| Introduction
V-Rally 3 has received a fair bit of hype and racing
fans have been drooling over the gorgeous screen shots
and video footage for the past few months now - thanks
to Infogrames who have continued the series for several
years and as a rule, has managed to better each subsequent
version. Visual appeal alone, however, does not make
a good game, although unfortunately this is sometimes
the only aspect that survives to the final product.
So does V-Rally 3 offer a Rally Driving experience that
not only looks fabulous but also plays just as well?
Let's hope so.
GamePlay
There's no lengthy set-up process with this title
so most gamers will be speeding around mud soaked courses
in a matter of seconds. Your first task is to choose
your driving mode. Most Rally purists will head for
the V-Rally Mode, which is essentially the Championship
section where each driver does their best to attain
the fastest course time and so gain the most points.
For the novice driver the Time Trial may be more suitable,
this can best be described as a practice mode as most
the cars and tracks are available with no pressure on
you to win. Finally licenses can be gained in the V-Rally
Cross although disappointingly this is not as sophisticated
as that offered by GT Advance 2 and each license involves
you racing against four other drivers around two courses.
Most gamers will find this a little unfair as even if
a car rams you from behind they appear to be catapulted
in front of you.
The technical and strategic side to this title also
has to be mastered which you'll encounter in the menu
systems before a race begins. Initially you're fed details
on the course such as length, road conditions and weather.
It's then entirely up to you how you utilize this information
but we discovered quite early on that selecting the
inappropriate tyres makes driving a lot more difficult
and dangerous. Regardless of your rallying skills you'll
always encounter some damage and before you race again
you'll have to patch your car up the best you can. The
workshop gives you 50 minutes to carry out repairs on
your vehicle and in the early stages this is usually
sufficient. Each section of your car has an icon - body,
turbo, tyres, etc and each will have a percentage of
damage sustained and length of time to repair. Here
again it's important to choose the areas to mend wisely
as worn tyres or suspension could prove costly in your
race for the championship.
Multiplayers (or gamers with friends) are also catered
for and most of the Modes available can be enjoyed as
a two-player experience. There is a downside to this
as both players will require a copy of the game although
the technology on display here does go some way to explaining
this. Finally I must mention the save option which is
completely automatic. That's right there's no scrolling
through menus or kicking yourself when you've played
hard but saved little. After completing a series of
races your clever little GBA saves your position and
more importantly your new unlocked cars.
Controls
Driving your chosen car can be surprisingly easy
or quite difficult dependent on the type of transmission
you choose. It's then down to your skill as a driver
and you'll quickly discover that you can throw your
vehicle around the courses at great speed with judging
courses and hand brake turns being as important as ever.
The interface has also been well designed, everything
is very logical and extracting the all important course
information is simplicity itself, allowing you to get
on with the driving.
Graphics
The visuals will blow your mind with fully textured
3D environments dominating the game throughout. There
are tunnels, bridges and even jumps and the player becomes
fully immersed in this 3D environment that creates not
only a greater illusion of speed but also danger as
you race around the various courses trying to gain valuable
seconds. There's also very little graphical dropout
so both the cars and scenery remain solid throughout
the game. In addition to all this you have realistic
weather conditions that actually make it more difficult
to drive and even the finest details haven't been ignored
so your windscreen will gradually crack as you have
more accidents.
Sound & Music
As with the visuals the audio is almost perfect and
the in-game driving sounds are fantastic from the starter
counting you down to the various engine noises. The
music is a little less impressive although it does replicate
that heard on most Rally or Motor Racing TV programs.
Final Comments
Since the introduction of the GBA developers have
been chasing the gauntlet laid down by Mario Cart and
while this is still unquestionably the best of the 'mode
7' racers, V-Rally 3 raises the bar significantly and
this is what everyone will now be trying to replicate.
Glorious 3D was always considered impossible and even
if it was achieved it severely compromised by flat looking
textures. Not here though and the environments are both
detailed and varied. This title is quite simply stunning
and should be in everyone's collection whether you're
a racing fan or not. Save up your pennies and get it
now.
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