Rally Cross (PS1)

This video was captured using the actual game on an actual Playstation 2. Loading times have been removed for your consideration and enjoyment. Just as a side note I crashed in the beginning of this video because I forgot to switch on the analog control and had no steering.

Awesome. That's the only word for this game. This is Rally Cross. A game that got dogged by professional reviewers such as IGN over the opinion that your car flips over too easily. What total nonsense. If any of these tracks existed in real life, they would make Big Foot flip over. Some of these tracks are just absolutely brutal. You see me flip many times in this capture and it's easy to see why. You must learn control. This is not a mash the pedal rally game. This is a tight turning and watch your speed type of rally game. Not that the game is entirely realistic, but the gameplay is very technical. If you floor it over a massive dune, you will fly out of control. If you speed over a massive bump with your wheels offset, you will flip and then tumble over a few times.

Anyway despite the slight learning curve of how to keep your car under control, it has never been more amusing to flip out of control and see the computer do the same. In this video you see the computer make's it's share of mistakes as well. On top of the computer making mistakes, the A.I. is about as close to human like as you'll ever see. They will block you and smack into you with no mercy. As you progress through the game the tracks get harder and the vehicles get faster, but the stubborn A.I. is constant throughout the whole game. The graphics are some of the best on the Playstation and has a very nice frame rate to boot. The sound effects are great with all the suspension creeking, collision sounds and water sounds. The crunch of your suspension and car frame when you land from a high jump or hit a giant bump just sounds so right. The music is legendary. I love the music in this game. This game was developed in Sony's own studio, so no doubt the same team that wrote and performed the music in ESPN Extreme Games also did Rally Cross. The funny thing about this game is it has hardly any presentation at all. After the Playstation logo comes a still picture loading screen to where I edited the capture. No menu music, no fancy looking menus, no full motion video introduction, NOTHING. That's ok though, This game doesn't need any bells or whistles to achieve it's level of greatness. This game is so much fun it's a sin. This is a must have for any racing game fan.