Dakar 18

 Xbox One
Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
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  1. Xbox Tavern
    Oct 8, 2018
    65
    Dakar 18 is held back from greatness due to a number of issues. Chief among these problems tend to revolve around the game’s poor handling and its over-the-top damage system. However, if you can overlook the game’s awkward foundation and forgive the overbearing co-driver, there’s a beautiful vast world to soak up, with no shortage of diverse content to take for a spin. Just don’t expect to be wowed.
  2. IGN Spain
    Oct 5, 2018
    60
    Dakar 18 manages to capture the essence of the test sublime, reaching a level of realism almost sickly, but fails in everything else. The fans of the test will know how to forgive these defects and they will find an adventure along 14 impressive stages, in which to suffer (and enjoy) like a true Dakar rider.
  3. Jeuxvideo.com
    Oct 8, 2018
    55
    Dakar 18 was a promissing title that might had over-promissed. Its numerous technical flaws and its poor physics are too much to overcome, despite some good ideas, such as its navigation system.
  5. MondoXbox
    Oct 6, 2018
    55
    Dakar 18 feels unluckily like a missed opportunity; a low technical level, uneven difficulty and an excessive vehicles weakness don't do justice to Dakar's official license the beautiful environments it's based on.
  6. TrueAchievements
    Nov 9, 2018
    50
    Ultimately, the game falls between two stools, not realistic enough for the hardcore enthusiasts and not gamified enough for the gaming community. If a better balance could be found, then there is great potential here, but sadly, at this moment, the title just can't reach its own lofty ambitions.
  7. TheXboxHub
    Oct 8, 2018
    50
    With a navigation system that fails to allow for any true enjoyment, tying players to a strict path, buggy visuals, and a co-driver that screams at the first opportunity, it’s hard to say Dakar 18 reminds us of the exhilarating experience we’ll find on TV each year.
  8. GameSpew
    Oct 11, 2018
    40
    It has some good ideas and interesting features, but it doesn’t feel polished enough to impress. Basically, it feels like it needed more time in development.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 12
  3. Negative: 2 out of 12
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Oct 5, 2018
    6
    The visuals and sound design aren’t perfect I still enjoyed them because they created a survial-type atmosphere which made the gameplay moreThe visuals and sound design aren’t perfect I still enjoyed them because they created a survial-type atmosphere which made the gameplay more exciting. The world in which the racing takes place is quite big and I liked the option of being able to freeroam because it gives the game some replaybility. There are a decent variety of vehicles for you to try out and most of them are fun to get to grips with. Unfortunately the game suffers with quite a few technichal issues and these issues do impact on the game’s fun factor and immersion levels quite a bit. The physics in the game feel awkward and don’t do what you expect them to do which does have an impact when it comes to realism. I would’ve have liked much more in terms of a tutorial because in my opinion the tutorial present in the game is far too basic and I never felt confident tackling the game. The high difficulty of the game can be a massive problem at times and it does make carrying on feel like a chore from time to time. All in all Dakar 18 is unlike any racing/rally game I’ve ever played before and sometimes this uniqueness makes the game fun to play, but unfortunately as it stands at the moment the game just has too many problems which ultimately hold it back in the end. I will say though that if they iron out these little problems like the bugs that are present in the game then I can see Dakar 18 being very appealing to fans of the Dakar series. I do think though that the game is very niche and I’ll admit now that I didn’t know much about the Dakar series before playing this game. This however didn’t stop me from seeing the good points because when in full flow racing around the vast world in the various vehicles is actually pretty fun even if the physics don’t make any sense. Unfortunately though this isn’t enough to get Dakar 18 a recommendation from me but if the developers sort out a couple of problems then it will probably do enough to get a recommendation from me because the core idea is very unique indeed. There is a large update coming for the game at the end of October let's see if it's a large enough game changer, there seems to be promise here with the proper update in the next 30 days.… Full Review »
  2. CC_Andyman
    Jul 1, 2022
    2
    You know a game is abysmal when you ask for - and receive - a refund for a game that was a mere $1.99 on sale. I'm giving it +1 each for theYou know a game is abysmal when you ask for - and receive - a refund for a game that was a mere $1.99 on sale. I'm giving it +1 each for the official license and overall polished presentation, but the game itself is an unplayable buggy mess. Giving it the benefit of the doubt as well, I spent about 10 minutes being berated by my co-driver, to the point that I felt verbally abused by the time I turned it off. Completely inexcusable.… Full Review »
  3. jflcarvalho
    Dec 2, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Bom jogo, bons gráficos e boa jogabilidade!
    À espera do próximo, que seja muito melhor para a nova geração    … Full Review »
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