World travelers might find their way to Wales or Portugal, but only elite drivers get to thunder through Monte Carlo or across Italian cliffs in rally cars. Unfortunately, while WRC Powerslide includes licensed whips (like the Subaru Impreza WRX Sti and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX) that handle with an acceptable arcade-style twitch, the game’s a veritable catalog of failure in nearly every other respect.
Powerslide’s solo campaign often forces you to play the same damn track in three different but only marginally distinguishable classes before it reluctantly unlocks the next event. Four-player online multiplayer encounters wisely fill out empty slots with decent bots, but goofy and inconsistent crash physics mean even minor fender-benders often launch cars ludicrously high into the air. Who built these cars, Willy Wonka? If so, surely he could’ve come up with better power-ups than hopelessly dull hailstorms and speed-sapping thunderbolts.
However, the worst, most persistent problem is the ridiculous and unalterable helicopter-style chase view, which lazily swoops from side to side as you tear through each turn. See, this is why even metaphorical pilots shouldn’t fill up on tequila before takeoff. For a little while, it seems like you might just get used to the faintly sickening lag between when you power through a curve and when the inebriated camera gets around to settling in behind you again. But once you unlock Portugal’s tricky serpentine stretches and the speed ramps up, you’ll wish the drunken chumpwad would fly through some power lines.
For what it’s worth, WRC Powerslide features some challenging twists and turns. Too bad negotiating them leaves you carsick.
PUBLISHER: Milestone srl • DEVELOPER: Milestone srl • ESRB: Everyone • MULTIPLAYER: 4 on Xbox Live • ACHIEVEMENTS: Slow-poke • COST: 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15) • RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2013
+ 24 winding tracks through 8 varied environments; acceptable arcade handling; bots fill out empty multiplayer slots.
– Sole available viewpoint lags behind movements and lurches about with violent abandon.
– Forces you to repeatedly grind tracks to unlock new courses; terrible crash physics; lifeless power-ups.
? Why no local split-screen multiplayer?
