Xpand Rally Xtreme

Publisher: Techland
Developer: Techland
Genre: Rally / Offroad Racing
Release Date: TBA (EU)

Xpand Rally Xtreme is a totally "xtreme" variation of the Xpand Rally racer. Apart from rally cars, gamers will find super-fast GT vehicles, DTR buggies, off-road 4x4 vehicles and Monster Trucks. The game features approximately 40 tracks in typical SS contests, off-road cross-country rides, and racing track races against challenging opponents. Like the original Xpand Rally, the game contains career mode, single races and multiplayer.

I am starting to believe that developers are intentionally avoiding the rally racing genre even though it is unpopulated and ignored in favor of track racing games. After all, fans have the long running Colin McRae (CMR) series for their arcade racing desires and the one and only simulation Richard Burns Rally (RBR), each with a large and dedicated following. That is why Techland are being really brave, as with XRX they are trying to challenge both at the same time, and while it is certainly not the ultimate rally racing package it has enough to compete with the current favorites.

What initially attracted me the most were the two racing modes, arcade and simulation, or more specifically how they played. Overall, I found the arcade mode a bit more demanding than CMR, and the sim mode a bit more forgiving than RBR. Xpand is literally the game which addressed the biggest issues I had with those games, which I thoroughly enjoyed in every aspect minus the physics. Not being particularly fond of hardcore simulations, I mostly struggled with RBR, yet I wasn’t that uncaring to ignore the unnatural and weird way cars behaved in CMR. Best of all is that both modes offer a challenge and in a way represent two difficulty modes, each requiring a certain amount of skill and concentration.

I believe this works so well largely thanks to the track design. In most simulations, for the better part of the race you are fighting with the vehicle, trying to keep in under control around the bends. In Xpand, you are fighting the road and your vehicle in equal well-balanced parts and, unless you are traveling on asphalt, the ground is never flat or leveled. A bump here, a rock there, trees or houses around you, water on the sides or a cement wall, grass and plants obscuring your vision, alternating road surfaces having real impact on handling, and everything becomes deadlier when you add speed, rain, or night conditions. The good thing is that few of these obstacles completely stop you, so damage and losing speed or direction are the usual penalties.

All of this, of course, remains challenging even on arcade mode where the vehicle is quick and maneuverable and it’s easy to get carried away and trick oneself into being careless. Both game modes require constant input from players, especially when tracks consist of turns after turns which need to be negotiated with care. Mistakes are allowed, however, and thankfully this isn’t one of those cases where you need days of practice and outstanding skill; if you drive well you’ll be rewarded and do well – you don’t have to be meticulous to advance in the championship.

Min. Requirements:
• Win 2000/XP
• P4/AMD Athlon 1,8GHz
• 256MB RAM
• DX 9.0 compatible (Geforce 5700 or ATI Radeon 9600) video card
• DX 8.0 compatible sound card
• DirectX 9.0c

Screen Shots

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