Richard Burns Rally (Preview)

Chris Stead, GamePro Australia

06/04/2004 10:44:29

Australian Gamepro adores a good rally Sim. Tearing up gravel the world over and weaving through menacing foliage at ballistic speeds in the hope of shaving a split-second off your opponent’s time is thrilling, absorbing gaming. For years Colin McRae has been minutes ahead of the competition (trust us, that’s a lot), but now a competitor is looming within the dust cloud. Richard Burns, the 2001 world champion, will be SCi’s(Carmageddon, Rally Championship, The Italian Job) next foray into the world of wheels, road kill and big solid trees and it will be a dirt-work experience like no other. This could be the start of something beautiful.

Now Colin may be the undisputed king of Rally titles, but his competitors (including WRC, Rallisport Challenge and V-Rally) do provide gameplay enhancements that the talented Scott shunned. Richard Burns, on the other hand, will attempt to be a complete genre package. It will take the graceful, succulent visuals and physics of Colin, but incorporate elements such as career management and training. As such, gamers will begin at the Forest Experience Rally School in North Wales, where Burns and co-driver Robert Reid will pass on their knowledge on tactics, skills and race preparation. From there gamers will join a team and begin their climb up the career ladder. There will be 5 game modes in all, including Challenge, where gamers race directly against Richard Burns.

The physics engine looks to send gamers as delirious as sucking back in a garage full of exhaust fumes. The cars will be painstakingly modelled on genuine manufacturer information, with 8 A8 Series cars sounding and driving just like the real thing. As for the track design, it will utilize a unique 3D track generation system that will capture the nuances of a track in exceptional detail. This will not only simulate realistic depth perception, but incorporate random elements such as potholes, puddles, ruts and rocks. There will be 6 different rallies (which is depressingly small), including; England, Japan, Finland, France, USA, France and Australia’s own Rally of Canberra. These countries cover a wide variety of climates and the weather dynamics look superb, especially as it will affect stages on a random basis.

Bugger the weather though, let’s face it, motor racing remains a popular spectator sport because someone always screws up a corner, smashes their million dollar car (shifting it into something resembling a hexagon) and then, against all odds, crawl from the burning wreckage seemingly unaffected. Gamers wish to replicate this in all its glory, with the crumpling of duco echoed by the sounds of glass smashing, crowd screaming and tree creaking. Richard Burns aims to please, with ultra-realistic car damage. Engines will catch on fire, fuel will leak, brakes will go AWOL and as for the bodywork, well it will be brutally savaged. An interactive, real-time pit component will then allow gamers to get down and dirty in the cars repair.

For the loyal spectators that risk severe hypothermia and impalement by wheel nut in cheering on their favourite sport, video games have always been a farce. Usually they are represented as pathetic 2D sprites that stand idly by while the front-end of a Subaru decapitates their lower half. Not in Richard Burns Rally. Spectators, possibly high on petrol fumes, will occasionally wander onto the track, they will cheer on their favourite drivers with passion and when, not if, you turtle your vehicle, they will come over and roll you back onto the Bridgestones. It’s an unprecedented move for a Rally sim and something Australian GamePro is getting dangerously giddy about.

SCi haven’t let the little things go unnoticed either. The voice-overs will be provided by co-driver Robert Reid for starters and with any luck he’ll throw in some of that classic British sarcasm following a fender bender or wrong turn. Plus, if you ride-off your car in the middle of nowhere, a helicopter will come to rescue you, making sure that gamers and their cars return to base without fuss. The various opponents will be enriched by distinct personalities and driving styles, with results and crashes oscillating with changes in weather and pressure. However, with eight-player gaming available, you may not need to hassle the AI anyway. Richard Burns is indeed looking like the complete rally package.

However, despite such a long list of gameplay promises, Richard Burns will face some stiff mid-year competition in the form of Gran Turismo 4 and Rallisport Challenge 2. Still, it’s very hard not to get excited about this one