WRC 3

[NokkonWud]

Has anyone out there tried the demo to WRC 3? I know it's available on PSN and Xbox Live.
I've been wanting a proper Rally game for a while and the first two WRC releases were bitterly disappointing this generation meaning the closest we've gotten is the DiRT games which have gradually gone about phasing out the Rally aspect anyway.

It's really, really good. It's definitely not easy, it does throw you into tight bends and awkward passages of road, and there's a lot to hit to damage yourself on and slow yourself down, but this just adds to the excitement and the speed in and out of bends. In a Fall season where we will be seeing F1 2012, Forza Horizon and Need for Speed: Most Wanted already, this little game has jumped right up that list. It's been a while since I've played a racing game with such an edge of your seat thrill as you throw yourself in and out of bends. Try it!
Best of all I don't think it'll be an expensive release, ShopTo already have it up for £32.86 and Grainger Games have it down as £29.99 across all 3 formats (Playstation 3, Playstation Vita and Xbox 360) and it seems there's plenty of content in there with two major game modes, 13 Rally's each containing several stages, so plenty of bang for your buck.

[magicjoef]

I'll definitely give this a look. I played the heck out of Dirt 2, but a more realistic handling model would be interesting to try out.

[NokkonWud]

It can be pretty brutal and I already know of people being put off by that, you get the first glimpse of how tough it can be 4 turns in on the first track when you come to a Left-4 over bridge. But once you *get it*, you start to really enjoy it. I know W1DGET from here has been playing it and he himself admits that he thought it was "a bit shit" to begin with, but he's since progressed through 'enjoying' it, to 'liking' it to 'loving' it, so it definitely rewards consistency. It doesn't take long to see how forgiving DiRT is for hitting objects that are just sticking out.

[W1DGET]

My intial thoughts on this were this is a piece of shit as I pinballed down the road on my first couple of goes on the demo and then I realised I was using chase cam for some reason. I flicked it over to bonnet cam and it all seemed to click, the handling is very rewarding once you understand how the car behaves and is a joy when you get in the flow and start hooking up the corners. I have probably run the Rally de España SS 20+ times now and still enjoy it. This is a certain buy for me now and I have included a video of one of my better runs with a couple of small mistakes.

[Alex79]

Haven't tried it yet. Was a bit put off after the AWFUL floaty handling of WRC 2. I loved DIRT 3 though so I might give it a try. I don't think the first Colin McRae game on the PS1 has ever been beaten to be honest. You could go so far off the actual tracks on that game it was brilliant!

[magicjoef]

Cool video, does look interesting. Is there a cockpit camera?

[Alex79]

Yeah actually it does look promising. Would be nice to have a proper rally game back again. I loved Dirt but it was pure arcade. Definitely going to grab the demo.

[W1DGET]

Cool video, does look interesting. Is there a cockpit camera?

Yes you can drive cockpit camera

[NokkonWud]

Haven't tried it yet. Was a bit put off after the AWFUL floaty handling of WRC 2. I loved DIRT 3 though so I might give it a try. I don't think the first Colin McRae game on the PS1 has ever been beaten to be honest. You could go so far off the actual tracks on that game it was brilliant!

I personally preferred the second one and Richard Burns Rally was absolutely outstanding, but brutal. I also enjoyed V-Rally 2 and the original WRC games on Playstation 2 were pretty solid.

That said, there's no touching RalliSport Challenge 2. Hands down the best Rally game on consoles and maybe ever and really shows how good DiCE are as a studio!

[NokkonWud]

Pretty sure I already know the answer to this, but, did anyone else other than me (perhaps in the whole world ) get this today?

[NokkonWud]

Put a few hours into this today and it's an absolute gem. The online is very reminiscent of RalliSport Challenge 2 (but with ghost block cars instead of wireframes). There's an incredible number of races and Road to Glory mode is definitely worthy of it's own section outside of the WRC Experience and by grading you on ability it works as a more extensive tutorial for how to properly race the tracks in future.

I have a couple of issues, firstly some of the navigator comments are out of sync, at one point last night he was telling me the direction and grade of corner as I was on top of it, and it would be nice if you were informed on whether you had part upgrades available for your present car without having to enter through the sluggish menu before-hand to check and apply, but quite honestly, that's about it so far. For £30 new and a price soon to drop even further from that I'm sure, it certainly does a lot right for Rally games where so many have fallen short in recent times. I recommend picking it up.

[ratsoalbion]

If you were an occasional Rally fan would the better choice be this or (say perhaps) DiRT 2?

[NokkonWud]

DiRT games are far more approachable and look better, but aren't really true out and out rally games. I thoroughly enjoyed DiRT 1-3 and have rinsed them completely, each does things better than the others, DiRT had hillclimb, my favourite mode in any of the games, DiRT 2 had the best trailblazers (and some great Rally tracks), and DiRT 3 had Kenya and Monte Carlo (DLC) as Rally tracks which were brilliant, but they're often let down by the other modes.

I think the most solid of them all is DiRT 2, it's very user friendly, you won't just catch a small rock overhanging a wall and total your car where as in WRC 3 you will, so in that regard if you wanted a more true (and tougher) rally experience then WRC 3 is your best bet, for an occasional fan or someone who likes stuff a bit more approachable, arcade or varied, then DiRT 2 is excellent for that (I just wish they'd never removed Hill Climb.)

[magicjoef]

DiRT 2 is my most played game on Steam, which is pretty crazy as I didn't realise I had put that much time into it! I wasn't quite as keen on 3, the Gymkana stuff got in the way for me a bit.

[countstex]

I should probably give this a go, I do enjoy Dirt 2 but I find the mix of events leaves it unfocused, and you have to do them all to really progress.