.............CONTENT
.Home
.News
.Reviews
.Previews
.Features
.Fun Facts
.Wallpapers
.Forums



.............MISC.
.Advertise
.Contact
.About Us
.FAQ
.Legal
.Privacy Policy



.............AFFILIATES
.insert credit
.DigitalBackSpin
.Rock, Paper, Shotgun
.The Wargamer

	Rally Fusion: Race of Champions
	Developer: Climax Entertainment Publisher: Activision Genre: Racing Players: 1-2 Similar To: V-Rally 3 Rating: Everyone Published: 02 :14 : 03 Reviewed By: Ryan Newman Overall: 5.5 = Average

Screenshots

- - - -

Intro
The Race of Champions was initially a chance for two racers to take the same car and race on the same track to see who the best was. Since its inception, it has evolved to include an elimination process to see who would get to face off in the finals. Held on the Grand Canaria racetrack, the same approach was taken by having two racers, with no advantages, go at it side-by-side, but now with obstacles thrown in. This might make exciting racing, but it'd make a short game, compensating, Climax Entertainment tossed in some 10 modes to keep players entertained. That might've worked, if they all didn't feel like the exact same thing.


Gameplay: 6/10
Rally Fusion attempts to tackle a niche genre, but one that is filled with extremely solid titles. To get in good graces, they've tossed every mode imaginable into the mix; whether it's uphill racing, going through obstacle courses, a standard race against other cars, or going one-on-one. While some cars will be required for certain events, there's also times when one can be chosen for a particular race. Along the way, the player will progress through the rankings - starting from Class C and going to Class A - and unlock new cars and goodies in the process.

Facing off against an opponent on equal footing is a pretty cool approach to racing. In fact, the variety of modes if Rally Fusion's greatest asset; the standard racing circuits are there, then there's the one-on-one, climbing up a hilly, there's really a ton of stuff to do. With some savvy computer opponents, and increasingly difficult tasks, there's always a constant challenge to the player. The problem is, Rally Fusion just teeters on the realm of sim and arcade, and it not only embraces just the arcade portion, it goes overboard with it.

The game's physics are so overdone that hitting a small bump, that isn't a designated jump, at 30MPH will send the car flipping into the air. The ability to reset the car back on track is nullified a bit by the fact that there's a determined about of the wreck that has to be watched before it can be set back down; since everything is blown out of proportion, a simple accident can be pretty extravagant and that mighty lead that the player once held is being eaten up very quickly by the game taking its sweet time letting the player set themselves back on track. That, I understand; but the low gravity feel really does ruin quite a bit of the game, especially obstacle courses where a small bump can send the car flying into the air and smack dab into a pole, and since the time limit is so short, and there's no way to reset any race from the start menu. These situations leave the player to struggle through an event they already lost, just to be told they lost and have to restart. Since the game handles model damaging to the cars, some of these trying ordeals can leave a car beaten into submission and in serious need of repairs, done so in-between races.

The game also never really feels like a rally game. When I play Sega Rally, Rally Cross, or RalliSport Challenge, I get the sensation that the car is really digging into the ground, or burning out on asphalt, and struggling to let loose. In Rally Fusion, it's like I was constantly driving on ice as I slid on pretty much any surface, and regardless of what I was on, the car controlled the same. Aside from going slightly faster on the designated path, the car would feel just as slippery in sand as it would in mud. If there was any difference, it was so little that I couldn't tell.

The annoying announcer that seemed to chime in and out of particular races and the ability for the computer to race nearly perfectly made some courses overly annoying. All of this isn't to say that Rally Fusion is a bad game, in fact, if you enjoy the engine, then all the options and features would make this one of the best racing games of the year. However, I never could get into it and enjoy all of its offerings; the racing seemed felt like it would be more at home as segments in action games, like this is how I would expect the cars to drive in a Grand Theft Auto knock off, not in a full-fledged racing game. By all accounts, this is definitely at least a rental since there's so much here that it needs to be checked out, no loss to those who feel like me and aren't pleased with how it handles, but those who enjoy the engine will find a meaty game they can really spend a lot of time with.

Graphics: 8/10
I really enjoyed the graphics, and aside from some general trails left by the tires that seemed to make a foot indention on any surface they touched, everything else was gorgeous. The car models are done extremely well, and their damaging is cool to witness. Environments are also cool to check out, especially the forest courses since they tend to have muddle trails and rain will splotch on the screen like in Quantum Redshift and Wargasm. Everything is crisp, clean, and really top-notch.

Sound: 4/10
Whoever had the idea that the co-pilot should be more agitated as more mistakes were made should be forced to play this game for more than an hour. I would like to thank the person who said, "Maybe we really should have an option to turn this down" because, otherwise, this game would be played in 20 minutes spurts. Hearing the same phrases over and over isn't ingenuity, it's just annoying. "We're going to lose!" repeated for the third time in the row by, "idiot! The door!" didn't make me feel drawn into the race, it made me want to hang the guy my STFU mug and make him take a sip. The cars sound good, as they ween and strain past tight curves. Music is absent throughout the race, as was the co-pilot's navigational instructions, which would be their only fundamental use, but the tunes heard in the replays weren't bad.

Control: 5.5/10
Despite being some pretty varied cars, aside from minimal differences in acceleration and the beginning of a turn, the cars tend to control the same way. Since the environments play a small role in how different the cars control, and the physics is a bit airy, it tends to feel like the same course is being raced on over and over, with the same car. The tendency for a small mistake to lead to a severe set back, more so than other racers, everything can feel a bit on edge. While not terribly difficult to get down, they always offer bouts of unpredictability.

Overall: 5.5/10
I'm not against a racing game taking the more arcade route, but it has to be handled in the appropriate fashion with respect to how the game is being presented. Rally Fusion: Race of Champions sets out realistic courses, events, automobiles, but fails to convey that realism within the events themselves. As said, it's worth a rental since there's so much to offer a fan of the gameplay, but I found the physics and lack of control variety to negate all of its features and events. Not horrible by any means, just not as thorough as it could've been.

[ top ]