REVIEW : WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship (PC)
The arrival of the new generation consoles undoubtedly represented an excellent opportunity for the French development studio Kylotonn, which had already been called to renew their video game dedicated to the World Rally Championship last year. Having held the official license of the famous car competition for several years now, we expected a significant qualitative leap because the developers themselves had promised a considerable detachment from the past. Reluctantly, however, we must already tell you that we were left with a bitter taste after several hours spent among the gravel, mud, and snow in the splendid locations that host the WRC championship. Unfortunately, WRC 10 can be considered a simple expansion of the previous chapter with some welcome additions and rare technical improvements, rather than a new title capable of rekindling the interest of enthusiasts and countering the fierce competition.
50 years of WRC
This year the World Rally Championship celebrated its 50th birthday. The developers, therefore, decided to seize the ball to implement a new game mode dedicated to this anniversary within their creation. The central idea is to revive the most iconic rallies in the locations that have marked the history of this sport. For example, we will be able to go back in time and tackle the test in San Remo in ’81 or the challenging Safari Rally in ’83.
Rehearsing some of the most famous past rallies aboard the classic monsters that have forged several generations of followers left us with a positive feeling. The nostalgia of seeing old cars, the official names of the teams, and above all, the historical tracks has warmed our passionate hearts. However, since this is the absolute novelty of WRC 10, the developers could dare something more and add other historical milestones from the past to better retrace the entire story.
What’s in WRC 10
One of the essential advantages of WRC 10 is undoubtedly its fleet of cars. Overall, the cars of 52 different teams, belonging to the official WRC, WRC 2, WRC 3, and WRC Junior championships, have been recreated with absolute fidelity. The polygonal models, liveries, and interior details of the cars featured in WRC 10 are truly rewarded for their meticulous construction. Adding the 20 cars of the mode dedicated to the 50th anniversary already mentioned in the previous paragraph. Even the latter has an excellent level of detail, especially appreciated by long-time fans.
The WRC 2021 championship this year was hosted in four new countries for the videogame series. The new locations implemented are located in Croatia, Estonia, Catalunya, and Belgium. There will therefore be 12 countries where we can go to cover the stages of the official championship.
In WRC 10, we can test our driving skills in different game modes. The classic Season will allow us to face the WRC championship aboard our racing car, having to worry only about giving our best on the rugged terrain of the various locations. In Career mode, however, the creation and subsequent management of our team will also take over. For those who are also passionate about Formula 1, the Career mode of WRC 10 can be compared to My Team of F1 2021. Then there are the events of the past made for the 50th anniversary and the evergreen Quick Match mode. The developers will also offer gamers new daily and weekly challenges to continually offer new incentives to return to the title and demonstrate how good we are at the wheel. There are also online rankings to be able to compare yourself to other players. On the other hand, the multiplayer mode is characterized by the possibility of creating or joining online leagues with other players. You can also compete in simple, quick matches or via the local split-screen.
Gameplay
Once we have gone through all the game menus and the related contents present, we have dusted off our trusty steering wheel and pedals to get on the WRC cars looking for the maximum possible realism. Even trying for several hours to tinker between the various force feedback options and other parameters related to this gaming peripheral, we could not obtain the desired result. Unfortunately, the driving sensation of the steering wheel is not pleasant; on the contrary, it turns out to be somewhat detached and superficial. It lacks the power, the feeling of friction of the tires, and the reactivity of the front axle in certain situations. In short, the feeling is more like an arcade video game than a simulation title, which will undoubtedly make a specific more hardcore user turn up their noses.
The work done by the development team has been concentrated on this control system to offer a delightful experience for those who do not have a dedicated driving system. Testing the WRC 10 gameplay holding the classic pad, we found much better sensations. With the pad, it is possible to perceive our rally car much better, anticipate specific movements, manage drifting, and in general, there is a more solid and natural feeling.
Technical sector
The landing on the new generation consoles and the promises made by the developers made us look forward to a superior experience from a technical point of view. Unfortunately, however, the graphics sector of WRC 10 does not excel at all. Historical pop-up problems remain even at short distances, and the tearing partially ruins the experience in the most complex situations. We must reward the cars present, genuinely made with more excellent care than the rest with the original liveries and all the official sponsors. Also, an exemplary implementation of reflections with ray tracing can be seen mainly in the puddles of the track, remarkably realistic at night when the headlights of the cars illuminate them.
REVIEW : Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (PC)
