Richard Burns Rally

[Scrivener]

I was getting worried when I heard about this one's limited availability, but my usuall import services panned out after all: I just got my copy of Richard Burns Rally!

Boy howdy, when they claim that this is the most realistic rally simulation ever created, you better believe it. This game is NOT for newbs or people who like 'racing games.'

RICHARD BURNS RALLY IS NOT A GAME.

It's a simulation - and a bloody good one. Since most people have no idea what it feels like to drive a real rally car, the developers were so kind as to include a very thorough rally school training mode. In fact, they won't even let you into the career mode until you've familiarized yourself with the basics.

When I first got into the game I was amazed to see that actual rally strategies worked. The terrain and physics are so dead on that you'd swear it was real.

Unfortunately for all you casual gamers out there, that means you are going to suck at this game. It dosn't matter if you are the god of Colin Mcrae and it's cartoon-like physics and vehicle handling, because RBR is going to eat you for lunch and leave you as a **** stain in the bottom of a toilet bowl in a public park in the middle of a barrio in south central.

So I'll take this opportunity to ®espond some of the ©omplaints I've been reading online:

C) It's too hard.

R) Well no ****. Maybe you'll have a little more respect for guys like Petter Soldberg and Sabastian Loeb. This isn't some bloody NASCAR race - this is RALLY and it takes practice and skill. If you don't like the realism, go back to playing Colin McRae and try not spill your apple juice and crackers on the way out.

C) "Thing is, since we're international playboys here on CVG, we've been rally driving, and it didn't really feel like this. The cars skitter around with a frustrating looseness and never feel as heavy as you would expect."

R) You're an international loser. Rally cars used in the WRC and SCCA weigh about 1/3 as much as their retail counterparts. And how many schoolchildren did you plow down as you drove 70 through the 25 zone?

C) To a casual gamer the difference between Richard Burns' physics and Colin McRae's isn't really tangible.

R) Casual gamers have yet to discover anything not Counterstrike or developed by Blizzard. As far as I'm concerned - those people have no buisness using a computer (Don't get legalistic on me - you guys know who I'm talking about and merely being on this forum exempts you). One thing that noticeably makes Richard Burns superior is that you discover how easy it is to flip a car at high speeds. Yes, in the magical place we call the "real world" vehicles function a little differently than Star Wars Pod Racers do. If you think this makes the games un-fun, then go play some more Need for Speed (and the non-automotive things that implies) on your bloody XBox.

Now it never ceased to infuriate me that paid critics bash games that aren't made for the ignorant masses. These are people that would change a 70% to 95% in a heartbeat if they saw zombies, boobies, and aliens in there. Richard Burns Rally wants to be the most hardcore, unforgivingly realistic rally simulation ever produced. Does it succeed? Hella yes. Could it be better? Of course. There is always room for improvement.

They have given Rally fans most of the things they've been clamoring for for years.

1) Realistic dynamic weather.

2) Best force feedback support ever included in a game.

3) Excellent audio.

4) Best vehicle physics ever included in an racing simulation.

5) Realistic damage model (If you're a rally fan you'll notice this right away).

6) Locations that actually look geographically real for a change.

7) Physical details on stages that actually perceptibly affect the way you drive. You can even use these things to your advantage.

Some things that need improvement:

1) Call for help is just a fancy way of saying "reset car". I expected something a little more realistic. Bystanders can't always save you, and they don't roll you back onto the road either - they merely try to get you unstuck.

2) Takes a lot of tweaking the control settings. My steering wheel and petals were so sensitive at first that a slight tap would spin the wheels. Fortunately there are more tweak options that you'll know what to do with but you have to exit to the main menu to get at the filter options. Filter options need to be on the pause-menu screen for quick testing.

3) I don't want to unlock cars. I want them unlocked and ready to go. This is a stupid stupid stupid element meant to reward idiot console gamers and has no place in a serios simulation. I want my Citroen Xsara right now dammit!

Before the Park Service started destroying our deserts by attracting RV families and repaving all the roads, I used to go to Joshua Tree and Death Valley just to drive around at 100mph without worrying about other cars, or pedestrians, or cops. Although those days are long over, I have a very good idea of what rally racing is really like - I garauntee more than those losers at CVG in complaint #2.

True Rally fans only need apply. This is the rally game we've been waiting for our whole lives. Gone are bushes that act like brick walls, and gone are the indestructible god-cars of Colin McRae and Rallisport. This is the honest-to-goodness real gritty thing.

9/10

[Guest rtoolooze]

I'll give it a go. Been a serious racer for years, altho not to much Rally. I have been getting more interested in it tho and watching more and more on speed channel. (I love that channel!)

Been racing the Nascar series (from Papyrus, of course) since its inception in '94. I've been in online leagues for years.(Currently with Nascar 2003) Also I race alot of F1 challenge '99-'02, and the wonderful mods for that title.

And I'm really looking forward to GTR Racing from Simbin. Have you tried the demo that came out for GTR? The physics are amazing, spot on!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to giving it a go with Rally racing, and the different driving challenges it will present.

Like you, I want it as real as it can get, when it comes to racing. (I think there is a demo for Rhichard Burns Rally. Gonna go get it and try it out.)