Rally Championship, Nintendo GameCube

Rally Championship has been a long time coming on GameCube, following some eight months after the PS2 version. It's Sci's first rally release for the purple box and it's a good example of what the GameCube hardware is capable of, given the right treatment. Set over four separate regions, including Arctic terrains in Finland, the Grand Canyon banks in the USA and English country roads, the game features six different rallies and 24 hardcore stages. Four classes of car make up the selection of vehicles, including Privateer, 1600 modified, 2 litre modified, Class A8, whilst a further three secret classic models are available for unlocking. All cars are officially licensed, so one can expect to pick from all the favourites such as the Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Evolution and Ford Escort. Rally Championship features four game modes in all, the main single player game being Career Mode. Career Mode places the player in a full rally season with the aim being to win enough cash to upgrade or replace the car throughout the course of the competition. Quick Game and Arcade Mode offer their self-explanatory 'quick fixes' for the impatient busy people amongst you, whilst a multi-player mode offers Time Trials or head-on, 2-4 player split screen racing. One of the game's main assets is its comprehensive physics engine. Simulation of both two and four-wheel drive handling is present as well as a sophisticated car damage system, which can simulate a seizure due to radiator damage. Further efforts to increase realism have been made with the inclusion of an advanced weather system (recreating snow, rain, sunrise, sunset), well sampled sound effects and an assistant co-driver who navigates the courses. In the absence of a Colin McRae Rally 3 for GameCube, Rally Championship makes a good substitute and a fine game in its own right.

Buy Rally Championship for 18.99 GBP

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