Check out my full review on our website:
https://inthegame.nl/2023/11/08/review-ea-sports-wrc/
-- ENGLISH VERSION --
About 2 months ago, EA SPORTS WRC was suddenly announced via Social Media. Behind the scenes, EA has worked with Codemasters on a new Rally title. Can it adequately follow the renowned DiRT Rally series?
It's been over 4 years since Dirt Rally 2.0 was released by Codemasters. In the meantime, the company has been acquired by the mega-concern Electronic Arts and has developed a few games under the new collaboration, mainly the F1 games. However, Codemasters has been known for decades for their rally games, such as the Colin McRae Rally games on the Playstation 1. More recently, the DiRT series has evolved into DiRT Rally.
Where Codemasters left off with the previous Rally game, EA SPORTS WRC must pick up the thread and do justice to the legacy. Meanwhile, the rally world has shifted to new car technology, and some classes have changed.
Accessible to everyone but difficult to master.
Once you jump into one of the many cars in EA SPORTS WRC, you are bombarded with new signals that you don't encounter or feel in most racing games. The car's maneuverability is good and very responsive. Whether you're playing with a controller or a steering wheel and pedal combo, the game provides good feedback regarding the car's behavior.
Compared to DiRT Rally 2.0, EA SPORTS WRC is almost the same but actually takes a half step back in terms of difficulty. The detail in the road surface and car control is still there, but it's a bit more forgiving than the previous game it follows. What I did notice was that the road surface sometimes lacks detail. For example, standard asphalt feels somewhat lifeless, and you don't feel 100% what the car is doing, sometimes relying on guesswork at high speeds.
WRC - Capture 2EA SPORTS WRC by Codemasters and EA SPORTS
If you're not familiar with rally sports in general or want to improve your skills, you can turn to the Rally School. This is a course with a series of exercises that you encounter in most rally stages. From learning pace notes to mastering handbrake turns, almost everything is covered. This functionality reminded me a lot of the driving school in the Gran Turismo series, easy to grasp but challenging to master.
Lots of potential but still incomplete.
During our preview of this game, there were a few bugs. Quite normal for a game that wasn't on its final build at the time. The bugs included cars disappearing during a podium ceremony or a glitching car after a crash. During my sessions tearing through various stages with, of course, a few significant crashes, I still noticed the presence of some bugs. For instance, I was forced to reset my car because it had merged with a guardrail, and even lampposts were not safe.
Resetting your car incurs a time penalty. This was already present in previous rally games, so nothing new. However, the fact that you're almost forced to use the reset button and thereby receive a penalty is not enjoyable. I had to redo stages entirely, which can lead to frustration.
Overall, the game feels very good but somewhat incomplete. This may be because a considerable number of iconic cars are locked behind DLC, but mainly because the world feels empty. Mountains in the distance, for example, are visible but quite bare because you can almost see through the trees. Along the track, you see spectators here and there, but the ambiance around it is somewhat lacking.
Regarding audio, there's not much to complain about. The iconic cars sound good but are not a complete representation of their real sound. The new cars with a hybrid system sound quite similar and lack the punch, for example, of the Subaru Impreza 22B STI.
Gameplay is solid with room for improvement.
Focusing on gameplay, the game feels robust. Certainly a good foundation for potential successors bearing the same name in this series. The cars have good feedback, easily accessible for newcomers and controller players, and the detail from DiRT Rally 2.0 is still largely present.
However, there is still room for improvement in EA SPORTS WRC, mainly in the graphical aspect but also in simple elements such as menus and some gameplay points. The menu is fine at a glance, but if you want to start a quick race or time trial, you have to create an entire rally first. Unfortunately, it's not just buckle up and drive. The menu in the campaign mode is also cumbersome. A screen full of bars and various options that you have to complete in other menus brings a lot of confusion, which caused me a lot of stress before I even got behind the wheel.
In terms of gameplay, the game feels somewhat incomplete. The graphical aspect is fine, but distances in the game can cause a frown on your face. The game plays well, although there are occasional frame skips. The occasional bug is also hard to miss, but that could still be patched out, it seems.
