Normally, I am not a car game guy, I like arcade racers, but the realistic ones like Forza or Gran Turismo, I tend to avoid, however there is something about a rally game that draws me in. When I was invited to check out WRC 8, I decide it was time to see if I could adapt my videogame driving style to the world of rally.

The short answer is no, I can’t but before I delve into my disastrous attempt at driving, I had a chance to sit and learn about what makes this the biggest change in the series ever. KT Racing, formally known as just Kyloton, have worked on 3 previous entries in the series and with each they have improved time and time again, with fans liking the improvements they are making, but with WRC 8, they kicked things up 10 notches. The biggest change is that the game is losing its arcade inspired feel and going for a simulation effort, which means that it begins to fall back in line with the aforementioned titles. This might not like seem big but given how much more control a simulation game gives you, and not just with the car, this is a big change. There are two levels of change you can apply to cars, you can use sliders to modify the overall, or if you are gear head, you can deep dive into the specifics of almost every function of the car.

Outside of turning the handling to simulation is the addition of a management mode, which allows you to oversee all aspects of the team, from the events on race day, to the training and research any beyond. There are many things that you need to do in this mode, from managing new hires, ensuring that the ones you have are not burnt out, getting time behind the wheel to practice new moves and even scheduling events. As there are many aspects to a team, not just the race day, those who love to manage or want to see behind the curtain, so to speak, will find themselves in love with this mode. What I was shown was just how in depth the scheduling can go, in a given season, there are set races, which follow along with the real-world events and everything you do has to work around them. Do you set a training day, a few days before a race, or do you let your driver unwind a bit, how about training, is it better to sit them down on the same track over and over, or does sending them out to the snow help improve their skills, the choices you have to make are limitless.

Speaking of snow, that brings up the third real change for the series, dynamic weather and it is not just a cool effect, it really does impact how things play out. I know this, as this was when I was lucky enough to try and complete a race myself, which I stated at the beginning, did not go down so well. The track was pretty easy, mostly asphalt, with some light gravel sections, a lot of hairpin turns as it went up the side of a hill and starting out with blue skies and clear weather, but the dynamic weather was enabled for it. As I knew it was going to be a challenge, I got a quick look at the customisation that you can do, right before the events, the type of tires and such, given that the type of tires will impact how you drive on different surfaces, the weather will impact those choices and dynamic weather means you may never have the right stuff.

When I started, the track was clear and the sun shining, though it was near sunset, I was actually doing quite well, with the developer even commenting on my skills, however as I climbed, the fog began to roll in. The fog was not a single blanket layer that covered the track, it was in the dips and in varying amounts, with liberal amounts of breaking, I was able to get through most of that without issue, but the sun was setting still. As the sun continued its decent to below the horizon, the weather continued to change, with some light rain appearing, which in turn made the track quite slick, which helped with some epic turns, but always to much and usually resulted in me spinning around the other way. The weather continued to increase in its ferocity, but the sun had set completely and I was in the dark and while I would love to say I completed the track, I did not, as one of my forceful turns, had me smack into a wall, breaking a light. I was only able to see part of the track and missed a turn, causing me to break the other one and while I tried to push on, I failed to see a jump and went flying over it, the result was that I wrecked the engine and the car would not move.

After getting a polite chuckle from the developer who was watching me fail, I ended my time with the game, but still came away quite happy with it. The amount of options that the team are adding to this release is impressive and if just one of those was added alone, it would be a major improvement, but all three is just nuts. When the game comes out, I am going to give it a go again, because there is just so much to see and do, I want to learn all I can about it, so bring on the release I say.