Pro Rally – GC – Review

The Subaru Impreza drives through the twists
and turns of the hilly Spanish course, using controlled slides to whip
the rear end around before stomping on the gas.

This is no time for sightseeing because
the race leader is only two seconds ahead. Any miscue could spell the difference
between success and failure.

Pro Rally, a GameCube release from Ubi
Soft, has all the slippery terrain, solid environments and top cars associated
with rally games. The driving dynamics are a bit unrealistic at times and
the game double-clutches when it comes to game options, but this still
manages to be a decent racing game full of challenge.

Problems first occurred when launching
the single player game. Only two types of races were available for play
­ Time Trials and Professional (which is the school courses that challenge
and you must qualify on to advance). The game does also have Arcade and
Trophy modes, but neither was available to play. In multiplayer, which
is the standard head-to-head competition, Player 1 could be named, but
all attempts to create another driver for Player 2 resulted in seemingly
locking up the system. The only way for the game to progress was by moving
into the race with one player driving as the created driver and the second
going under the label of Player 2. Also, multiplayer sported two game types,
Versus and Trophy, but only the versus option was available.

There was no explanation as to why the
other game modes were grayed out, or what it would take to enable them.

What the game does offer is 48 tracks around
the world and 20 officially licensed vehicles. The tracks offer a variety
of weather conditions and terrain, while the cars all have a different
feel.

The controls also seem to differ from the
standards used in other racing games, and may take 10 minutes or so to
get really comfortable with. Players can use either the control stick or
d-pad to steer the car while the R button controls acceleration and the
L button is the brakes/reverse trigger. The A button is for the handbrake
while the X and B buttons shift up and down respectively. You can change
your view with the Y button.

The game sounds are rather typical of the
genre.

Once you deal with all the vagaries of
this game, and actually get into a race, you will be treated to a high-speed
romp through narrow, winding courses. Your co-driver, who acts as a map
reader, will shout out upcoming corners and turns, while an arrow on screen
will confirm that you are indeed coming up to a hairpin corner. Also wandering
too far off the track, which by accident or intentionally, will result
in your car being put aright on the course with a wee bit of time eaten
off the clock.

Of course, this wasn’t always consistent.
You could crash through a barrier and get the off-course notification and
be put back on the track in one race, but in the next you are allowed to
try to steer back to the track in the same situation.

Pro Rally has some solid racing action,
but also has some hurdles to overcome. Racing fans will doubtlessly like
certain aspects of this program, but it can be frustrating as well.

This game is rated for Everyone

Gameplay: 7.3

Some of the car dynamics are more arcade-like
that real, but the game does move seamlessly through the twists and turns
of each course.

Graphics: 8

The animation is excellent, and the environments
are very well done. However, unlike some PC titles, even if you tailgate
across mud, your view is never obstructed. Adding an element like that
may have made for a more realistic and exciting experience.

Sound: 7

Nothing offered in this game really differs
from other rally race games.

Difficulty: Medium

The school element, which launches the
career mode, is quite challenging. This is not a cerebral challenge, but
rather a reflexive one that demands solid control over the vehicle and
a fearless attitude.

Concept: 8

The options package, which enables players
to tinker with car setup, is nice and simple. The player interface may
be a little tougher to work through in multiplayer, but the game is set
up so that anyone can jump right in and race.

Multiplayer: 7

Two players can go head-to-head on the
courses with a split screen view for each player. All that equals multiplayer
action that is standard.

Overall: 7.1

This is a solid racing game that does
have sport challenge. The courses are well designed and the racing action
is very good. While the game could have been much better in terms of explaining
why some modes were not initially available upon game startup. Multiplayer
competition also was a problem in that one player could be named, but not
the second, even though a second driver had been created and saved. The
game seems to have some stumbling blocks, which detract from the racing
aspects ­ the latter which are reasonably well done.