It is certainly a successor to DiRT Rally 2.0; you immediately feel that it comes from the same studio. However, there is still a lot of potential to be tapped in this rally sim, but for a new title, it doesn't look bad.
https://inthegame.nl/2023/11/08/review-ea-sports-wrc/
-- ENGLISH VERSION --
About 2 months ago, EA SPORTS WRC was suddenly announced via Social Media. Behind the scenes, EA has worked with Codemasters on a new Rally title. Can it adequately follow the renowned DiRT Rally series?
It's been over 4 years since Dirt Rally 2.0 was released by Codemasters. In the meantime, the company has been acquired by the mega-concern Electronic Arts and has developed a few games under the new collaboration, mainly the F1 games. However, Codemasters has been known for decades for their rally games, such as the Colin McRae Rally games on the Playstation 1. More recently, the DiRT series has evolved into DiRT Rally.
Where Codemasters left off with the previous Rally game, EA SPORTS WRC must pick up the thread and do justice to the legacy. Meanwhile, the rally world has shifted to new car technology, and some classes have changed.
Accessible to everyone but difficult to master.
Once you jump into one of the many cars in EA SPORTS WRC, you are bombarded with new signals that you don't encounter or feel in most racing games. The car's maneuverability is good and very responsive. Whether you're playing with a controller or a steering wheel and pedal combo, the game provides good feedback regarding the car's behavior.
Compared to DiRT Rally 2.0, EA SPORTS WRC is almost the same but actually takes a half step back in terms of difficulty. The detail in the road surface and car control is still there, but it's a bit more forgiving than the previous game it follows. What I did notice was that the road surface sometimes lacks detail. For example, standard asphalt feels somewhat lifeless, and you don't feel 100% what the car is doing, sometimes relying on guesswork at high speeds.
WRC - Capture 2EA SPORTS WRC by Codemasters and EA SPORTS
If you're not familiar with rally sports in general or want to improve your skills, you can turn to the Rally School. This is a course with a series of exercises that you encounter in most rally stages. From learning pace notes to mastering handbrake turns, almost everything is covered. This functionality reminded me a lot of the driving school in the Gran Turismo series, easy to grasp but challenging to master.
Lots of potential but still incomplete.
During our preview of this game, there were a few bugs. Quite normal for a game that wasn't on its final build at the time. The bugs included cars disappearing during a podium ceremony or a glitching car after a crash. During my sessions tearing through various stages with, of course, a few significant crashes, I still noticed the presence of some bugs. For instance, I was forced to reset my car because it had merged with a guardrail, and even lampposts were not safe.
Resetting your car incurs a time penalty. This was already present in previous rally games, so nothing new. However, the fact that you're almost forced to use the reset button and thereby receive a penalty is not enjoyable. I had to redo stages entirely, which can lead to frustration.
Overall, the game feels very good but somewhat incomplete. This may be because a considerable number of iconic cars are locked behind DLC, but mainly because the world feels empty. Mountains in the distance, for example, are visible but quite bare because you can almost see through the trees. Along the track, you see spectators here and there, but the ambiance around it is somewhat lacking.
Regarding audio, there's not much to complain about. The iconic cars sound good but are not a complete representation of their real sound. The new cars with a hybrid system sound quite similar and lack the punch, for example, of the Subaru Impreza 22B STI.
Gameplay is solid with room for improvement.
Focusing on gameplay, the game feels robust. Certainly a good foundation for potential successors bearing the same name in this series. The cars have good feedback, easily accessible for newcomers and controller players, and the detail from DiRT Rally 2.0 is still largely present.
However, there is still room for improvement in EA SPORTS WRC, mainly in the graphical aspect but also in simple elements such as menus and some gameplay points. The menu is fine at a glance, but if you want to start a quick race or time trial, you have to create an entire rally first. Unfortunately, it's not just buckle up and drive. The menu in the campaign mode is also cumbersome. A screen full of bars and various options that you have to complete in other menus brings a lot of confusion, which caused me a lot of stress before I even got behind the wheel.
In terms of gameplay, the game feels somewhat incomplete. The graphical aspect is fine, but distances in the game can cause a frown on your face. The game plays well, although there are occasional frame skips. The occasional bug is also hard to miss, but that could still be patched out, it seems.
It is certainly a successor to DiRT Rally 2.0; you immediately feel that it comes from the same studio. However, there is still a lot of potential to be tapped in this rally sim, but for a new title, it doesn't look bad.