WRC 5 FIA World Rally Championship Demo

Video game technology is advanced enough today to allow professional race drivers to train on the computer, rather than on actual cars. Obviously, it’s still not as accurate as the real thing, but it’s realistic enough for the differences to be almost imperceptible. On the other hand, this also depends on how the game is coded and designed, because powerful technology is not enough on its own.

WRC 5 FIA World Rally Championship is a racing simulator that provides you with access to every car, driver and track from the famous FIA WRC events. Not only that, but the experience also aims to be highly realistic, especially when it comes to car control and track accuracy. Unfortunately, there are a few mistakes that make it difficult to enjoy the game, especially if you are familiar with its competition.

On the other hand, you might enjoy WRC 5 a lot more if you are not that interested in gritty realism, because the cars are definitely easier to control. You still have to learn how to keep them on the track in tight corners, as well as how to slide in a controlled manner, but the game is not as punishing as DiRT Rally in this regard. While this may displease hardcore rally fans, it may be just the thing for less serious players.

You can customize the properties of your car before each event, by customizing the suspension, tires, and a variety of other components that affect how the vehicle behaves out on the track. Whether these settings have a decisive impact on the gameplay is left for you to decide, although it is rather difficult to tell whether the changes can be felt. Thankfully, at least the car stops responding properly after you bang it against the trees a couple of times.

Speaking of which, the damage system is quite pleasing, but a bit too stiff when it comes to high-speed crashes. While the graphics look pretty decent overall, you can tell that the tracks are not as detailed as they could be to make the experience feel authentic. It’s also quite difficult to accept the cockpit view, because it’s way too basic for this day and age.

In the end, if you are not a hardcore simulation fan and you do not mind the lack of realism, WRC 5 FIA World Rally Championship can be a good choice. However, you need to be prepared to deal with a few gameplay issues as well, not to mention the sub-par graphics.