Two years ago, when the Xbox was still young and attempting to get a foothold in a market dominated by Sony, RalliSport Challenge was released to a somewhat anemic initial reaction. Despite gorgeous graphics featuring textures that best Halo and vehicle models that outdid any racer that was then on the market, the game failed to set the world on fire in terms of sales upon hitting the store shelves. Perhaps it was due to the lack of popularity Rally racing endures through on western shores, but for whatever reason, North American fans were far more likely to pick up the arguably inferior (but still fantastic) Project Gotham Racing, than the quaint, quality RalliSport Challenge. Slowly but surely, sales of the game accumulated to a respectable number on North American shores - perhaps due to the amassing critical acclaim the game received. Combined with a far better initial reaction to the game in Europe, the game established a fan base that called out loudly for a sequel. Microsoft and DICE have paired together once again to bring Xbox owners one of the best Rally racing games ever created, and one of the best games to be released for the Xbox to date.

GAMEPLAY
Baby you can drive my car...I love that song

As the number of rally racing games and, subsequently, the number of fans of such games, increased, rally racers grew from a niche market into a full-fledged sub-division of the racing genre. As any classification of games grows, different directions are taken in terms of the gameplay mechanics; in the rally racing sub-genre, there are two major interpretations: arcade and simulation. Rallisport Challenge 2 falls neatly between these two ends of the spectrum as while it is nowhere near as simulation-oriented as the recently released Colin McRae 4, it is also nowhere near as much of an arcade experience as the Sega Rally franchise, for example. Connoisseurs of rally racing should not feel as though this means the game is a misrepresentation of the sport. In this case, the arcade influence is merely relegated to slight adjustments in the physics that allow for longer slides, higher jumps, and a more exciting racing experience in general. All the facets of a rally racing experience are still in the game right down to the navigator yelling out instructions for upcoming turns - the arcade influence simply makes for a more enjoyable gameplay experience.

However, there are still aspects of simulation within the game; most notable in the affects that weather and track conditions have on the driving experience, the relative differences between the true-to-life vehicles in the game, and the ability to customize various aspects of the cars, from suspension to braking. As environmental variables are introduced to the player, they will have to adjust their driving to compensate – driving the same way in icy conditions as you would dry conditions is a great way to guarantee that your car will be a wreck by the time you finish…more than likely a good chunk of time behind your competitors. The cars themselves may drift around with more ease than they would in the real world, but the differences in control, speed, acceleration, etc. are all accounted for as well. Finally, there is a great degree of performance-related customization (unfortunately, there isn’t much aesthetic customization) and optimization, all of which are presented in a clear enough matter that even those who know little about cars will be fiddling with their gear ratios. Such optimization isn’t necessary for success throughout the game, but for those who know what their doing, it provides both a nice advantage and a measure of added depth. The injection of arcade sensibilities merely accents these facets of realism and the combination creates an experience that is more fun overall.

Of course, all the exaggerated, arcade physics and simulation influences in the world wouldn’t be capable of creating a pleasurable driving experience if the controls weren’t responsive or intuitive, and thankfully such is not the case with RalliSport Challenge 2. The controls are immediately accessible from the get go; as with Project Gotham Racing 2, the left trigger acts as the acceleration while the right acts as the brake. The A button acts as the power brake, but in my time playing the game I never found an instance where its use was necessary, or even helpful - the normal brakes allowed me to slide around any corner I encountered with ease. The player’s car responds to every input instantaneously, creating an incredible feeling of connection with the vehicle while maintaining a sense of weight and momentum concordant with an actual racing machine. The immediate ease at which the player can control the car not only allows for enjoyment of the game right away, but becomes very important for the player’s ability to adapt to environmental changes with minimal frustration, allowing the addition of rain or ice to the track to be challenging, but not frustrating. Further more players may choose to adjust to the different driving experience each car provides, compensating for the disadvantages and making use of the advantages, or they may simply pick a favorite – a car that fits to their specific driving style – and use that for the duration of the game. The end result is an immensely satisfying experience where the player never feels as though they should have made that turn, if only the controls had responded faster.

The original RalliSport Challenge introduced a fair number of gamers to race modes and features that they had likely never experienced, or even hear of, prior to playing the game. RSC2 brings back all the features of the first game and adds a wealth of new ones to create a gaming experience with an even greater degree of variety than its predecessor. Players will encounter 5 unique race types as they progress through the game’s career mode. Each different race requires slightly altered strategy in terms of what mindset the player applies to their driving, and how they prepare their cars beforehand [should they choose to]. Of course, the game features traditional rally races – cross country races where the player is the only car present, and performance is a matter of shaving off seconds, and coming out with a better time than the opposition. Rally cross is essentially rally racing with more than one car on the track at once. The tracks in rally cross are shorter and wider, but there are no significant changes made to the physics engine – cars still drift, and the player is forced to not only anticipate the arc of their own turns, but the position of the competition as well. Ice Racing and Hill-climbing are both fairly self-explanatory, and Crossover mode sees to cars racing against each other on parallel tracks that intersect at one point. All of the racing modes provide an enjoyable experience; obviously players will have a favorite mode based on their on personal preferences, but it is unlikely that any player will cringe upon learning that the next race takes place in a particular mode due to their hatred of such events.