Cons: Boring, frustrating gameplay; no 2-player option.
The Bottom Line: This boring, unimaginably frustrating game made me feel like I would have felt in the actual race: after hours of struggling with it, I gave up.
lorinsilver's Full Review: Paris Dakar Rally for PlayStation 2
The race that is held every year from Paris to Dakar can be considered one of the toughest in the world. Only daredevils or fearless madmen, driving heavily tuned, nearly unbreakable vehicles, make it to the finish line. Know that only about 15% of the many participants will reach that line, let alone belong to the top.
Now Acclaim brings us this 6500 kilometre (about 1000 mile) long, legendary battle of the Titans for the Playstation 2. And I was nice enough to test it out for you…
Off to a bad start
As I started up Paris-Dakar Rally for the very first time, I figured I’d accidentally pressed a button and had skipped the intro. Then as I restarted it, I went “Wait a second… there is no intro!”. Now I don’t really care much for intros in games like this (unlike in Role-Playing Games, where they add to the atmosphere), but still.
So I ended up in the main menu. After the option screen, you can choose between three different modes: Arcade, Time Trial, and Campaign. “Didn’t you forget to mention the 2-player mode?” I hear you ask. Alas, this is not included, which greatly reduces the game’s lastability. But let’s not start on too pessimistic a note. There’s plenty of time for that later.
Plenty of options
As I said, there are three different modes:
Time Trial: pick a course, pick a vehicle, and beat those best times;
Campaign: enter the Paris-Dakar Rally and try to survive the 12 stages of 25 kilometres each (which are divided into another 4 sub-stages) and try to get the highest position among the 400 participants;
Arcade: the same as Campaign, really. Only here you can change vehicles in between sub-stages. If you’re in the top three spot, you can try your luck in the next stage.
There are plenty of vehicles to choose from. Motorcycles are light and easily manoeuvrable, but they break more easily than others too. 4X4s are heavy, but sturdy beasts; they can take some punishment. Buggies and quads are somewhere in the middle.
For every chosen vehicle you can adjust the spring tension, driving height, tire hardness, and choose manual or automatic gear. I was happy with the multitude of options, and was ready to head out for the desert plains and savage jungles, searching for glory. It all went downhill though…
”Should I go left?” – “Right.” – “Ok, right it is.” – CRASH!
During the ride you’re helped by a navigation system, either a passenger or an arrow system. I hardly ever used the directions though, since they confused me more often than helping me. Again and again when the ‘puter said “Tight left”, there was a curve to the right, and I bumped into a tree. It’s as if the navigation was always late in passing on the route – which was hardly visible at times, because it was difficult to spot the actual road.
And this started to get on my nerves rather quickly. Whenever I didn’t stay on the path and started mowing the grass by the side of the road, I started going backwards at a ludicrous speed, with my tires spinning like mad. And then you irrevocably end up in the middle of nowhere, and have to wait for the computer to put you back on the road.
Thank God for that “mute” button
If you really want to get annoyed, listen to the accompanying music for a while. The first thought I had was “didn’t I hear this at the Turkish Gyros-restaurant the other day?” No beats or motivating tune to help you push the pedal to the metal, just some sounds that remind me of that Tunisian holiday, where a band tried to add “atmosphere” to the restaurant with their whining music.
And don’t get me started on the lawnmower sounds that the different vehicles produced – and nearly all of these sounded the same.
So where’s my prize?
But I made a conscious effort and tried to finish the sub-stage, hoping for a big reward in the shape of some extra cars, or a nice movie. But all I got were some TV images of the Paris-Dakar Rally. That, and a long, long loading time for the next stage. Long live variation – not!
Frustrated beyond belief, I tried the Arcade mode, hoping for some refreshing gameplay. My hopes were quickly crushed, though, for I had to drive the same course I just finished in a different vehicle (one choice, the rest you have to earn).
Although the off-button was beckoning me, I decided to give the Time Trial a try. And surprise surprise, it’s as boring as the rest.
So can’t I say anything nice about the game?
Well… the graphics are nice. The cars and motorcycles look kinda neat.
But… the dust clouds were a bit lame.
And… the fog in the distance covered up the pop-up.
And… the variation in stages wasn’t much to write home about.
Okay, I’ll stop nagging.
In conclusion
Paris-Dakar Rally made me feel like I would have felt in the actual race: after hours of struggling with it, I gave up.
Now it’s back on the shelf where it belongs, and – like the cars in Paris-Dakar Rally - gathering dust.
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