V-Rally 3, Nintendo GameCube

V-Rally was a surprise hit when it landed on shop shelves during the summer drought of 1997. It had the charts to itself and became a huge success. A sequel followed shortly after and now the third instalment of the series has finally made an appearance on GameCube. V-Rally 3 on GameCube brings all the gravel-popping, mud-spattered action of rallying to video games with a respectable number of tracks, lovingly detailed cars and a game engine dubbed 'Twilight' that shows off some stunning graphical detail and special effects. With around 15,000 polygons per car, including environment mapping, and over half a million polygons per track, V-Rally 3 uses the power of technology to create an exhilarating race feel that's genuinely smooth and thrilling. Many elements of the track are destructible, with some sections breaking apart when cars slam into them. Once again, the detail is key to this game, with high-resolution cockpits and all the progressive damage you'd expect from driving at high speeds through a range of landscapes. Focusing on a single driving career, you will be responsible for creating the driver who will lead your rallying life. Once created, you may choose from several typical game modes that include Quick Race, Time Attack and Challenge modes. But the most important is V-Rally mode. This career option pits players in a tough scenario whereby players are given offers to drive for renowned teams such as MG or Volkswagen in a chance to prove themselves worthy as a race winner. To prove your worth, you must take their car out for a drive around a specified track, finishing within a given time limit, doing as little damage to the car as possible. Between rally stages, you can keep tabs on how you're performing as an individual, and how well your team is progressing as a whole. Following on three months after the Xbox version and an even greater eight months after the PS2 version, the GameCube port of Atari's racer is perhaps the best one available. The game world is solid, the play mechanic is great and the cars handle beautifully.

Buy V-Rally 3 for 29.99 GBP

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