I love the WRC series. It’s a rare racing title that asks you to be familiar with the car, track, and opponents. This series hits you from multiple directions and requires a combination of skill, focus, and endurance in order to have a shot at the proverbial podium. This time Kylotonn and Nacon have descended even further into rally racing and included the new hybrid rally cars, which force you to change how you approach managing your vehicle’s performance and expectations.
With licensed yearly racing titles, it can often be a struggle to find new content to make the upgrade from the previous version a worthwhile investment, but the devs have found a way to do just that. WRC Generations boasts the new hybrid vehicle, new racing physics, a league mode, an updated Sweden rally layout, and the ability to create and share new liveries and stickers. The game also includes over 450 miles in unique special stages in 22 countries, 49 teams from the 2022 season from all three Rally series, 37 legendary cars, and 165 special timed stages.
WRC Generations Review
What I Like
Career Mode
Career mode in WRC Generations is where most of my offline time was spent, and for good reason. It offers a robust experience with enough variation to keep pushing you forward. As with most career modes, one can start in a lower tier and work your way up or start at the top. I chose to start at the bottom in WRC Rally 3 and earn my stripes while working towards the ultimate goal, the FIA WRC Championship.
Career mode lets you choose between signing with a current team or starting one from scratch. Both deliver a deep and immersive experience, with just some minor differences between the two, so one cannot go wrong here. Regardless of your path, you will instantly be met with myriad choices once you enter the team’s facility. Options include upgrading the current staff and rally vehicles and signing new staff such as meteorologists, agents, and more.
Once the staff is filled out, you can access previously unavailable information, such as the weather forecast for each rally, better financial deals, and more interest from new sponsors.
A small tip for those new to the game, while all of what you find in career mode is important and will impact the genesis of your career in many ways, putting a focus on staff, especially a meteorologist, can be critical — racing on hard asphalt tires when it’s pouring outside isn’t ideal.
Career mode in WRC Generations is as deep as ever and now includes the new hybrid cars that require a different approach than before. For those looking for a deep and realistic offline option, WRC Generations will deliver just that and much more.
R&D Advancement
Technically research and development is part of the career mode, but for me, it had such a profound impact on my career that it felt necessary to dedicate a whole section to it. So why would I feel that way? Simply because the more you add and unlock in your R&D department, the better the overall experience in career mode becomes.
Unlocking R&D components is as simple as applying XP points you garner from achieving specific goals throughout a rally weekend. The better you do, the more XP you’ll accumulate and the more you can apply to the R&D department. Initially, I made the mistake of spreading my XP points around. However, I soon realized that acquiring a meteorologist and mechanic was far more important than other aspects of the R&D wheel.
Once I unlocked both of these options, I now had a mechanic that could expedite damage repair after each rally session. Access to an accurate weather forecast for the rally was an absolute necessity and should be a priority from the start.
There is no way to accelerate the process of unlocking all the perks of having a fully functional R&D department, but taking your time to understand what each option viscerally delivers on the course can make a drastic difference in how your career develops out of the gate.
4K Goodness
Once WRC Generations was running on my PS5, it was abundantly clear how beautifully it rendered across the screen. That goes for every aspect of the title, including vehicles, liveries, facilities, courses, and environments. Every component of WRC Generations looks outstanding in 4K and helps create a rich visual experience.
The environments are scattered with fans who recognize the action taking place and will often be seen on their phones capturing the race. Seeing snow and rainfall cascade to the ground in an accumulative fashion was oddly fulfilling and drew me deeper into the overall experience.
Taking it further, the effort from the developers in terms of how the weather impacts your rally efforts is handled wonderfully and carries a tremendous level of authenticity.
Gameplay and execution will always be the first options that are the foundation for any review for me. Still, graphics and small details are creeping up to a close second. Thankfully, the devs have delivered in this department and, by doing so, have created a world that feels alive.
Depth
I have already mentioned what a deep career mode WRC Generations offers up, but KT has packed the newest title with substance that goes beyond just the career mode. You have quick play, career mode, daily challenges, and training for offline players. For those looking to take the experience online with friends or random opponents, have no worries.
The online options are as deep as ever now, including leagues, teams, clubs, multiplayer lobbies, and yes, even a mode where you can choose to be the co-driver. If that isn’t enough, there are more ways to enjoy WRC Generations, including live leaderboards, a test facility, and split screen.
What I Don’t Like
Vehicle Collision Detection
There was very little that I did not like in WRC Generations on the PS5, but there was one issue that cropped up a fair bit. In a game that relies on the environment like WRC does, delivering an excellent collision detection model is a must. It was solid most of the time, but there were times when vehicle/environment collisions resulted in an odd stutter on-screen and lessened the immersion level because of how unnatural it looked and felt. Did it happen all the time? I wouldn’t even go so far as to say it happened that often in general, but it did happen enough for me to make a note of it.
Bottom Line
The racing genre continues to get deeper and more competitive, and you will hear no complaints from me because the community wins in this scenario. As I stated earlier, adding enough value and depth yearly to any licensed racing title is tough, but what Kylotonn has done with WRC Generations goes beyond a simple yearly update. WRC Generations delivers on all fronts and considers the community and what they are looking for in a title.
WRC Generations is the whole package and ranks close to or at the top as one of the best rally games ever created.
WRC Generations is available now on the following platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch.
Published: Dec 14, 2022 04:05 pm