WRC 3 Review
WRC 3 is the brand new rally game by Italian developers Milestone, most famous for their work on the SBK titles. They began working on the WRC titles with Black Bean when the franchise returned to modern consoles in 2010. That partnership stayed throughout the next title WRC 2. However many thought it was a little bit of a disappointment, it seemed rushed and not quite finished. Since then Milestone have separated with Black Bean and have been working solo on the new title. So with more time and knowledge have Milestone, all on their own, been able to make a rally game that will impress the masses? Well let’s find out in this in depth review.
First impressions of the new title are very good. The menu design is modern, funky and well thought out. It has bright colours which really invite you into the experience. It also has a voice feature that explains all the aspects of the game, and of the sport. This could come in handy when wanting to know more about how to set your car up for certain circumstances, or just want to know more about the surroundings.
In terms of gameplay options there are three to choose from. WRC Experience, Road to Glory and Mulitplayer. WRC Experience could be considered as the practice section of the title, the player is able to run a single stage, a complete rally or an entire WRC championship. All cars, drivers and courses from the 2012 WRC World Championship are available to be chosen, as well as teams and drivers from the lower, feeder series’. This feature is great for getting a real feel for the handling, cars and courses of the game before diving into the career. It also gives you an idea about the history and the whole concept of the support
Road to Glory is the career section of the title. You start off at the very bottom of the sport and attempt to work your way up to the top. At the very start you are given random challenges to prove you are able to compete against the very best. Throughout the career you are tasked with beating the chosen rival, completing this task will earn you extra experience points which helps you advance into the career. Eventually you are entered into the official World Rally Championship, of which you have to compete against the likes of Sebastian Loeb, Mikko Hirvonen and Chris Meeke. The difficulty of the competition increases as you advance through the challenges.
Multiplayer is pretty self-explanatory, there are the general Lan and Online modes that feature in every modern racing game. All rally modes feature in the multiplayer tab, as well as some cool party features. In terms of quality the multiplayer gameplay is okay. It doesn’t stand up to the giants such as Codemasters and Polyphony Digital, however it wasn’t ever going to was it. In a whole though it’s still great fun, even if there is the occasional lag or timing glitch.
Let’s go over to the Pros and Cons
Pros
Now over to the cons
In conclusion I believe WRC 3 to be the rally game of the year, and possibly years to come. Everything has been set out so well that it just feels right putting it into your console or gaming PC. The customization is also unlimited, and there are many popular mods out there for PC gamers that will improve your experience. The cars and tracks are well done, and overall it’s great fun to play. It would have been better if Milestone had looked into the difficulty a tad more, and possibly sent more into stores (in the UK at least) but these are minor details that can be overlooked after 5 minutes of gameplay. I recommend this to any rally fan, general car nut or even someone willing to give rally a go. However it has a steep learning curve, so expect to have your skills tested.
First impressions of the new title are very good. The menu design is modern, funky and well thought out. It has bright colours which really invite you into the experience. It also has a voice feature that explains all the aspects of the game, and of the sport. This could come in handy when wanting to know more about how to set your car up for certain circumstances, or just want to know more about the surroundings.
In terms of gameplay options there are three to choose from. WRC Experience, Road to Glory and Mulitplayer. WRC Experience could be considered as the practice section of the title, the player is able to run a single stage, a complete rally or an entire WRC championship. All cars, drivers and courses from the 2012 WRC World Championship are available to be chosen, as well as teams and drivers from the lower, feeder series’. This feature is great for getting a real feel for the handling, cars and courses of the game before diving into the career. It also gives you an idea about the history and the whole concept of the support
Road to Glory is the career section of the title. You start off at the very bottom of the sport and attempt to work your way up to the top. At the very start you are given random challenges to prove you are able to compete against the very best. Throughout the career you are tasked with beating the chosen rival, completing this task will earn you extra experience points which helps you advance into the career. Eventually you are entered into the official World Rally Championship, of which you have to compete against the likes of Sebastian Loeb, Mikko Hirvonen and Chris Meeke. The difficulty of the competition increases as you advance through the challenges.
Multiplayer is pretty self-explanatory, there are the general Lan and Online modes that feature in every modern racing game. All rally modes feature in the multiplayer tab, as well as some cool party features. In terms of quality the multiplayer gameplay is okay. It doesn’t stand up to the giants such as Codemasters and Polyphony Digital, however it wasn’t ever going to was it. In a whole though it’s still great fun, even if there is the occasional lag or timing glitch.
Let’s go over to the Pros and Cons
Pros
- The physics are unlike anything that has ever been seen in any rival rally games, if you’re using a force feedback wheel you can really feel the car tugging, trying to pull away, which means practice is needed to master certain stages.
- The selection of tracks and courses is quite vast, considering how little the developers had to work with. All car models are finished to a high standard, and the finish on the tracks/courses really look as though there has been much thought put into it.
- Simplicity of the menu is always a good feature to have, and WRC 3 does not disappoint. It is insanely easy to find things and change and settings that may be needed.
- The customization throughout the title is also very vast. Any car nut will be excited to see there is the option to set up your car before a course, and the not so professional will be happy to see that there are plenty of driving aids to help out throughout a race, championship or even career.
- The pure enjoyment or fun factor of the title is very high. This is definitely a title that you will come back to and play until you complete it, as well as long after as there is a great possibility of re-play ability and just exploring more of the Multi-player and Single player options.
Now over to the cons
- The level of difficulty isn’t really thought out that well. Especially for the person using a pad. It’s near impossible to keep up with computer on the hardest difficulty and no driving aids. This may mean that there excess costs to play the title, or even that people may be put off for future titles.
- Availability. It’s hard to find this title! Unless you’re online you won’t be able to find this title in the regular game shops or even supermarkets. However that may be down to the fact that is very good, and people aren’t willing to part with it.
In conclusion I believe WRC 3 to be the rally game of the year, and possibly years to come. Everything has been set out so well that it just feels right putting it into your console or gaming PC. The customization is also unlimited, and there are many popular mods out there for PC gamers that will improve your experience. The cars and tracks are well done, and overall it’s great fun to play. It would have been better if Milestone had looked into the difficulty a tad more, and possibly sent more into stores (in the UK at least) but these are minor details that can be overlooked after 5 minutes of gameplay. I recommend this to any rally fan, general car nut or even someone willing to give rally a go. However it has a steep learning curve, so expect to have your skills tested.