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Developed by Digital Illusions and published by Microsoft, Rallisport Challenge is a great Rally game and a pretty damn good game in general. The learning curve isn’t nearly as steep as other racing titles (such as Gotham Racing). I tend to suck at racing games, but I felt comfortable after only a few races and mastered the game after only a few hours. If you really wanted to, the single player career can easily be played through in just a single weekend - it’s not a long game. There are endless hours of multiplayer fun, however.

Rallisport features twenty-nine fully licensed rally cars from names such as Mitsubishi, Subaru, Audi and even the infamous and god-like Ford Focus (you may or may not get that joke). There are four racing modes, which include: Rally, Rally Cross, Ice, and Hill Climb. There are also two hidden modes that I won’t give away. The races take place over several different locales ranging from desert to forest settings. An event will consist of several races. Most of the time you have a “time to beat” style of race. Other times, you will race against AI controlled opponents. Points are totaled by time, car damage and placing. The more points and high finishes you have, the more tracks and cars you will unlock. There is of course, multiplayer, up to 4 players at a time.

On the topic of car damage, this was one of the popular advertised features in Rallisport. Objects on the tracks such as signs, cones, gates, etc, are all interactive. Damage to your car is visual and is SUPPOSE to affect the car in various mechanical ways. Do you see where this is going next? I couldn’t tell the difference between driving a damaged car and driving a mint condition car, other than how it looked. Maybe I didn’t beat the crap out of them enough. If there is in fact some sort of effect, then you’ll need to severely F-up your car up to notice.

Career mode seemed short to me. There are 48 tracks but it didn't feel like it when playing through career mode. As you progress through career mode, you unlock tracks and cars based upon how many points you’ve acquired in previous races. The tracks get slightly more difficult as you progress through career mode so you’ll probably be re-racing some of them multiple times. They’re not impossible, so you hopefully won’t spend days just trying to place first in a specific event.

The cars handle very well. Rallisport has a very nice mix of realistic and Arcade style handling. Different terrains will require different driving styles (I.E. don’t ever break on ice!). At the start of each race you can modify your gearbox, tires, suspension, breaks, etc. The game will automatically pick what it thinks is best for the track if you don’t care for the added complexity. If you dive off a cliff, flip over or get horrendously off course, you can teleport back to the track by simply hitting a button. The controls are generally tight and accurate, depending on the car. Each car has stats listing their handling, speed, etc. There are four views: driver seat, driver seat w/ hood visible, outside over the shoulder and another outside over the shoulder a bit higher than the first. In single player, as you approach turns, bumps or other noteworthy points in a track, your navigator constantly calls them out: “Jump ahead” or “Elbow left” and even “Hard right, trees inside, don’t cut!”. Learn to listen to your navigator and it’ll make your race much easier.

The graphics are perfect. It’s damn near impossible to tell them apart from the real thing. The cars are detailed down to the very last decal. You can see the break pads through the wheels for god’s sake! The scenery is just as stunning. The bump mapping and some of the other advanced features of the hybrid GeForce 3 in the Xbox are very apparent in Rallisport. The next step in graphics revolution beyond games like Rallisport, will be when we start plugging things into our heads.

Overall, the sound is good. The Navigator (no matter how helpful) can get annoying at times (perhaps it’s the annoying European accent.. god I’m such a “Yank”). Cars backfire, breaks squeal and engines buzz. After many hours of play, the sound may get a bit repetitive for your tastes, but it’s still not as bad as other titles that literally have the same engine sound for every single car!

This is a very good game - for racing fans and Xbox fans in general. Unless you totally despise racing games, I think Rallisport Challenge will appeal to many people the same way it has to me. It’s a VERY welcome addition to my collection of Xbox games. This is a MUST for racing fans, and definitely should not be overlooked by everyone else.