Rallysport Challenge (PC)

Rallysport Challenge (RSC) is an arcade rally game, so you shouldn't expect something that rivals Codemasters' Colin McRae series... That is a shame, because the graphics, the cars' variety, and the audio are really good and would have been much better applied to a more realistic handling.

The problem is really just the handling: RSC has decent physics and I don't mind the damage model only translating to points, graphical bumps and broken windows, rather than to poor braking or missing gears. It would be nice if all that were possible, but with most tracks taking no more than 2 minutes to complete, there is no great harm.

So, what about RSC's handling? I find the car's wheel oversensitive, no matter how much I tweak its dead zone. It really is a matter of dropping plumes on the wheel for the car to turn, so completing a track is no physical effort, contrary to other games - arcade or not - that I really enjoy. For example, MRC (Michelin Race of Champions) is also midway between simulation and pure arcade, but makes you sweat to win (fight the wheel!), and that somehow makes a strong difference.

Microsoft RSC is developed by Digital Illusions' european studios. Technically the game is superb, featuring different engine sounds and different performance attributes for different cars, and awesome graphics, with great attention to details. For example, when racing in Africa, you might see running zebras; and while racing anywhere you'll surely disturb flocks of birds. Damage shows, people applaud, gravel and dust fill the screen as they should, and ice reduces grip...

The game is organized in challenges, like hill climbing, circuit races, and regular race-against-the-clock tracks. You get points according to your time, your relative position, your top speed and the damage your inflict on the car, but the main motivation ends up being the finishing position, because that factor weights much more than all the others. This is not good, since it doesn't invite to a clean realistic driving style, as it is frequently easier to come first by bashing walls and cutting corners.
I think that the oversensitive handling tries to compensate the score model, as it gets very hard to go full throttle certain narrow twisty roads with precision.
The more points you get, the more tracks and cars you unlock... and there are many, many cars...

You can setup the car's wheel to loose or tight - loose usually helps for fast long tracks. Suspension can go from soft to hard, gears from short to long, and tires from tarmac to ice.

Ice racing has a strong Andros trophy feeling (one of the greatest motorsport competitions you can watch these days), with the car gripping just right. Adversaries are balanced, getting better on the harder challenges.

If RSC had a different score model and a more realistic car handling, it would have been a simulation; the way it is, is just a very good looking and sounding arcade game. As an arcade racing game, the only thing it lacks is the possibility to save replays - I will never understand why games don't feature such option by default, since the replay is already represented on RAM (you can watch it after each race), meaning that it should suffice to dump it to the HD.

With the exception of Nascar Racing 2003, the current PC games market is really poor on decent racing titles; in this scenario, Rallysport challenge is advised.

Best possible prices for Rallysport Challenge (PC version) are:

for european costumers: http://www.amazon.co.uk (24.99£ ~ 36.3€*) [direct link to item]

for american costumers: http://www.amazon.com (19.99 USD) [direct link to item]

*considering 1£ = 1.45313€

For the XBOX version:

for european costumers: http://www.amazon.co.uk (22.99£ ~ 33.4€*) [direct link to item]

for american costumers: http://www.amazon.com (22.99 USD) [direct link to item]