Publisher: Microsoft
Ages: Teens & up
Parental
Advisory:
Reckless driving
Leading the pack, Microsoft's RalliSport Challenge 2 offers a fantastic race game that looks great, serves satisfying online play and is entertaining to play. A worthy sequel, the game sports a new graphics engine, as well as new race modes, more cars and tracks, and an ability to set up leagues and tournaments using XSNsports.com. It's a first rate game and a good choice for the family.
The game serves fantastic off-road racing with five variations and a new crossover duel. There are some 40 rally cars that have their own performance characteristics. Gamers may make modifications to cars to meet the challenge of each track by adjusting the tires, suspension and more. Offering nearly double the tracks of the original game, players get to race on tracks in Australia, the frozen Nordic, and the Pacific Northwest in variable and convincing weather conditions that include rain, snow, and fog.
RalliSport Challenge 2 is the first racing title in the XSN Sports brand that lets players compete in an online sports league. Players may set up a rally league on XSNsports.com, compete via Xbox Live, and track up-to-date stats from a PC. The game also has a split screen mode that lets up to four race at a time.
Controls are intuitive and responsive and the game looks fantastic. The new graphics engine convincingly depicts cars and tracks in amazing detail, and serves details such as broken windows and missing hoods. And the realistic physics engine competently portrays damage and performance degradation. The impressive interactive environments include breakaway signs, moving rocks, and splash and rain effects. While the game is realistic, there are spectacular crashes and exaggerated physics that add to the fun.
In a crowded field, there's always room for an outstanding game, and RalliSport Challenge 2 is the best race game that we've played on the Xbox and arguably the best we've seen for any console. And for those who loved the original game, there's lots to be discovered in a sequel that is a worthwhile test drive.
6/9/04 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
