I'm a really punctual person. Being late is an ick for me so I plan journeys and arrangements carefully and with contingency, and also drive really fast to make sure I don't get behind the target time. It means I'm normally the first there, maybe by a while but hey, that's what a Kindle and glasses of water are for, no?

So I was really annoyed to be so late to this game - several YEARS late. I do love a good racing game and especially Rally games generally. so I do not know how I kept putting off playing this, and I did miss out, it's really really good, and fun, and easy to get into and just....play.

Let's get into the meat: it's not meant to be AAA standards but even many years later it looks really good and plays really nicely today, extremely pick-up-able and pretty much bulletproof - clearly pro devs making a game with heart and requisite talent. Nor is it a simulation game to be clear, although don't let you think that makes it sloppy in the physics area. It is instead a seriously made Arcade rally racer but with accurate, predictable physics and driving mechanics.

I'd most liken it to GRID but for rallying - in structure too. But instead of the slightly twee story stuff you get occasional boss battles who mark your progression. These bosses are excellently portrayed in FMVs that look exactly like the intro to your favourite sports match with the character striking poses as their bio is read - love that! I don't even know if they're real racers or actors or what, but they really pop.

The rallying is great fun - arcadey like I said but clearly with a lot of knowledge about driving mechanics on mud, sand, tarmac, jungle, ice. The structure is nicely progressive with a series of races in order as you improve your standings in each event, and obviously you win new cars and liveries on the way based on your successes. I played with the DLC which just slots into the standard progression nicely (and gives you a leg-up to get extra stars to more easily qualify for the late-game events) And although it's not hard generally, some stages can throw you a curveball so my IRL overspeed driving tactic to never be late works here!

Being so tardy I missed the Multiplayer so it's rare to find someone to race with, but if you have buddies to invite it works well still.

A really enjoyable rally racer with plenty of content and a big thumbs up, And if you're reading this now then like me, you're late. Which means you'll be able to bag it super-cheap especially on sale!

Fun arcade offroad racer with a solid selection of cars, locations and tracks without any of the bloat of current mainstream racing games. The driving model and physics are a bit simpler, but still work well most of the time, the game looks decent - not the best graphics on technical side, but the environment design for the tracks is top-tier, and it sounds okay, the sounds are generic, and so is the soundtrack, but this is a budget game, so that's pretty much expected. The game runs solid too - no frame drops or stutters, no crashing. All in all, it's a solid game to pick up if you just want cca. 10-15 hours of fun and not a second job. The DLCs are not necessary I guess, but they add some pretty solid content too.

A very "OK" game.

Literally nothing particularly exceptional.

You'll get a much better driving experience in Forza Horizon, Dirt Rally 2.0, or any of the official WRC games, but if you're bored of those then this can be fun to mess around in.

I would absolutely wait for a sale and would definitely not pay more than $10.