E3 2017 Preview – WRC 7
World Rally Championship is coming back to consoles and PC this year with WRC 7. I had the opportunity to go hands-on with WRC 7 and have a discussion about the game with two of the games developers at E3 this week. This year’s version retains much of what’s made the WRC games so popular, but the developers have been listening to fans and are even bringing an oft-requested feature to the franchise!
One of the biggest changes to the game is the handling of the rally cars. In the “real world”, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) have introduced new rules for the World Rally Championship, allowing for faster, more aggressive cars. So it is only fitting that the developers of WRC 7 incorporate the modifications to the in-game vehicles as well. This required a complete overhaul of the handling system and developers worked with car manufacturers to get everything right. The end result is tighter handling and faster cars, which ultimately translates to even better racing!
In addition, the developers have included an oft-requested feature to WRC 7 which is sure to please WRC fans: epic races. In past games, the races would only last about five to ten minutes long, however, actual rally events last far longer – so developers have created new epic races that will last approximately 20 minutes long, making for a more authentic experience. The game features about 13 countries, and each country will feature one epic race. Another cool addition is the inclusion of race specific objectives. For example, in a country that primarily sees one or two different teams win year after year (in the real WRC), the objective might be to win the event with a team that doesn’t win there.
Multiplayer will still be a heavy focus in WRC 7. WRC 7 has much of the same online modes from WRC 6 and will retain the eSports components and daily challenges. And I’m happy to report that local split-screen racing is back again!
Visually the game still shines! On one race, I was driving down a winding road, which overlooked a vast river, and across the river, I could see more road. As I made my way down the mountain, I crossed a bridge, and then I was driving on the very road I had seen earlier. It was incredible how detailed everything looked and how far I could see ahead of me during that moment. While much of the racing is done in tight quarters with vast forests surrounding me, the developers still put a ton of polish on the moments where the world opened up around me.
WRC 7 should be available for PS4, Xbox One and Steam within the next few months. I asked about a Nintendo Switch version and they said that it won’t happen this year, but they’re not saying no to the possibility of future WRC games appearing on the console!
