Rallisport Challenge 2

Ice can do nasty things to the steering and handling of a car. Now if the entire racetrack is built on ice that means one of two things – either an incredibly test of your driving prowess or an absolute nightmare.

Rallisport Challenge 2, an Xbox title from Microsoft Games and Digital Illusions, is a race game that comes loaded with options, including XSN connectivity for online play, unlockable cars, tracks with tight turns and a variety of race options.

GameZone.com was invited into the drivers seat for a preview build of this title. What was found was a racing game what is first-rate in car physics, sports wonderful eye candy and is rich with options.

You can make the experience as detailed or cursory as you wish. If you want to delve into the mechanics of your car, you can go into the setup menu and adjust it for the track you pick. Each race mode has its own set of variables, and requires a different approach. For some, you can hit the accelerator hard and stomp on the brake to slide through corners. For others, touch the brake will mean an uncontrolled slide that usually ends up with a “how-do-you-do” greeting with a wall or other barrier and a broken or misshaped car.

Game modes include time attack, single race, career, multiplayer and Xbox Live. The races include rally cross, crossover, rally, hill climb and ice racing. The latter is a strong lesson in how to drive with no brakes. These courses are slick with tight corners and hard walls. Touching that brake may result in not only sliding wildly, but also doing some 360s in the process. The latter can be a lot of fun, unless you are trying to win the race.

The game also allows you to customize the race in terms of how forgiving the race can be, how damage affects your ride, and if collisions result in solid contact or ghost contact. Races in single-player mode will pit you against 1-3 computer-controlled cars. Not only will you unlock cars through the course of your racing career within the game, but you can also unlock tracks.

The gameplay itself is smooth from the beginning of the race until the finish line. The game has dynamic lighting effects that really bring out wonderful environmental elements at dusk. Weather can also play a role in the way your car handles.

The control elements are easy to understand, the music is decent, and the ambient game sounds are solid. The game truly shines in the graphics department. If you launch a race option and content yourself to trail the opposition to get a look at the track before actually trying to compete on it, you will find the game feature startling realism. In other words – this game looks incredible.

The game will also feature great online support through the XSN network.

Rallisport Challenge 2 is slated for release in early May. This is title that is certain to wow fans of rally road racing and anyone else who was a terrific driving experience.