Peugeot 106 is my favorite car, for the first Rally miles! It is reliable, stable and very responsive.
But... Rally Championship is a serious simulator, and you simply can't drive as if in the arcades: for example, a jump too high can have its costs...
Some dudes payed for the Rally2000.com domain, waiting for the bucks that some game would pay them, some day. That game was to be... Rally 2000... but suddenly, the project was renamed to Rally Championship [RC], and all the problems were solved! What a fine lesson to people who exploit Internet names...
RC is all about racing... but after Colin McRae Rally [CMR], what could the world expect from the genre? After all, CMR features the most impressive force feedback support, superb replays, a playing style that beautifully crosses simulation with arcade attitude, and graphics that remain top level!
Well, RC does offer new experiences! There are more cars to drive, and the Rallies are much more realistic, with stages requiring over 20 minutes of enduring, which is something that CMR simply avoids, in order to attract a wider audience. You get an "arcade" mode, but I simply won't try it, as satisfied as I am with the "simulator" option.
Each car handles very differently, has different sounds, and can be a better / not better choice for some rally in particular. But while RC's gameplay can appeal to some, other might still prefer the Codemasters' approach... However, if there is one thing that CMR simply doesn't stand a chance against, is the replays!
True! In fact, RC's replays can be saved, viewed from many angles, and played like if they were on a VHS tape, which is always great, plus motivating for people to drive nicely, and then distribute their efforts, via the Internet. This is something that CMR doesn't allow at all.
On the other hand, force feedback support - at least using the Microsoft wheel - is a chapter where CMR still wins, easily.
RC's strongest feature is the long rally stages. You must keep cool all the time, or you'll hit too many obstacles, too soon, and then your car won't be approved to race @ the next event! You must also obey the clock, when doing car repairs, and if you don't respect the deadlines, you'll be penalized. RC is a better simulator than CMR: beware with false starts, beware with red line driving, beware with jumping too high, watch out tire usage, listen to your co-pilot prior to any corner!, and don't hit big rocks! Great stuff!
More on RC, soon... I am still stuck @ the first beginner's rally = Wales.
Jumps don't get much higher than this one. If they do, it is very probable that you'll land facing the wrong direction :)
#15 is my number. It remembers me Alain Prost's Renault years.