Preview – WRC 2010

A game that may have slipped your attention during this year’s E3 conference, WRC 2010 will be the first officially branded rally game to appear since it’s PSP incarnation back in 2006.

Anyone who enjoyed the realistic physics of previous rally games such as Colin McRae, the original Dirt, and of course Richard Burns Rally for the extremists will be pleased to hear that Italian developer Milestone are heading this project, along with Black Bean Games. Regarded as one the leading racing game studios they have had recent successes with the SBK Super Bike franchise and it’s clear to see this new game is heading down the, to put it technically, ‘tarmaccy’ / ‘gravely’ simulation road.

Here’s the teaser trailer –

After Dirt 2 this is looking like a welcome return to the ‘old skool’ rally games fans loved playing in the past. The game will feature a full career mode, starting from the very beginning you will build your own team, competing in the regional’s and trusting you manage to stay on the track, rising to the very top of the WRC world. Your journey to the top won’t be easy, with a lot of attention on weather and track conditions you will be challenged on over 40 different surfaces. With no ‘rewind’ feature to help you, something I have got dangerously used to having, a crash will mean just that. As the co-driver screams (really, they do) you can at least enjoy the game’s damage modelling, as parts scratch, crumple and eventually fly off the car leaving the vital internals exposed to race ending damage. As for the game’s tracks they are taken straight from the real world locations the WRC takes place, with every detail realistically recreated.

Now is not the time for a hose-pipe ban...

The game will also feature a host of online modes, where competing against other players in either a single race or championship will earn you credits.  The more credits, the higher you will rise up the virtual WRC table.

As with most of Black Bean releases the initial outset is to give the player the feeling of taking part in a real championship and WRC 2010 is definitely shaping up to be the most realistic and graphically impressive rally title to date. With Codemasters F1 2010 due for release around the same time this may be the time to take a hard left to the shops and finally buy that Wireless steering wheel.

WRC 2010 has a set release date of 8th October 2010 and will be out on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.  For a look behind the scenes at Milestone’s work on this project check out the video below.