Xpand Rally

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	Xpand Rally	CG rating 80 /100
	Developer: Topware Interactive, Producer: Techland System requirements: CPU 2GHz, 512 MB RAM, 3D Video Card with 128 MB, DirectX 9.0c compatible Game: Xpand Rally Genre: Racing

Posted by h0stile on 24-Mar-2006 10:56

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I don’t know if you remember, but back in 2004 when Xpand Rally was released by Techland, only Europeans enjoyed the game officially. Following TopWare’s recent announcement, we thought it might be a good idea to review the latest build of the game, which will be available in the US in April for the special price of 19.99USD. We were surprised to find out that it’s the same 1.1 version, already patched, pretty much as the digital download version available now to Europeans. The only difference is the price and frankly, it’s a damn good price for such a game, so let’s see what’s in store, if you decide to buy it.

Installation is pretty straightforward and the moment the game runs for the first time it will auto-detect all audio and video settings. It will also prompt you to create your own profile. Here you can choose between arcade and simulation, a decision with a great impact over gameplay. Xpand Rally features two singleplayer modes, a career and a single race mode. Like in many racing titles, you must unlock cars and tracks in the career mode, to be able to race them in single race. You start with 15,000EUR cash and the first thing you should do is buy yourself a car. Unfortunately, this doesn’t leave you too much room for upgrades, so you should start the stages immediately to earn some more cash. Now, this is where it gets complicated. If you’ve chosen arcade mode, then you should know that handling and damage are not realistic, meaning that you should handle the car with less effort as physics rules do not apply here. The damage you take is more virtual than real, so you have plenty of chances to finish a stage, at least theoretically. Fact is that arcade mode felt a lot harder than simulation mode, at least for some of the stages in the game.