WRC 9 Review

 

• Reviewer: Console Carl
• Platforms: XBOX, Playstation,PC, Switch
• Release Date: 9/8/2020
• Publisher: Nacon
• Developer: KT Racing
• Price: 49.99

I was really excited when I received this to review. If you love racing games you know the history of KT Racing and Nacon (formerly Big Ben Interactive) and quality simulation racing. "TT Isle Of Man Ride on the Edge 2" and the "WRC" series have been some of the best Racing sims to date. Nacon seem to have a plan of just the kind of games they want to put out there. They have been on a roll with quality Sports Sims. "OverPass", "Hunting Simulator 2", and "Monster Truck Championship" have been huge surprises. I think I was actually addicted to "Hunting Simulator 2" I had to uninstall it for a bit to get to my other reviews. So best believe when i saw "WRC 9" pop up in my email I was in a hurry to install it.

It was exactly what i expected to. A really good quality racing sim. It isn't your typical racing game so i could see that being a turn off for some players. I could see it being way to realistic. It isn't one of those racers where you never let off the gas. The key to success is actually maintaining a steady pace. It is much easier to control the car when not hitting the gas to much and over accelerating. You are also in battles against the clock more than other racers. Yes you are battling their times, but you don't share a track with them while doing so. So for some people that might take away from the 1 on 1 battles, and sharing paint. The race with your self , and improvement is exciting to me. I love trying to keep my car on the track, and improve times. You have tons of was to compete from Career, Clubs, and even online events. You can even split screen with some one in your home. So let's talk about the game modes.

There are Clubs to make online events that you can customize to play with friends online. There are Online events to battle other users on the leader boards. Single races when you just want to practice or run a race or two. To me though the meat and potatoes is in the Career mode. It is really in depth and feels like you are part of a real life WRC team. You hire a complete crew mechanics, doctors, and so much more. They can get fatigued and leave your crew, you also have to watch things like morale as well. I was so surprised with all I had to keep track of. Even leveling up and making upgrades. Choices that can greatly determine the whole outcome of your season. The season is also loaded with events. You can even take days off for rest. There are 100 special stages to take part in. There are Extreme weather events where its rainy, windy, and even dark. There's classic event with classic vehicles or locations. There is over 15 classic cars that you will get to take out on to the tracks. They all handle and feel very different. Career will keep you busy for hours and hours. I really enjoyed it. You can play it for days , and never really feel like there is much repetition. They spread it all out wonderfully so it stays feeling fresh. I would loved if they would have done even more with it like cut scenes. Maybe in the future. I would loved to have had conversations with your Crew and Team Leaders as you come up in the league. I think there is just so much you could do with it. You do have some communication in emails or texts, but would have been fun to really dive into my character and WRC circuit more. Would been a great way to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes. Don't take that wrong it's loaded with stuff to do, and a blast to play. Just feel it could get even better, and maybe introduce some young fans to the sport.

So let's talk about the sights and sounds a little bit before we finish up. The stages are gorgeous, and cover so many different types of terrain. From snow covered country roads to the sunny fields in Kenya. It's just so beautiful to look at, and you will find yourself crashing at times trying to take in your environment. The music is also quite enjoyable. I never really heard the same songs to much. The cars also sound really realistic as well. The GPS or Guy talking to you can get annoying, but he does deliver some useful information if you happen to not be looking at the pop ups during your race. It's very important to pay attention to these any ways because like I said earlier it can be a challenge to stay on the track at first while you are learning the ropes. The game can be challenging, but the difficulty can be adjusted and putting the effort to get the hang of it is very rewarding and fun. It isn't a huge upgrade over the previous installments, but that is hard to do when the others were top quality as well. I really can't wait to see and play this on the new consoles in the near future.

• Beautiful locations.
• Realistic feeling vehicles and racing.
• Really in depth Career mode.
• Online modes to battle friends and other online racers.

• May be to challenging or realistic for common racing fans.
• Not a lot different added from previous installments.
• Would like to see the career expanded on to teach more about the sport.

Overall Impression:

WRC 9 is the most realistic way to experience World Rally Championship going into the next Generation of consoles. It looks and feels beautiful already on the XBOX One and PS4, but can't imagine seeing it in November on the new Hardware. If you love realistic Rally's "WRC 9" is a must add to your racing game collection.