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WRC 6 (aka World Rally Championship 6) is the latest i a franchise which has been around for a while. The first one I remember was WRC II Extreme on the PS2. It was alright, and having quite believable graphics considering when it was released. To be honest, after that I didn’t really play anymore of these games mainly because I really liked playing the TOCA and the Colin McRae games. I was intrigued to play this one because I thought it would be good to see how they changed the genre after many a year.
I’m not really a rally racing game player, but I am a racing game player, including most of the Forza games, WRC 6 and, regrettably, The Crew. So, I know what I should get out of a racing game. I also have an Elite controller which is really well developed for racing games, hence I have the ultimate set up for this type of game and I was ready to play.
I’m not going to give you much background information for this game because it is a rally game. You get the jist of it. You’re a driver and you have to win the races to get more points for you team. Simples.
Starting with gameplay, it is worth mentioning that this game is tough. Well, it gives you a very tough start. As soon as you switch it on, it takes you straight into a race. This race is tricky and I, inevitably, came last. The handling was hard, the acceleration was too, and the braking was horrendous. I kept on crashing and at one point got a flat tyre. This wasn’t the start that I wanted. After I finished this race, the game told me that I needed to play in ‘medium’, to which I completely disagreed and changed it to the easiest settings with a lot of assists on as well.
It’s not that I think this game is too hard, though. I think it is probably pitched about right, but I’m not an expert on rally games, and when it comes down to racing I speed into the corners and try my best to spin around them. This will, categorically, not work on WRC 6 and will always lead you to losing. You need to think very carefully about how you play, which disappointed me. I suppose that is because I am not a major rally fan, but for those who are, you’ll love how realistic the gameplay is.
The game offers you a whole host of different modes – a standard quick game, career mode, custom championship, introduction and driving test. It all helps you improve your skills as a driver. As well as this, you have the multiplayer modes where you can race online (connection was pretty stable) or play offline, either split screen or taking in turns. You won’t often find many cars on the road though – maybe it was me but I didn’t realise rally games are all done through time trials nowadays… or maybe they always were. Overall, I was impressed with the gameplay – everything seemed to run solidly and the level of challenge was hard, but adaptable. I believe an 8 would be a fair score.
Racing games have always been a pioneer of good graphics, if you ask me. I remember first playing Gran Turismo on the PS1 and being blown away by how good everything looked. Saying that, Ridge Racer came out before Gran Turismo, came out and enjoying the graphics on that. So it will be no surprise to you that the graphics are very impressive on this game. The intricate paint work on all the cars look brilliant and they really have gone to the finest details. You can tell that when you are looking at the grills, you can see beyond them. But it isn’t only the cars which look great but also the different race tracks. Sometimes you can be taken aback by the scenario and forget where you were even going. You can see people on the side who keep clapping and waving you on – even they impressed, although they are set facing one direction, so when you go past them, they’re still clapping an empty space.
My only gripe is that there are some bollards, and if you drive into them, instead of damaging your car they just disappear and reappear… I know it is only the smallest thing, but it really annoyed me, especially when I was trying to drive into everything and smash up my car. On that note, when your car *does* get smashed, it looks pretty realistic. Overall, the graphics are impressive and fit the racing genre, therefore they deserve a healthy 8.5 – main reason I haven’t scored higher is because the graphics on Forza Horizon 3 are even better.
Regarding the sound, it’s worth mentioning that this is more a simulation game for fans of the rally genre and not a fast-paced action racing title for the masses. That’s noticeable when it comes to this section as you don’t have a radio in your car allowing you to choose from different stations, there’s just the car and your number 2 (the person telling you the angles of the corners you’re approaching etc.). God, how I missed the sounds of a nice radio or a little something extra, although I know that I shouldn’t expect that kind of thing, here. Hence, I can’t say an awful lot else. The engines sound different on each car (if only slightly) as well as being realistic. When you brake it reminds me of when an idiot stops in front of me and I have to slam on the brakes, and when you wheelspin… well it’s like being back in my Nova aged 17.
My biggest problem with the sounds is down to your co-driver. He has the most annoying voice in the world, winding me up immensely, and half the time, I had no idea what he was talking about when it came to the corners. Why not just say “little left” or “big left”, rather than words which didn’t commute with my brain. (DVDfever Dom adds: I’m just watching the Wales Rally video now and it sounds like he’s reading out his shopping list!). All that said, I’m sure they would be words that lovers of this genre would appreciate. So, overall I wasn’t amazed by the sound – I was given what I expected and, therefore, I think a 7 is fair.
Overall, this game wasn’t really for me in the end. – I really couldn’t get into it and didn’t find myself enjoying it. That doesn’t in anyway make it a bad game for those who do get into it, so my advice would be to ensure you’re a rally-racing fan first, or someone who wants to get in to that genre, and I’m sure those people will undoubtedly love this game.
WRC 6 is out now on Xbox One, PS4 and PC, and click on the packshot for the full-size version.
Important info:
- Publisher: pqube
- Players: single-player, multiplayer
- HDTV options: up to 1080p
- Sound: DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
|
GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT |
8.5 7 8 6 |
| OVERALL | 7.5 |
I have been a video game player since 1993 and a music fan since I can remember. I studied Film and Journalism at university and ended up becoming a Primary School teacher. Video games changed my life and sent me on the right track and have stayed with me ever since.