My first memory of rallying was at my uncle’s house, wrapping early 2000s rally cars around trees on the PlayStation 2. That was Colin McRae rally, raw, untamed, and great fun.
The Colin McRae franchise then rebranded into the Dirt series. The arcade-esc Dirt 1-4 and the more sim-focused series of Dirt Rally. Dirt Rally 1 had VR compatibility, at least in the later phase. Dirt 2, while feeling better than Dirt, was lacking modern WRC machinery.
The time has come, however, for WRC and Dirt fans to get excited as the WRC rights have been handed to Codies to take the WRC title to new heights, using their eclectic knowledge of racing games, with the F1 titles, to gather a new hyper-realistic, and perfectly formed rally game.
Happy? Yes. The game way surpasses most, if not all rally titles released within the last ten years. Physics, handling, and overall playability in this game are great, easy setup for newbies, and tough sim racing on 30km+ stages for those that dare challenge themselves.
2021 Spec Fiesta WRC
Career mode, car builder, historical moments and time trial are all features of the new game. Something never seen before in a rally title is car builder, allowing the player to virtually develop their own car, changing the chassis, engine, drivetrain, and looks of the car, it truly feels like you’ve been given Malcolm Wilson’s job.
Audi Quattro S1 E2
After trialing all three Rally 1 monsters, it was time to tame the real beasts, the Quattro S1E2 was first on the list of Group B cars, so, channeling my inner Walter Röhrl, I took to the snowy forest of Finland, somewhat successfully.
Choosing the exact conditions in the quick play mode, the game allows you to tailor every stage to your exact wants. For me, there’s always a mystique about snowy conditions, dancing the car over the ice, bouncing off the rev limiter, there’s truly no better feeling – well maybe in real life.
So, who is EA Sports WRC made for?
In my mind, anyone can play this game, whether you have a deep-rooted love for the classics or only an interest in modern machines. My dad, girlfriend and I can all have a go (and enjoy) threading the cars through Estonian forestry, or pinballing through a Japanese mountain road, I think that speaks for itself. In my view the game is geared slightly more to the sim racer than your ‘average Joe’ but seriously, it drives well, sounds wicked, and looks just as good as you want at 100+ miles per hour.
Stages?
They’re good, lots of range in difficulty, from narrow and windy, to… well yeah straight and fast. The ice in Monte is what really got me excited, I honestly don’t think I’ve driven a more treacherous stage, sliding towards a sheer drop with no means of stopping is truly, truly nerve-racking.
The Cars
Fast, dirty, and great to drive. Every car in the game seems to have its own individual characteristics, some heavy 2000’s 4WD cars, compared to the nimbleness of the front wheel-driven Citroen Saxo, and other S1600 cars. In previous games, the cars have felt light over jumps, not in the usual way but rather completely massless, this seems to be fixed, taking off every hundred yards on the stages of Finland assures you that the cars do feel natural in the air.
However, often people don’t just care for how the car drives, but also want it to look great at all times. I have found that in some cases (especially watching stage replays) the cars can look out of place, plastic like you might say. This can be resurrected in the photo mode by adding the dirt effect, which vastly improves the realism of photos and screenshots taken in the game.
Peugeot 206 WRC
So, the big question – should you buy this game?
Yes, in not so many words. I think this game is a leap forward over any rally title, pushing new boundaries for many features. New stage lengths mean over 20 minutes of driving in some cases really makes the driver concerned not only for stage time but also managing how hard you push, just in case it all comes to an end on that hairpin two corners before the finish.
The rally community is significantly smaller than Formula One at the moment, I’d like to hope that this game can bring the community closer to rallying than ever before, and see people love the sport just like I do.
