WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship

WRC 8 is surprisingly accessible to rally newcomers, but after explaining how everything works, the game delights in throwing buckets of cold water in the player’s face. This is a tough game, but a fair one, and fans of rally racers and other “difficult” genres will likely equally enjoy skidding through WRC 8’s wicked twists and turns. A variety of modes flesh the experience out, but prepare to feast on the Career Mode, which is comprehensive and comprehendible. Recommended.

Making small improvements over previous games not only adds up to WRC 8 being the best in the series, it’s also one of the best rally games around.

A combination of a laudable driving experience and exquisitely modelled official rally environments across 14 countries means WRC 8 delivers the goods and deserves your attention.

WRC 8 is a rock-solid rally racer that’s now looming very large in the rearview mirror of current off-road kingpin Dirt Rally 2.0. It’s still not quite as beautiful or broad as the latter but the additions made on top of WRC 7 – particularly the dynamic weather and the vastly improved career mode – are real gamechangers.

WRC 8 is without a doubt the best game in the world championship rally in years. Thanks to a huge load of content and cool features this game is awesome, but it is a bit rough around the edges.

While this still retains the 'arcade' feel of racing, this is as fun as they come in terms of pure enjoyment from the thrill of tearing across dirt tracks, without track faults or graphical inconsistencies that hurt the previous titles. However, this does suffer from an "all eggs all in one basket" approach, in that there's not much in store here aside from career mode. If WRC 8 is the foundation of the franchise moving forwards, then it's safe to be anxious to see what Kylotonn has in store for the next title.

WRC 8 is a great rally game, especially for the players that don`t want serious simulation, but something pretty close to that. As the fourth game from this studio, it appears Dirt Rally has a tough competition.

There's a lot more depth to WRC 8's career mode when compared to its predecessors and that's a major plus. The game's graphics have received an update as well. The learning curve is a bit steep, but don't let that stop you from giving this one a go.

Even though it lacks the technology and the graphics that other modern racing games have, WRC 8 makes it up with a deep and engaging career mode along with superb driving mechanics that really shine when playing with a racing wheel.

This episode has been carefully developed and deserves the attention of simracing fans. It does not compete with the best titles on PC, but you will not have much to reproach it on console. WRC 8, it is a solid title with an official licence and the confidence is now totally restored in Kylotonn. Simply, Bravo.

WRC 8 is an accomplished effort with a career mode that now feels more complete. The content on offer is substantial with plenty to sink hours into. The presentation might look a little dry but the audio works well with the detail of the environments being complimented by a dynamic weather system. It's really starting to feel like a series getting better with age and rally fans should feel right at home.

Kylotonn tooks its time to cook its WRC 8, and it’s all for the best. Deeper and prettier than any of its predecessors, WRC 8 as a great career mode and looks good. It also plays better, with sharper driving.

WRC 8 is the best game yet in the series and has a major edge on its chief competitor due to its far more accessible racing.

WRC 8 represents another step forward for the series developed by Kylotonn, thanks to a renewed Career Mode, the introduction of dynamic weather and a further refinement in the driving model and vechicle’s physics.

Although it is a game designed and developed especially for rally lovers, it can also be enjoyed by any casual player, or by those who enjoy driving games. WRC 8 guarantees fun for several months, if the career or online mode is played. The main problem that the title has, and that has been presented to us from the beginning, is the same as always: its graphics is still lagging behind a bit.

A nice upgrade from WRC 7, there’s finally a legitimate competitor for the Dirt series. Still, WRC 8 is best suited for those with a wheel setup and/or already fans of the rally race concept.

WRC 8 is a good rally game, especially if you like to have loads of official content, and an approach that's not as sim-oriented as DiRT Rally. We only regret that most of the new stuff is geared towards the management aspect of the game, and not the pure driving.

WRC 8 has to deal with too many compromises, and it comes out smaller than its potential. It is neither insufficient nor broken but seems to evolve too slowly, without clear objectives.

With three modern tiers of rallying plus a load of classic cars to try on 100 unique stages across 14 different countries, WRC 8 uses its licence well, but it’s simply outclassed by Dirt Rally 2.0. So try that first. [Issue#168, p.92]

What WRC 8 gives in career longevity, mode variety and stage choice, it takes away with unrefined vehicle handling and some rough edges. This is still the best official WRC game to date, but bear in mind that until the driving feel becomes the main focus of development, this series can’t be placed into the pantheon of all-time greats.

On balance WRC 8 is an old title, only partially saved by the new features so much publicized in the development phase (new Career, partially revised driving model, dynamic weather) and incapable, so uncertain between pure arcade and simulative ambitions only partially explained , to offer an all-round driving experience.

WRC 8 is a solid simulator, and it feels like a step forward from the previous entry. We miss more polished physics and some new modes, but any WRC fan will have a great time with it.