Maybe I missed something but if racing in Rally Time Trials is your thing and youre on a budget, this could be your game
User Rating: 8 | RalliSport Challenge XBOX
I picked up Rallisport Challenge a few weeks ago expecting a racing game, what I found was that there is a distinct different between the racing I know, and Rally racing. Rallisport Challenge is a fairly old racing game for Xbox, that I guess at one point was one of the best. There is a much better selection of Xbox racers out now, but those looking for a bargain might want to look into Rallisport Challenge. Rallisport Challenge is for the most part a rally game in which, instead of racing again other drivers for the bulk of the game, you race against their times. There ARE races against other drivers, but theyre mostly on small tracks and theres only 3 opponents. Racing by youself can be kinda fun, but it gets old pretty fast. Even when you're racing against the other drivers, the AI isn't spectacular and it's fairly easy to prevent them from passing you if you're a slightly skilled rally driver. The tracks are all fairly short and shouldnt take much longer than a minute or 2 each but there are a load of events. The graphics all around are very good, especially for an early Xbox game like this. The people are even 3d (they don't look like paper). The sound is mediocre along with the music, nothing stands out. There are a few multiplayer features in Rallisport Challenge but none of them are better than the options other games will offer you. Pros: - Good fun while it lasts - Budget price tag (~$5-10) - Great graphics Cons: - Quite Easy for the most part - Fairly short - Whats up with the sound? - Mostly Time Trial racing - Poor AI - Short tracks - - - - - Gameplay: 8/10 - - - - - The gameplay is mostly racing by yourself on rally courses of about a minute or two each. Unlike a normal racing game, you're only competing against your opponents TIME mostly. The tracks aren't incredibly varied but the large variety of conditions and ground types (Sand, Mud, Tarmac, ect.) keep the tracks from becoming too similar. Each of the ground types feels very different, which is good, and it'll will keep you thinking about how each turn should be. Speaking of turning, it can be quite hard. It is a rally game after all. If you try to turn without braking or letting off the gas you'll almost certainly spin out or crash. Once you get the hang of it, it should be pretty easy. The gameplay is pretty good, except I wish you could at least see the ghosts of your opponents. The only indication of how good you're doing is by passing checkpoints and your position and time will appear in small text compared to the other racers. This is very annoying since looking down there often means missing a turn and crashing. There are also rally races and ice races. Theyre just what they sound like. In a rally race, you race 3 opponents (the AI is poor), around various tracks. This is what I was looking for, actual racing. Sadly it still isn't terribly exciting or fun. The ice races are the same thing, but the tracks are 100% ice. This can be fun but the AI (at least one of them) will spin around wildly and crash a lot. Ice races are good fun with friends, but even Warthog races in Halo are more fun then them. Its not spectacularly fun or exciting, but the gameplay is pretty good for what it is, a Rally game. - - - - - Graphics: 9/10 - - - - - Rallisport Challenge has spectacular graphics. The cars look the worst out of everything but they are by no means bad, the tracks look amazing, even the people are 3d instead of 'cardboard cutouts' and theyre clapping and cheering you on. The sky, the trees, the rocks, the glare on the car all look good. The sky even changes and the clouds move, but maybe a bit too fast. Don't be surprised if you start a game mid-day and it's already turning to dusk in the middle of the race! Everything is great about the graphics, there are few noticable jaggies. There isn't any observable damage on the rally cars and there is no damage meter so it's very hard to assess how damaged your car is, but it's not a major issue. The textures on the ground looks great also. - - - - - Sound: 6/10 - - - - - The sound is my biggest gripe about Rallisport Challenge. The game sounds pretty bad. The cars, for the most part, sound almost exactly, if not exactly alike. There is a soundtrack (Some techno and stuff) but its hard to hear over the droning of the engine. You can custom edit your soundtrack but because of the short races, you'll never finish a song and you'll barely hear or be able to concentrate on the music. The crowds throughout the game must have only 1 or 2 different cheers. The announcer (Theres a guy who announces upcoming turns) is completely useless. He's pretty easy to hear but because of his accent and the fact that his voice sounds like its coming through a walkie-talkie it's often hard to hear what he says. When he announces a turn or straightaway, you could be 0.5 seconds or 5 seconds away, he doesn't really seem to care. It's best to turn him off and just concentrate on the tiny map instead of guessing how long away his announced turns are. - - - - - Value 8/10 - - - - - The very, very low price is a big plus for value (lucky for this game). The carreer mode is fairly short considering the length of the actual races. If you truly put your mind to it, you could finish it in a night or 2. The multiplayer isn't great but its nice to have just in case you ever feel the need to explore it. There are quite a bunch of races, even if they are short. Not too many tracks or cars unfortunately. - - - - - Tilt: 8/10 - - - - - This game deserves an 8.0 - It's a fairly good game but there are much better racing games out there and even some more fun rally games. For it's price it's hard to beat, but if you pick up something like Gran Turismo 3 for the same price, I almost guaruntee you'll have more fun with it in the rally mode alone. Racing fans, this isn't what you expect. If you're looking for a racing game look elsewhere, because this truly is strictly a Rally game. 
