don’t have to repair it? Yes, it looks cool to have your windshield spider, but if you don’t have to pay the consequences (such as spending time between races to fix things like in Colin), then that’s just window dressing. While you can lose a wheel and have the steering lurch on you, I had to deliberately wreck my car in order for the game’s damage to really matter.
My wish for narrower tracks aside, there is a lot to like racing through the game. Some portions can get pretty long, which increases the tension as you wonder when your next oversteer screw-up is going to happen. Of course, some of these mistakes will occur simply because you are marveling at the scenery flying by. The game still looks good in four-player split-screen, but I wouldn’t advise playing this way unless you have a giant TV. Xbox Live is worth a tour, since you can race the normally solo-only rally courses with up to three friends.
I’m going to sound like a snob when I say that casual drivers are going to love this to the detriment of seasoned racers. Although I prefer RalliSport 2’s career structure to that of Colin, I suggest that if this whets your appetite, that you check out the Scottish master.