Rally Championship

mud sweat ‘n’ gears

EU release: 7th February 2003
NA release: 30th July 2003
JP release: N/A
Developer: Warthog Games
Publisher: SCi Games (EU), Conspiracy Entertainment (NA)
NGC Magazine: 74%
Mods Used: Widescreen Hack

One thing that excited me when I looked at the tracks in this game was that there was a full four-stage Rally set in North Wales. I had to go through Scotland and Africa first and, whole I initially found the handling to be extremely slippery, I eventually got the hang of it, with the fairly generous damage helping out.

While up-close the tracks don’t look that good, when it’s combined with the impressive backdrops, it creates a visually pleasing final look. Each track has a distinct look and feel to it, which is helped by the weather. That said, the weather being tied to the track means you can’t alter it.

When I reached Wales, the extent of the fantasy element of the tracks became clear. I was aware that the previous tracks had taken liberties to make them more interesting, but I presumed they were at least loosely based on real locations as they were all quite believable. The first Welsh one takes place on an active quarry with colossal machinery working away. Llandudno is also depicted as a large shipping port, with masses of large warehouses. I live close by and there’s a beach and a pier, nothing remotely close to what’s in the game.

That said, that’s all more of an observation than a complaint. While it would have been nice to actually see a location I’ve been to, it doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the game. Rally Championship is still an enjoyable rally game.

Fun

Although we’re not exactly overrun with rally sims on the GameCube, it’s such a highly specialised genre, only a handful of high-budget titles are usually worth playing. So it came as a bit of a surprise that SCi’s Rally Championship is the best rally sim available for GameCube right now. Granted, there’s virtually no competition, what with the cancellation of Rally Fusion, the non-appearance f Colin McRae GC, and the averageness of Ubi Soft’s Pro Rally 2002, but it’s a decent achievement for a title from which we expected very little.
Martin Kitts, NGC Magazine #87

Remake or remaster?

There’s plenty of rally games. Although it would be nice to see an actual depiction of Llandudno or North Wales.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to get Rally Championship.