WRC 6 Review (Xbox One)

Yep, I am an over 40 year old non-driver. But I do enjoy a good racing game, although I am typically really, really bad at them. So because of this inability to stay on the track I usually go for more open world racers.

Thankfully WRC 6 is pretty forgiving if you want to zig instead of zag. You may get pinged by a penalty but at least you can continue crashing through the scenery. Too far off track though and the magic respawn fairy will drop you back on track.

Following in the wake of my NBA2K17 review and the joy I have being able to play a fellow New Zealander in Steven Adams, it is again fantastic to step into the shoes of a Kiwi, WRC driver Hayden Paddon. Whether this stems from developers starting to recognise the international gaming community or the fact the there are actually Kiwis excelling in most sports these days who knows? It is an excellent outcome either way. Starting up WRC 6 is a pretty standard fare with a quick intro race and then the option to dive into quick race options or start a career mode. Options and extras also fill tick the required boxes, with unlocks for your driver badge and the likes. Nowhere near as confusing as the NBA2k17 menu, which is good, especially for the casual gamer who just wants to hoon through the forest. Visually WRC 6 is a treat, especially the dust and weather effects. The scenery and vehicles are all very nice and hitting the orange marker tape is extremely satisfying considering you should be avoiding doing so. There are a few immovable objects though. Certain fences will stop you dead, which is confusing considering what you can crash through or knock aside. This probably concerns me more that others considering my driving lines. I also find the co-driver directions hard to follow and find myself watching the road to try and anticipate up coming corners. My lack of rallying knowledge could be the problem here. And overall it doesn’t detract from the game too much, who knows, it may enhance your experience.

One area of the game that did surprise me was the night stages. Oh My God! having to slow right down in a racing game is so unnatural, especially for a foot to the floor driver like me. It was eerie and exciting all at the same time. Audio is pretty standard with all it really consisting of engine noise and co-driver. Does the job I guess. The screens between stages are also a bit of a let down, all you get is a static screen with some sliders to assign your crews time to repairs. Would have been cool to be interacting with the car and crew in some way.

Closing Comments.

The stage based levels of WRC 6 makes for a perfect game where you can squeeze in a couple of races when short on time. But these sessions can be dragged out to as long as you want with a huge amount of racing to get through in a season. It all handles very nicely, once you get use to the rally style. As a more tarmac orientated driver this change in style took a wee bit of time. And it is all very easy on the eyes, not that you have much time mid race to take it all in. Overall WRC 6 is a good solid rally game for anyone wanting to hit the gravel.