WRC 8: FIA World Rally Championship Review
What is it?
WRC 8 is the latest edition of the World Rally Championship game franchise and is based on the 2019 WRC season. The game puts you behind the wheel of some of the most powerful rally vehicles in the world and, with an excitable person yelling in your ear, allows you to thrash around some very pretty countryside as fast and as safely as you can manage. Well, as safely as you can be when driving a car 100 km/h along a poorly maintained footpath. Reviewed on: Xbox One
Verdict: WRC 8 is a lot of fun for all ages and well worth the money spent. Even if you aren’t a rally fan, WRC 8 is challenging but not so hard as to be frustrating or feel like a grind.
What I loved
The game is loads of fun. It is hard but that makes it even more satisfying when you win a race (or even a particularly difficult stage). I’ve played a few racing games in my time as well as previous iterations of WRC, but this is the one that I’ve had the most fun playing. The scenery is fantastic, and I loved driving through the various settings, but it was the sound that I enjoyed the most. The sound design is very authentic and the distinctive rally car roars, pops and bangs really helps set the scene and immerse you in the experience. The game allows for quite a few different modes and has a split-screen multiplayer option for some couch co-op goodness. These different modes provide something for everyone. You can play out a career of many years or just jump right into a quick race, alone, with a friend or online.
Things I don’t know if I loved
The realism of the game is something that I enjoyed but sometimes you don’t want a game to be too real. I really struggled to get used to not having a minimap on the HUD and trying to follow the instructions of your navigator is something you just have to get used to. Some of the stages can be up to seven minutes or more and to clip a tree stump in the last sector and lose nine seconds can be a bitter pill to swallow. A rewind / reset ability is available, but returns you to a specific point and also gives you time penalties.
