RalliSport Challenge

by Microsoft

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006IJMU
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: November 7, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,894 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Developer

RalliSport Challenge delivers an action-packed racing experience by combining four different types of rally competition into one pulse-pounding game: hill climb, traditional rally, RallyCross, and ice racing.

This variety of race types allows for gamers to experience traditional rally racing against the clock, as well as fierce, wheel-to-wheel grudge matches against computer opponents or over a network against friends. With 29 licensed cars (and several bonus vehicles), 48 tracks, realistic AI opponents, and spectacular crashes with realistic car damage, RalliSport Challenge packs more fun and thrills into every race across a variety of terrain.

Product Description

RalliSport Challenge delivers an action-packed racing experience by combining four different types of Rally competition into one pulse-pounding game: Hill Climb, traditional Rally, RallyCross, and Ice Racing. This variety of race types allows for gamers to experience traditional rally racing against the clock, as well as fierce, wheel-to-wheel grudge matches against computer opponents or over a network against friends. With 29 licensed cars (and several ‘bonus’ vehicles), 48 tracks, realistic AI opponents, and spectacular crashes with realistic car damage, RalliSport Challenge packs more fun and thrills into every race across a variety of terrain.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An addictive game, with just a few laughable flaws, June 8, 2003

By 

K. W. Jolley "Wildstar" (Mercer Island, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RalliSport Challenge (CD-ROM)

I love Rallisport Challenge, and just like the people I love, I've had to love it with all of its flaws. This game is a mix of majestic graphics, realistic off-road driving physics, and ridiculously exaggerated speed. Don't kid yourself: if at any time, you slow to below 90 mph (and that means sharp hair-pin turns), you'll finish last. This game actually made me a Rally fan, and you can imagine my shock when I watched a WRC rally on TV, only to see the pro's sliding through turns and taking jumps at 60 mph! That's right, Colin McRae, Marcus Gronholm, and Markko Martin couldn't win a single race in "Beginner" mode in this game! This makes me wonder if Rallisport Challenge wouldn've have been better named as "Rallisport Blitz," and released by Midway as part of their arcade sports lineup.
That said, Rallisport Challenge is quite addicting. I've spent four hours at a time on this game, and I was never a race fan before. Mastering the art of the powerslide through tight turns on perilous mountain roads is joyous. You'll have to figure out the technique on your own, however, as there's no hint in the game manual, or tutorial in the game. I fear too many people will give up on the game before their skill-level improves, and miss out on the fun. Speaking of fun, here are a few fun facts you'll learn from this game:
1. A rock the size of your fist can destroy a 500 hp, 1230 kg rally car.
2. Rally cars are filled with helium. Any bumps in the road, especially in turns, will, best case, render your car uncontrollable for a while as you wait for your tires to touch the ground again, or, worst case, send your car sailing off a cliff into the sunset with air traffic control clearance.
3. A 500 hp, 1230 kg rally car at 145 mph is no match for a flimsy wooden advertising billboard on the roadside. In fact, the car will do three or four backflips in the air if you hit one.
4. Your AI opponents will all finish to within a nanosecond of eachother. If you don't finish first, you'll finish last.
5. Your AI opponents will seem to get a 5-second head-start. I'm asking the FIA to check their cars for nitrous boosters. Could be quite the scandal.
6. A few levels have you racing head-to-head with three other cars. This is nothing more than a "crash-up derby." If you don't ram that stupid Saab off the road quickly, he'll do it to you every time you get a lead.
7. Your co-driver insists on reading off the turns several miles in advance. You'd better have a good memory, otherwise you'll be confused as you enter a left turn as he's yelling "hard right!" That "hard right" won't be for a few more miles. We're having him tested for stimulant use. We'll get back to you on that.
If you can view these game issues with a sense of humor, and be prepared to spend a little time learning to control the cars, you'll find yourself as addicted to this game as I am.
One last piece of advice: play responsibly - don't get behind the wheel for at least 30 minutes after playing Rallisport Challenge.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, November 19, 2002

By 

M. Smith (CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RalliSport Challenge (CD-ROM)

Imagine yourself racing up a gravel mountain road in New Zeeland. As you climb thousands of feet, you can see far-off peaks as well as a plummeting view from the 200 ft. cliff you almost slid off during your last driving maneuver. You throw caution to the wind as you try to best your competition in a race against the clock. Misinterpreting your navigator, you take a hair-pin turn too fast and manage to hurl your WRX off the side of a hill... tumbling to a certain death. Better luck next time.

That's what it's like to play Rallisport Challenge: heart-pounding action coupled with gorgeous graphics and enormous levels. Rallisport is very good at relaying the vastness of the outdoors through the use of atmospheric perspective, colored lighting, and moving shadows. Heck, the clouds cast shadows on the ground in this game... and the clouds actually move!

My set-up includes and AMD XP 1700+, 1GB 266 DDR RAM, Nvidia GeForce 4 4600 ti, and a Logitech MOMO Force wheel. The game runs well on my system, with some skipping on the highest graphical settings.

A note on racing wheels: if you like racing games, buy one. I loaded this game before I had received my wheel. Keyboard racing will ruin this game. As a minimum, I suggest getting a gamepad... but a racing wheel makes a tremendous difference in game play.

While the gameplay is a bit unrealistic, it's forgivable. You're going to catch more air than you would in a real vehicle, but it's not too exaggerated. The many different vehicles drive differently, and you can customize things like suspension, steering, power ratio (4WD Only), and braking before each race.

The developers have paid serious attention to detail in creation of the levels. Trees look like trees, prairie grass looks like prairie grass, and mountains simply look huge. You really don't see this kind of detail in racing games. I was driving on one of the safari races when I thought that I noticed some gazelles in the distance. During the replay I realized that I was wrong: they were zebras.

Don't be discouraged by the undescriptive and negative reviews. I'm really having a blast playing this one, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in racing games.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected....., March 6, 2003

By 

William Bierl "ponyexpress10" (Ashland, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RalliSport Challenge (CD-ROM)

I am disappointed..., great graphics, but to me, that's about it. They have the sound close, but not close enough, there is a very vauge car setup screen, and the cars really don't handle that well. Put it this way, I was driving one car on a track that had some long streight streches. I assumed that it would be best to have the "tall" gear setting for this. I assumed that I would still be pulling higher sppeds before I had to slam on the breaks, but no. The engine revved out WAY before the next turn. Not nearly enough car settings. But it is multi-player "A+". I think they could have done better. But again, the graphics, especially the ice tracks, are pure art!