by
Ted Kritsonis
Faze Video Game Editor

With so many great racing games coming out for the Xbox, adding another one to the mix only seems to make a gamer’s choice tougher. Rallisport Challenge 2 expands on the arcade elements of the original from 2002 and gives it a touch of realism, along with a strong online presence.

By making subtle improvements to the visuals and sound, Digital Illusions (the game’s developer) made sure this game looked and sounded like a racing game. This is important for two reasons: A game’s mechanics — as good as they may be in this case — are not as noticeable if the ambience is way off. Not to mention that a big part of the fun and action in any racing game is hearing the sounds of the race itself, as well as good music (though you can customize your soundtrack). So, in both those regards, Rallisport Challenge 2 does a great job of delivering.

You also have an opportunity to tune your car’s performance before each race. Although the changes you make might make little difference early on, you’ll start to get used to what works and what doesn’t after a while. And it’s also nice to see some snow-filled tracks from Canada as well, though the other ones are great in their own way too.

With a solid online presence, Rallisport Challenge 2 really shapes up to be one of the best racing games out on the market right now, and is definitely worth a look for all would-be racers out there.

Publisher:
Microsoft
XSN Sports

Platform:
XBOX

Rating: 9/10