WRC 8 Review: That’ll Buff Out, Right?

WRC 8’s dynamic weather system and challenging-but-believable physics make for an upgrade that’s got horsepower to spare.

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WRC 8, known fully as WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship, is touted as the best of the series. It certainly earns that claim, giving the more popular Dirt games a run for their money. It does what a lot of sports games do these days by adding a bunch of content to the older framework. There are lots of cars, tons of customization, and a career mode with a management sim. But this is more than a mere tune-up. All of the new stuff combined with a dynamic weather system and challenging-but-believable physics makes for an upgrade that’s got horsepower to spare.

This Ain’t Mario Kart

The biggest claim to fame WRC 8 has over other racers is realism. This is a game that will ask you to take on a variety of driving conditions, sometimes within the same race. The dynamic weather system is a first for the series, and you might find yourself wishing it wasn’t added. That’s not to say developer Kylotonn did a bad job on it. It’s quite the opposite – the weather system impacts the game so well that it forces you to be ready to change how you drive at a moment’s notice. Every racing game requires constant situational awareness, obviously, but WRC 8 is one of the few that will punish you for not properly considering changing weather or curvy roads at night.

WRC 8 is more challenging than any racer I’ve played in recent memory. I should admit, however, that racing isn’t really my forte. I played Forza recently just for the joy of LEGO, but for the most part, I’m a Mario Kart guy. Which can be challenging in its own way, but nothing like this. I’m used to being able to bump into other racers and maybe skid against the wall at times, but that doesn’t fly in WRC 8. Cars in this game handle like real cars do. The physics engine behind it is actually very impressive. It also means that every bump and bit of weather damage accumulates on your vehicle, and that’ll do something to your steering ability. I may have messed up my fair share of cars.

I played a few matches online and got my butt whooped. I can’t tell if it was my lack of skill, everyone else’s accumulation of skill, the fact that other players probably customized their cars to be precision beasts, or some combination of the three that doomed me. To put it simply, this isn’t a game you play casually. Not if you like winning, anyway.

Get A Job

Another addition to this eighth edition of WRC is an expanded career mode. It now plays more like a management sim than an EA Sports career mode. You have to work your way up from the minors to the majors, depending on your performance. Which, as I said above, might not be the easiest thing for newcomers. I still have yet to make it to the big leagues with my team. Though I am having a good time working with them.

There’s nothing too surprising in how career mode runs. You have to manage your operation’s budget, which means hiring the right amount of people. Of course, keeping costs too low could overwork your crew. Meanwhile, you also get points for upgrading your car or the efficiency of your crew. This is your incentive to race more in challenge events, to get more points. It’s all a balancing act, and how well you race affects how well everyone on your team does. I actually did find myself wanting to get better to keep my team afloat. Maybe the fact that I was directly in charge of hiring them and keeping them paid contributed to my investment. Whatever the case, the career mode makes for a robust single-player experience.

The Right Game For Those Who Wanted It

WRC 8 is unapologetically a rally racer. The developers clearly went all-in when it came to delivering realistic physics in all manner of driving conditions. This will please the people who love these games, as will the plethora of customization options for the many cars. These people will go online, be very competitive, and have a blast. People like me, meanwhile, will stick to Mario Kart 8 and spam, “I use tilt controls!”

4 Out Of 5 Stars

A review code of WRC 8 was provided. It is now available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/wrc-8-review/