Rallying Down Memory Lane
It is both commendable and brave to launch a racing game so close to the behemoth that is Forza Horizon 6. It also helps if the game that you are launching is nothing like the elephant in the room, and here is where PM-Studios have been pretty canny.
You see, they are behind #DRIVE Rally, an arcade styled racing experience, based on the so-called golden age of rallying, back in the 1990’s. But, is there room in the market for more than one game featuring 90’s cars? Well, that is the question I set out to answer as I booted up. Start your engines!
Pure Rallying Without The Distractions
There isn’t usually a story associated with racing games (there are exceptions, but that is generally the rule) and the rule is followed here. All we have are a series of races to take part in, and that is pretty much that: no back story, no rags to riches, no nothing. Just us, a car, a track and a co-driver. And that is your lot.
Luckily, there is more to be said on the presentation of the game, and here the news is mixed. We’ll start though with one of my pet hates – a recognisable car given an entirely different name to avoid paying licensing fees. I can see that that car is supposed to be a Volkswagen, for instance, and calling it something entirely different doesn’t make it any less a VW! Apart from this, the rest of the presentation is pretty good. The stages we race on are quite well realised in a retro kind of style, and the cars look pretty good too. I say the cars look good because the only views that are really available to play in are shown from the outside of the vehicle. Granted, there is a cockpit view but you really can’t see much of the road, and since there is no bumper cam, it is outside for me. There is no crash damage either, which is a bit odd in a rally game, but that does mean that no matter how hard you hit the scenery, the car stays looking mint.
Sound is better, however, and this is mainly down to the voice of your co-driver. The default guy sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and I honestly wouldn’t have batted an eyelid if he had suddenly said “Git to da choppah!” I like the settings for our co-driver as well, as we can alter their personalities to suit our mood. The engine noises and music are a bit meh mind, as is the impact when we hit something, but the jewel in the crown is the voice acting. All in all, not too bad.
Sliding Sideways With Mixed Results
So, how about the actual driving action then, how does that side of #DRIVE Rally stack up against the competition? Well, it has its own little foibles I think is the kindest way to put it.
The way the races are set up is in a classic rally style, leaving us to tear along a rally stage, hitting split time gates as we go; thus we can see whether we are faster or slower than the rest of the pack and adjust our driving accordingly. The issue for me is the fact that the game seems to be quite easy. It was by no means unusual for me to be more than 10 seconds ahead at the end of a stage, despite the driving systems.
When The Handling Doesn’t Match The Speed
The controls could use some finessing too. To put it politely, they aren’t very good. The standard layout is used, with RT to go faster and LT to stop, A working as the handbrake. However, the brakes are almost like a switch, with there being no braking then all the braking, bringing you to a halt yards from the corner that you could have sworn you were only slowing down for.
The handbrake is better at helping you around corners, but it is weirdly imprecise as well. One time you may tap the button and slide around a corner, but the next time you try to pull off a similar move, you end up parked at 90 degrees to your direction of travel. I honestly found it easiest to ignore the brakes completely, ease off on the accelerator and corner that way.
A Rally Game With Plenty Of Character
The controls are a bit of a shame, as they are the most important part of a driving game, and while there is a lot of content to go at in #DRIVE Rally, the series’, single races and free roaming all use the same interface. However, the free roam section is a nice idea, with things to find as you drive anywhere that takes your fancy on quite a large map. You can find letters to unlock the next map, and even things to personalise the car that you choose to drive. Add to this online leaderboards, but no multiplayer options, and you have a game that has a weird charm to it.
#DRIVE Rally isn’t the best rally game by a long way, but there is something about it that will keep you coming back for some quick blasts.
Important Links
Slide Back To The 90s With #DRIVE Rally On Console – https://www.thexboxhub.com/slide-back-to-the-90s-with-drive-rally-on-console/
Get ready to #DRIVE Rally! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/get-ready-to-drive-rally/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/drive-rally/9NFKS70W83Z0/0010
