24-Jun-2002 Mud, sweat and gears – it's the slickest rally game on PS2 Mud, sweat and gears – it's the slickest rally game on PS2
Virtual? Vicious? Guessing what the V in V-Rally stands for is pretty good fun, but if you really want a white-knuckle thrill ride, try actually playing the game instead. Take to the dirt in over 20 courses spanning six different countries in the most retina-tickling rally game you've ever seen.
DOUBLE-TEAM 'EM First things first: V-Rally 3 looks absolutely stunning. The cars are gorgeous, the courses are bursting with detail and there's a real sense of life and activity in the tracks you blast through – from the crowds gathered on hillocks to gently cruising sailboats bobbing on the wide ocean.
Okay, so it will make you want to go on holiday somewhere nice, but there's also a fine rally experience on offer to match the extraordinary visuals. The real meat of the game is found in the V-Rally mode. Create your driver and then take a test run for a chance to sign up with a team. Try different teams to advance your career and unlock new cars and courses to play in Quick Race mode.
PAN HANDLING As with other V-Rally games, it's an all-encompassing rally experience and, just like the previous games, the handling remains the biggest issue. We're just not clever enough to understand the real car physics, but we know enough about driving games to understand when handling is slightly off. None of the cars' default settings for suspension and steering feels weighty enough, lending the cars a floaty feel that's just not what rally is about. The handling is tweakable of course, so it becomes less of a problem with a little experimentation.
Not so forgivable is the lack of a split-screen versus mode, but V-Rally 3's Career mode and all the rewards for persistent play help it become one of the shiniest cars in PS2's garage.
Some of the visuals look so real that you'll want to pull over and sunbathe on the Mediterranean cliffs or write your name in the Swiss snow. The tracks you drive are quite narrow, but the visible course is much wider, allowing for fancy trackside details like sprawling forests and shimmering lakes. The cars themselves are made up of around 15,000 polygons each and the whole game looks sweeter than sweet.
The sunset casts a warm golden haze over the lush green countryside
Blue skies, white knuckles – just don't get distracted by the loveliness
Trees as far as the eye can see, and a bit of snow for good measure
// i'm broken!
Including real-time car damage seems like a no-brainer, but it's still a pretty rare feature in racing games. V-Rally 3 gives you the chance to really trash your cars. Damaged vehicles mean hindered performance and loss of points but hey, what's more fun than ploughing at top speed into a tree, over and over again?
Smack into the scenery and you'll see slight damage appear
Bash yourself up loads and you'll actually feel the change in handling
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