Rally Cross
Developer - Sony
Publisher - Sony
Players - 1-4 (via Multi Tap)
Extras - Memory card, Multi Tap, Analog, Dual Shock
The bit on the box
"Get ready for some dirty driving!
Burn the rule book. Drive the impossible. Trek beyond the pavement and
experience the total white-knuckle sensation of rally racing across 18
suspension-bustin' 360° terrains of snow, sand & sludge. Intense
rally racing for 1-4 players."
Graphics
If there is something to be said about virtually all of
Sony's racing games, they are always graphically impressive, and Rally
Cross is no exception. The courses are well drawn, and the animation
is very smooth, giving a good feel of speed. The cars aren't as well drawn
as the tracks, but do show external damage as the car gets more battered.
The scenery in the different tracks vary nicely, with a jungle, sand dunes,
and dirt track oval among others. Polygon pop up doesn't appear to feature,
but then the tracks are pretty twisty and there aren't any particularly
long straights. Alot of the nice touches won't always be noticed of course,
with the hectic pace that this game runs at.
Sounds
Unfortunately the engine effects sound a little more electronic
than I would like, and at one point when I heard an opposing racer coming
up behind me I could have mistook it for George Jetson's spaceship approaching
final landing. Also, all the car engines sound exactly the same, which
is a little off-putting, but does not detract from the game too much. What
does sound great however, is the crunching sounds your car makes as it
lands on it's wheels or roof after flying over a particularly bumpy bit
of road, and the realistic squeak of suspension as it strains to keep the
car on all fours. There is even a sound effect for going through water,
although this sounds a little cartoony, and sounds a little out of place
among the realistic sounds on offer. As for the music, it is nothing special
and I'll be damned if I hardly ever noticed it much while playing.
Gameplay
A word of warning for those racing fans of Ridge Racer
and Wipeout 2097. This game is very different from those others
in the control stakes, and much must be learned before you can become an
expert, although in the long run it is worth it. While not set on the open
road like a true Rally Championship (which I found somewhat disappointing),
the tracks still represent various forms of offroad challenge, and it can
be awhile before you can fully control what your car does against these
more hostile environments. If you do happen to flip your car onto it's
roof, you can use the shoulder buttons to roll yourself the right way up
by rocking the car, but sometimes this can cause such a delay as to cost
you any chance of winning the race. The two-player split screen mode is
alright, but it can get restrictive when you don't have a view of the entire
racing area. Another small mention goes to the dual shock compatibility,
don't get too excited as it is a first generation rumble with no variations,
just one big "buzz".
I feel a verdict coming on
Rally Cross can be very daunting and difficult
at first for those who are not used to this style of racer. Once you get
used to the control and physics of your vehicle there is much fun to be
had with it's 6 tracks (which have different variations, like the one track
used in Ridge Racer) and challenging competition. The computer AI
is rather good too, and while there is always at least one computer player
that makes very few mistakes, the others do crash on occasion, giving you
a chance to avoid coming last if you are a crash fiend yourself. I didn't
like the fact that it wasn't on the open road (but then it is Rally Cross,
not Rally) and I have never liked racing games that don't use real cars
(but then if they had real cars, they might not be allowed to make the
cars roll in the spectacular fashion that they do). If you are a racing
afficionado, and are looking for a slightly new challenge, then Rally
Cross is definitely worth a go.
Review by D.R.T.Barrett
|
